Afriad to ask ... diesel fuel leakage over winter ....

[ELindstrom]

Went on board our 1978 Hunter 30 (with a 20-hp 1989 Yanmar diesel engine) and smelled fuel and noticed a small stain in the carpet near the engine steps. I took off the steps and saw that there is at least 2 inches of diesel fuel in the resevoir under the engine.

I clicked on the bilge pump (boat is still on shore, BTW) and a good amount of water came out and toward the end had a slightly brownish tint.

Where is all this fuel from?
Is there a leak in the engine?
There should have been NO fuel in the engine over winter!

Please let me know what you think this might be!
I will call the mechanic tomorrow (Monday) but any heads-up might be helpful.

Thanks!

 

[BobM]

It shouldn't be serious. Did you try to figure out where the leak is? Sounds like it is time to replace the seal on something or to replace your fuel line. I'd place something clean and dry under the engine, such as newspaper and then try to get a handle on the general area it is coming from. You made need to clean it up a bit first to get a better idea.

Bob

 

[sailingdog]

I'd also put some fuel absorbing material in the bilge, since you don't want to pump the diesel overboard, and get a nasty EPA fine...

 

[Bob J.]

Could have had some water in your fuel seperator, froze over the winter & blew the bowl.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Some things you can do while awaiting a mechanic have been mentioned. Dry the engine pan and dispose of the fuel properly. Unless it got too deep it might not have reached the bilge. On my Cherubini there is a hole in the forward edge of the pan near the top that is not readily visible. Then there is the big hole at the back under the stuffing box. But if the carpet is wet I guess it got over the front edge of the pan. Bummer!

Once it is cleaned up I like the idea of paper spread under the entire engine. I like to use the industrial strength white paper towels from Lowes. See if it is still dripping. If not then turn over the engine briefly to see if that starts a drip.

Is there any fuel on top of the engine to suggest an injector leak? For that much fuel it almost has to be low in the fuel line, gravity flow. Most likely from the connections, the filters, or the fuel pump.

Did you fill the tank? The fuel line on my boat attaches near the top of the tank. It would almost have to be over-filled for that much fuel to leak out by gravity.

 

[geoffschultz]

I had the exact same problem. I ended up with 12+ gallons of diesel in my bilge. While what happened to me may have nothing to do with what you've experienced, it may be the same. Here's my post at www.FreedomYachts.org

You know that it's probably not a good thing when the phone rings at 8 AM and it's the boat yard calling...They had gone onto BlueJacket to check something and found the bilge full of diesel. I headed right down to the marina and found many gallons of diesel in the bilge. I pulled apart the aft cabin to gain access to the tank and was thrilled to see that it wasn't leaking.

After some more searching I found that the generator's Racor had started leaking and since it was below the top of the tank, it siphoned the diesel. I haven't determined what went wrong with the Racor as of yet as I was too busy cleaning. I had a drill pump and used that the suck out 12 gallons of diesel and then spent the rest of the day cleaning the bilge from the generator to the sump in mid-boat. I will say that the bilge hasn't been this clean in ages, but what a pain...

So, what I learned was that it's important to turn off both the fuel intake and return lines on the boat when storing it. I haven't been aboard in 3 weeks, so this happened some time in between. I'm happy that (1) the batteries were disconnected so that the bilge pumps didn't run and (2) that I utilize electronic bilge pump switches that won't turn on due to oil/diesel.

-- Geoff

 

[Snotter]

Your boat is old enough that you should check your fuel line hoses to see if they are not cracking and drying out. They always crack at the ends first. Check for fuel leaks when the boat is underway and the engine is pushing the boat near hull speed.

 

[Deadline]

Secret bilge.

My H29 had a secret bilge in the far aft that collected diesel spilling from the top of the tank because the six screws had worked loose on the depth indicator. So check every nook and cranny you can find.

Kitty litter works well for absorbing the fuel, and you can vacuum up what residue you can't scoop out.

 

[BobM]

A reusable fuel boom is a good investment. I had diesel in my bilge from a leaky tank and it is much cheaper to go reusable and wring it out then generate solid waste along with the liquid waste from the clean up. Plus you can leave the boom in after you are done to take care of any future issues.

 

[Randy Burns]

Same thing happened to me. Pin holes in the tank after 30 years. What a mess. The good thing is a replacement tank was available quickly for a reasonable price. I think after the leak & seeing the crud in the tank, it would be prudent to replace aluminum tanks after 20 years.