Fuel filler cap safety chain

J

JediJD

Active Member
TECHNICAL Contributor
Feb 14, 2009
1,361
Cartersville, GA
Boat Info
'07 42SS Carver, full electronics array
'03 380DA, RL80C+, ST7001, Kohl 7.3,4kw o/array sold
Engines
8.1S Crusader express drives
With major stuff either completed or in progress, I am onto minor annoying stuff...such as the port fuel filler cap safety chain being broken. This may sound incredibly simple and may be a really stupid question, but having never done this, discretion perhaps trumps valor and I thought I would ask before tearing into it. (Leaving it "as is" is just tempting the water gods)

I can see the broken chain down in the tube, and it is broken too far down to repair from the outside. If I unscrew the holding screws, does the filler neck come straight out? Is is held with a clamp somewhere? It is a little dark...perhaps the flame from a Bic lighter would minimize the shadowing and let me get a little better view (only kidding, but given the recent state of some court decisions...I wonder if they would find the resulting explosion the fault of Bic, Sea Ray or Exxon?).

Seriously...the plan is to have some silicone handy, unscrew the filler neck, pull it from the fuel filler piping, cap the fuel opening with a plastic bag while repairs are underway, fix the chain, put the neck back in the pipe, silicone the edges, screw it back and wipe the excess. Fifteen minute job?
 
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I would not reccomenend "fixing" the safty chain - infact I removed all of mine - just withdrawing the filler nozzle when fuling can and will break the chain when you least expect it(ask me and how I know) - it is a crappy design - when I remove my caps I know there is no chain and I'm always careful = no lost caps - if you are hell bent on fixing it yes, there is a clamp - the time to fix it will depend on how long it takes you to access the clamp
 
Agree with above comments. If you are really worried, invest in a spare cap. If you want a valuable project, change the o-rings on the cap. Almost all water gets into fuel tanks due to o-ring failures. That will take less than 15 minutes. If you need a project, of course!
 
One of mine's busted and I haven't given it a second thought.

If I understand your intent correctly...you won't be able to unscrew the deck fill from the hull and pull it out far enough to remove the fill hose. The hose is double-clamped (or should be) to the fill and it will not fit through the hole for the fill.

You'll need to access from the back side- removing whetever panels, etc are in the way- to loosen the hose clamps and remove the filler hose from the inside.
 
Tob is dead on - don't even bother unscrewing the whole thing.

Your gas fill must be different than mine - The screw that holds my chain is only about 2 inches inside the opening - very easy to get to.

Even though that screw is easy to get to on my filler neck, take a guess on whether or not I have replaced my chain after it broke.... :smt001

I know you're making a joke about the possible "lighter near the gas fill" incident... but, unfortunately, you know as well as (or better) than anyone else that that is exactly what would happen. It's sad.
 
there is a better solution to this problem. This happened to 2 of my boats. I was ablee to find a product from the Freeport Marine catalogue. It looks like a stainless fishing leader. it is about 12" long. On one side is a crimped eye that you screw into the cap were the chain was. On the other end is a stainless loop of wire like a key chain loop. You just push the loop down the tube, it expands on the inside of the hose and stays put. It's simple and works perfect.
 
Why take a chance on losing your cap? And if you do, you'll find that a standard plastic milk carton cap can be jammed in there quite effectively!

Worst case, just buy a new cap and chain and install it like I've done in the link below. I know where a spare screw and chain are! The previous owner put them IN the tank for me!!

http://clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9370
 
I was putting gas in my stb tank and the gas handle hit the dangling chain and the chain broke, the cap fell in the river. -S-it- Got a new cap in the ships store, but it didn't look right. Bought a new cap assembly from Sea Ray. Had to remove interior panel reach in and remove two clamps, removed three outside screws holding the cap neck. Cut the cauking seal with a razor blade knife and removed the old neck. Installed the new neck, tighted the clamps and resealed the cap area on the outside hull. New cap assembly was approx. $45.00, I think. It was a couple of summers ago and I am getting older.
progress.gif
 
Thank you all for the insights and observations. Being something of a klutz, simply being careful with the loose cap is aspirational but unrealistic. I can see the challenges associated with replacing the chain, appreciate the craftsmanship necessary to properly complete the task and salute those intrepid souls who have followed that noble path. However, I think I am indeed going to take the less manly option of getting the Perko cap connector. It looks like $5 well spent...Oh, that and I have to remember to loan Carter the lighter.
 
JediJD said:
With major stuff either completed or in progress, I am onto minor annoying stuff...such as the port fuel filler cap safety chain being broken. This may sound incredibly simple and may be a really stupid question, but having never done this, discretion perhaps trumps valor and I thought I would ask before tearing into it. (Leaving it "as is" is just tempting the water gods)

I can see the broken chain down in the tube, and it is broken too far down to repair from the outside. If I unscrew the holding screws, does the filler neck come straight out? Is is held with a clamp somewhere? It is a little dark...perhaps the flame from a Bic lighter would minimize the shadowing and let me get a little better view (only kidding, but given the recent state of some court decisions...I wonder if they would find the resulting explosion the fault of Bic, Sea Ray or Exxon?).

Seriously...the plan is to have some silicone handy, unscrew the filler neck, pull it from the fuel filler piping, cap the fuel opening with a plastic bag while repairs are underway, fix the chain, put the neck back in the pipe, silicone the edges, screw it back and wipe the excess. Fifteen minute job?
Click to expand...
I had the same situation. One chain broken with a replacement cap installed. The replacement cap did not have the screw, chain adapter, or chain. I bought all the SS parts including a chain coupler, fished out the end of the broken chain in the filler fitting and made a good repair. All the parts are obtainable. I did have to tap the replacement cap to accept the screw and installed it with locktite. Happy so far.
 
https://www.mcmaster.com/#92730a130/=1dja834
I believe you will find the chain is #10 bead chain. The attaching screw is in the neck slightly down inside of it but within reach of a screwdriver. If there is enough length you can simply install a splicing link. Attached link has all you would need.
 
Woody said:
I found some at the local hardware store. You could also look at the automotive stores or Home Depot type stores I'd think.
Click to expand...
Material must be either Nitrile (Buna-N) or Fluorosilicon. Any hydraulic shop or automotive like NAPA will have Buna-N.
Do not trust the materials at big box stores (HD, Lowes, ACE, etc). Fluorosilicone is typically used on higher pressure fuel injection systems (usually light green in color)
Take the old one off and match it up.
 
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