When my 1988 Catalina 30 is closed up for a week at a time I notice a strong smell of diesel when I open the hatch. The boat yard has checked for leaks and has found none. There is no diesel in the bilge. When I'm on the boat for the weekend there is no smell after being open for a short while. I suspect the diesel fumes are being vented into the cabin somehow. Any thoughts? Anyone have this problem before? Thanks
Diesel fumes in cabin
- Thread starter emma-mia
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yes...
I thought that every diesel engine smelled...eventually. I notice the same thing - when we are using the boat (in the summer) we are always getting on and off, the hatches are open, and the smell dissipates. After it is closed up for a while it smells. I have managed to get used to it. My wife has slowly gotten used to it too. Use a bilge sock and change it often - a small amount of oil can smell pretty bad. There is a saying from one of my favourite movies Apocalypse Now... "I love the smell of napalm (change napalm to diesel) in the morning...smells like...Victory! (change word to my boat!)" My wife thinks I'm crazy. That's me. Get used to it. Hope you find a cure. -Rob
I thought that every diesel engine smelled...eventually. I notice the same thing - when we are using the boat (in the summer) we are always getting on and off, the hatches are open, and the smell dissipates. After it is closed up for a while it smells. I have managed to get used to it. My wife has slowly gotten used to it too. Use a bilge sock and change it often - a small amount of oil can smell pretty bad. There is a saying from one of my favourite movies Apocalypse Now... "I love the smell of napalm (change napalm to diesel) in the morning...smells like...Victory! (change word to my boat!)" My wife thinks I'm crazy. That's me. Get used to it. Hope you find a cure. -Rob
Somewhere
you have a small leak in your fuel line. There shouldn't be a diesel smell even when running the engine. It would only take a very small leak to flood the boat with fumes. Check all the fuel fittings and look for a location that may have a weep.
you have a small leak in your fuel line. There shouldn't be a diesel smell even when running the engine. It would only take a very small leak to flood the boat with fumes. Check all the fuel fittings and look for a location that may have a weep.
I've only had diesel fumes when a leak is present,
last time it was the seal on the water bleed valve on the bottom of Racor filter. Wasn't even enough to drip, bottom of bowl was just damp with diesel, the stuff stinks to high heaven and lingers. I'd check your line from the engine back very carefully with white rag, flashlight & fingers, concentrating on fittings etc. which may be prone to leak.
last time it was the seal on the water bleed valve on the bottom of Racor filter. Wasn't even enough to drip, bottom of bowl was just damp with diesel, the stuff stinks to high heaven and lingers. I'd check your line from the engine back very carefully with white rag, flashlight & fingers, concentrating on fittings etc. which may be prone to leak.
Diesel engines don't smell
it's the fuel, and only that. The guys are right, it's a leak. Find it and fix it, there's no reason you should have to put up with any smells. And when you find the leak, clean up thoroughly underneath to remove fuel residue and the smell will go away.
it's the fuel, and only that. The guys are right, it's a leak. Find it and fix it, there's no reason you should have to put up with any smells. And when you find the leak, clean up thoroughly underneath to remove fuel residue and the smell will go away.
crank case vent
HI Emma My boat was smelling oily after about 7 years.I dont use my moter much and from lack of use it started to get gumed up.There is a rubber hose that comes out of the moter in the frount and runs down the moter by the alt to the bilge.this is a vent, check it for oil drips.I put a glass bottle over it filled with cotten and ran the moter ,I found oil mist comeing from the vent, when i removed the hose I found a steel flapper that was gummed open, leting the oil mist out.I shot WD 40 in the hole with the moter runing and worked the flaper with a screw driver till it was clean . Then i took the hose out of the bilge and put it in the air intake so the oil mist gets run thru the moter and burned,no more smell.The guys from universel said in 1990 all there moter had the vent run into the air intake.After cleaning the flapper with WD40 I changed the oil. A solar vent in the v birth also helps keep the boat smell free John
HI Emma My boat was smelling oily after about 7 years.I dont use my moter much and from lack of use it started to get gumed up.There is a rubber hose that comes out of the moter in the frount and runs down the moter by the alt to the bilge.this is a vent, check it for oil drips.I put a glass bottle over it filled with cotten and ran the moter ,I found oil mist comeing from the vent, when i removed the hose I found a steel flapper that was gummed open, leting the oil mist out.I shot WD 40 in the hole with the moter runing and worked the flaper with a screw driver till it was clean . Then i took the hose out of the bilge and put it in the air intake so the oil mist gets run thru the moter and burned,no more smell.The guys from universel said in 1990 all there moter had the vent run into the air intake.After cleaning the flapper with WD40 I changed the oil. A solar vent in the v birth also helps keep the boat smell free John
All of the answers are very good
but.... I have one more suggestion. I have a 77 Cat 30 with a Yanmar YSB12( one cyl unit). I too had the diesel smell exactly as you described. I finally found that the PO had used a standard automotive hose to run from the fuel tank vent to the vent connection overboard. The fuel had permeated the hose since some fuel laid in the run and did not drain back to the tank. So, I replaced the hose with a good quality fuel approved hose and never had the odor again. Hope this helps you also.
but.... I have one more suggestion. I have a 77 Cat 30 with a Yanmar YSB12( one cyl unit). I too had the diesel smell exactly as you described. I finally found that the PO had used a standard automotive hose to run from the fuel tank vent to the vent connection overboard. The fuel had permeated the hose since some fuel laid in the run and did not drain back to the tank. So, I replaced the hose with a good quality fuel approved hose and never had the odor again. Hope this helps you also.
Similar thought...
I had the same problem and thought it was the fuel tank or something major. One day after running the engine, I saw some fuel drops on the bottom of my fuel pump...seemed to be coming from a loose hose fitting at the pump. Tightened the fitting and seems to have corrected the problem.
I had the same problem and thought it was the fuel tank or something major. One day after running the engine, I saw some fuel drops on the bottom of my fuel pump...seemed to be coming from a loose hose fitting at the pump. Tightened the fitting and seems to have corrected the problem.
Use fuel dye to find the leak.
Clean up around the engine thoroughly. Run the engine and watch for any leaks. If you can't see it don't worry you are not blind (Yet) Go to Cummins and buy a bottle of fuel tracer dye. Cummins part# 3376891 We use it to locate difficult to find fuel or oil leaks. The leak will show up as a bright yellow when you shine a black light on it. Good luck. Ken
Clean up around the engine thoroughly. Run the engine and watch for any leaks. If you can't see it don't worry you are not blind (Yet) Go to Cummins and buy a bottle of fuel tracer dye. Cummins part# 3376891 We use it to locate difficult to find fuel or oil leaks. The leak will show up as a bright yellow when you shine a black light on it. Good luck. Ken
Diesel smell
Not sure if I have the answer. In my case, with a Universal 25XP, which is a Kubita tractor engine modified for marine use, the problem was the breather hose. With a tractor engine the breather hose vents out into the field but in a boat it vents into the bilge. The fix is easy. Merely route the hose into the engine breather. After I did that the smell went away - until a short time later the fuel tank started to leak. They only last normally about 10 years anyway. Once I replace the tank the smell went away.
Not sure if I have the answer. In my case, with a Universal 25XP, which is a Kubita tractor engine modified for marine use, the problem was the breather hose. With a tractor engine the breather hose vents out into the field but in a boat it vents into the bilge. The fix is easy. Merely route the hose into the engine breather. After I did that the smell went away - until a short time later the fuel tank started to leak. They only last normally about 10 years anyway. Once I replace the tank the smell went away.
vent hose
Found a crack on the vent hose as it comes out of the tank as I was preparing to close up for the winter. Where the hose meets the tank it cracked. Cut the hose and put a fitting from an auto parts store, as it is just a vent hose Ron Chels-A-Bella C-30 3532
Found a crack on the vent hose as it comes out of the tank as I was preparing to close up for the winter. Where the hose meets the tank it cracked. Cut the hose and put a fitting from an auto parts store, as it is just a vent hose Ron Chels-A-Bella C-30 3532
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