[C320-list] Starter Battery and Fuel Tank Question and Parts3Engines.com Warning

[Chris Burti]

FYI,
If memory serves, I believe that the OEM wiring charged both house
batteries regardless of the switch setting (as ours currently does). It
sounds as if those who added a separate starting battery may have altered
that original configuration.

After procrastinating on the installation of a separate starter battery for
15 years, I decided that the simpler and more versatile alternative was a
NOCO Boost Plus GB40 1000 Amp 12V Lithium Jump Starter that I caught on
sale.

Chris Burti
Commitment, #867
Farmville, NC



On Tue, Sep 24, 2019 at 10:59 AM <sail-ability at sympatico.ca> wrote:

> You have done well to get 8/9 years from that bty. It sounds like your
> system is wired wrong. I have starter bty on position #2 house#1 and both
> on both. They charge independently and both on both.
> As far as your fuel tank, you can suck out the fuel using an oil
> extractor. Diesel fuel will not harm it but gasoline will. I did this and
> took the tank to a rad repair facility for an inspection and cleaning. It’s
> difficult but the tank comes out through the hatch in the aft cabin once
> you remove the door and frame. Some of the older tanks were leaking so I
> wanted the insurance. Turned out the tank was fine but it was dirty.
> JohnM
> 1999#574
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Sep 23, 2019, at 8:46 PM, Jeff Smith <jeffreyssmith at live.com> wrote:
> >
> > To all,
> >
> > My starter batter that was purchased in 2011 is dead. The current
> starter battery is a car battery from Costco. It has 750 CCA. Do most
> people with a separate starter battery have a car battery with similar CCA?
> My starter battery is wired to #2 on my selector switch. However, it
> receives a charge even when the switch is in the 1 position. Is it supposed
> to do this? For some reason, I thought I would need to have the switch set
> to both for both to charge. This issue came to my attention because my
> alternator is not working and I went on the hook overnight. I drained my
> house bank batteries and switched to #2, whereupon I discovered 1V in my
> starter battery. It has probably been dead for a while.
> >
> > Second question: Is it easy to remove the diesel from the fuel tank? Can
> I remove the shelf and suction the diesel out of the tank? Twice I have had
> fuel-related issues, on the water of course. My plan is to suction all of
> the diesel out of the tank, put some acetone in the tank and slosh it
> around. Suction any residual acetone and vacuum the tank. Will this work?
> Going forward I will add a biocide to my diesel and make sure that I keep
> reasonably fresh fuel in the tank.
> >
> > Be careful ordering from Parts4engines.com. The company is great;
> however, if you order the wrong part, as I did with the alternator, it is
> very expensive to try to ship it back. My $135 alternator will cost me $200
> if I use Fedex or UPS to send it back. I plan to stop by USPS tomorrow and
> see their rates.
> >
> > Thanks for any help.
> >
> > Jeff
> > ’94, #121
> >
> >
>