I was mistaken about the baffle on 9/3/09; there is one in our 1984 model fuel tank about 1/3 from the front.
Unfortunately we ran the fuel tank dry during our Fall Series. This resulted in intermittent fuel starvation the rest of the season. After refill and bleed, the engine would run for 3-4 minutes or longer then then conk out. If you pressed the drain valve on the bottom of the Racor filter there was a sucking sound indicating a block back toward the tank.
Engine ran fine on clean fuel in a portable tank for the trip to winter storage. After pumping out the main fuel tank I blew compressed air from a portable pump from the engine side of the hose back into the tank.
Fuel pickup tube appears to have been getting clogged on a hard white sludge with some bits about the size of a quarter, probably a fuel bug. We regularly use Biorbor JF Diesel Microbiocide and Sta-Bil over the winter though typically not added at the same time.
Cleaned what I could reach with Acetone, but there's no way to get past the baffle. Will see if this was enough in the spring.
By the way, there is a fuel shut off valve near the top of the tank that I never noticed before. It's hidden under the lip of the settee.
