Tank hasn't seen fuel in a few years...

[redxdu]

I bought a 99 Stratos 201 PE with no motor on it. The guy I bought it from said the fuel tank was drained 2 years ago when the original motor was removed due to a blown power head. I had a 2005 200 Optimax installed on it late last fall. The Opti was run at the shop for testing and winterizing using fresh fuel and additives from a detached tank. It has been in storage since.

Here's my question... Is there anything you recommend I do before filling her up this spring? Should I be worried about gunk or build up of any sort, or residual fuel from 2 years ago? It seems like it would be difficult to get it completely cleaned out. I'm worried I'm going to flush some kind of garbage into my fuel system as soon as I fire her up. What are the dos and don'ts in this situation?

I appreciate any input.

[Davecon]

Many years ago I was replacing a transducer in my Hydrasport. Drained the tank, pulled the tank out of the boat and set it upside down in the garage. Due to some medical issues it sat for about 18 months. Unbeknownst to me the oil/gas buildup on the inside of the tank dried and flaked. When I re-filled the tank and cranked the outboard those flakes flushed into the carbs. After the second carb job we figured out what it was. Had to put multiple in-line filters on the gas line and change/clean the filters after every outing. Those filters kept getting gummed up for a very long time. Keep in mind the was pre-ethanol days.

In hindsight, I should have had the tank steam cleaned before re-installing it.

Just FYI.

[AreTheyBiting]

I would do what I do every spring with my boat
Take the boat to the dealer and let them service it and run it

[rchavis]

If you can remove it ,then do so and clean tank with some gas . If you can not i would take the sending unit cap off and look in the open for any bad stuff.
No elec. vaccum or pumps as you working around gas and fumes .

And you want to replace gas line from tank to the motor with new EPA line and change the filters with new one's also .

[JER-1 BIG BASS]

I’d pull tank, clean good with gasoline,
replace all fuel lines, including fuel filler
hose, replace anything else or repair.
one time job, don’t worry about it anymore

[billnorman1]

Smell the tank for gas fumes. If you can easily, remove the sending unit, smell, look in the tank, tilt the trailer with a jack, if you don't see any fuel or water, if it was me, I'd use as is.

[Bassnailer]

I have a 94 201 Pro XL, same situation, one tank had not been used for some time and was nasty. I took the tank out (actually, not that hard at all) and tried everything I could think of to clean, steam, lye, acid; nothing cut the gunk. Finally, I went to the gas station and put in 5 gallons of E85. As the gas sloshed around on the way home, it completely cleaned the tank like new. I filtered the E85 through 4 fuel filters and then into my flex fuel Silverado to get rid of it. E85 is about the best cleaner you can find, and it will break down any old gas or gunk because it is an extremely efficient solvent. It will also remove any moisture (Ethanol attracts water, which is why it's bad for boats, but when used in this way it works to your advantage). If you don't want to take the tank out, you could pump the E85 in, drive around a bit so it can slosh, then use an auxiliary fuel pump to pump the fuel back out of the tank. I would take the tank out however, that way you aren't pulling any crud though your fuel system.