fuel in bilge?

[patrickwise]

Hello to all,
First time post and new owner of a 1984 Catalina 30. I have filled diesel gas tank for winter storage about 2 months ago and returned yesterday to find bilge with an inch or so of diesel fuel, I am guessing by the smell and oily feel, color seemed to be deep red.
Can anyone tell me if my over-filling the gas tank would cause fuel to end up in the bilge?
thanks,
Patrick

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

where is the vent?
One possibility is simple thermal expansion out the vent.
Another is expansion of a fitting causing a leak.
There are many other possibilities which would require some visual inspection.

 

[patrickwise]

Hi Don,
Thanks, overflow vent is located on transom, which did leak out fuel at the time when I over-filled tank. Still do not know how fuel made it to bilge or if this is something to worry about?

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

The only way to know for sure is to thoroughly inspect everything and if that fails, plug up the vent and purposely overfill the tank (a little) to see what happens.

 

[patrickwise]

Thanks Don, I will investigate. Looking forward to learning the new boat and using this site.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Uh, you have a diesel leak somewhere INSIDE the boat, since the vent is outside the boat.

You need to carefully inspect the ENTIRE fuel system, including the tank, the hoses, the fittings and the fuel filter assemblies (both the secondary on the engine and the separate primary).

We can't do it from here on the internet. Really.

Good luck.

 

[patrickwise]

Thanks, Stu. True about the internet...it doesn't compare to eyeball investigation!

 

[TFrere]

fill hose

Check your fill hose. I recently filled my tank to the neck of the fill line and found diesel in my bilge the following week. My fill line was deteriorated and fuel was seeping through it.

 

[patrickwise]

Thanks this gives me a place to start. I am totally unfamiliar with this boat. We had it shipped down from Lake Michigan to Detroit and we were told that all the winterizing had been done. The only thing I have done is put her inside and topped off the tank to very top.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

After you figure out where it's coming from...

There's the NOT small matter of removal followed by bilge cleaning. You said the diesel is about an inch deep...so...

Step 1. Remove as much as you can with a shop vac. Do NOT use detergent or any cleaning product yet...I'll tell you when.

Step 2. Put down bilge pads or pillows to sop up the remaining diesel and or oil. You CAN add water now...but no cleaning product yet. If you do, the pads won't work. Change the pads as often as necessary until all the oil/ diesel has been sopped up. This may take several days, even a week. Dispose of the pads in the disposal site your marina or yard provides for oil, oily rags etc.

Step 3. NOW you can use detergent--a good strong solution of detergent and water--to remove the oily "bathtub ring" and any other dirt in your bilge. And now that all the oil is gone, you can even turn on your bilge pump to flush out all the dirty water and the rinse water. If you don't already have a power washer, this is a great excuse to buy one...cuz they let you "scrub" places you can't reach in addition to saving you a whole bunch of backbreaking manual labor. And if you're gonna do all this work to clean out the bilge where the spill is, you might as well clean all the bilges and sumps...you'll be amazed at how much nicer your boat will smell when the weather gets warm than it will if the "primordial soup" that lives in most bilges and sumps is still there.

Step 4: Rinse ALL the dirty water out. You wouldn't just put some dishwashing liquid into a sinkful of greasy water...stir it up a bit, then pull the plug and expect to have a clean sink. That doesn't work in bilges either.

Step 5: Pour a cold one, sit down and admire the great job you did!

 

[higgs]

You will need to inspect every inch of your fuel delivery lines, both rubber and metal, to see where the leak is. Use a paper towel and wipe it over the hoses frequently inspecting the towel for traces of fuel. If you did not run your engine after fueling, then the leak has to be somewhere between the filler and the tank or between the tank and your fuel filter. The vent hose could also be the culprit as could the return line. A leak that dumps that much fuel in your bilge has to leave traces at the source.

 

[Ray Bowles]

Patrick, If you filled your tank as full as possible or high enough that you have the upper fuel level standing in the fill hose above where it attaches to the tank then it could have leaked at the hose joint. With the amount of leaked fuel you describe I think you have a leak lower on the tank than at the hose attachment joint.
Take a mechanics mirror ( with an extension handle )and a strong flashlight with extra batteries. A small didgital camara also allows you to photograph areas you can't get into to see with your eyes. Take your laptop to display the photos.
Ray

 

[patrickwise]

Thanks guys, I did not run the engine after I filled diesel to top of the fuel cap as it had already been winterized and sitting in its cradle. Sounds like this is going to be a fishing expedition in tight quarters.
I appreciate the info on clean up. I have of course mopped all fuel up and I am curious since I did have a working bilge in my old Pearson to how this works. I see a large rubber tube laying inside the bilge, coming from the direction of the engine and another smaller tube glassed in at the bottom of the bilge toward the bow. While inspecting this glassed in tube I noticed the rubber and area around had become soft as a result of sitting in fuel for two months. She is sitting in her cradle as I said with the bow slightly tilted down. I am concerned that fuel is not sitting inside somewhere where I cannot see it. Where does this discharge and should I be concerned about cleaning this out better. It is just below 20 degrees with wind chill today in our fine state of Michigan. Thanks again to everyone, this is all helpful as I acquaint myself with a new boat.

 

[Ron20324]

Bear in mind if the fuel leaked, say from the filler, it may not leak any more until topped off again. Thus you'd be chasing ghosts until then.

 

[jimmcgee]

Patrick,
Try wiping the fuel lines and the tank itself with a paper towel. Diesel can form a film making it difficult to see in tight quarters. You can pull out the galley cabinets to gain better access and a better view if needed. Best of luck, finding leaks isn't always easy.

I'd take the cushions off the boat if you haven't already. There have been other posts on this forum about getting the diesel smell out of cushion foam.

Best of luck,
Jim