I pulled the tarps off our 1985 28.5 today when I pulled the floor boards to check the bilg it smelled like diesel. The fuel tank is original if it leaked will it go to the bilge? The water was oily how hard is it to pull the tank its glassed in. Thanks Craig
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B4 you pull teh tank
Check all the fittings on the engine. I had a loose fitting between the hand primer pump and the engine fuel filter that leaked a good bit of diesel into the bilge. After you find the leak, clean the bilge with Lemon Joy soap real well to degrease and cut the smell. At this point, I would also recommend one of the bilge pillows that soaks up oil and diesel but not water.
Check all the fittings on the engine. I had a loose fitting between the hand primer pump and the engine fuel filter that leaked a good bit of diesel into the bilge. After you find the leak, clean the bilge with Lemon Joy soap real well to degrease and cut the smell. At this point, I would also recommend one of the bilge pillows that soaks up oil and diesel but not water.
May be something else
Hopefully it isn't your tank but perhaps you have a fuel line or injector leak. Could also be the fuel pump gasket. It does not take much diesel to slick up water and stink. A few drips mixed with stuffing box water drips can work its way to the bilge. Clean up the pan under the engine, tighten up the stuffing box so it doesn't drip. Place some white paper towels under the engine and run it in neutral and check for leaks. Tightening up some connections just a tad might cure your problem. Don't forget to adjust your stuffing box drip rate after your done. Good luck
Hopefully it isn't your tank but perhaps you have a fuel line or injector leak. Could also be the fuel pump gasket. It does not take much diesel to slick up water and stink. A few drips mixed with stuffing box water drips can work its way to the bilge. Clean up the pan under the engine, tighten up the stuffing box so it doesn't drip. Place some white paper towels under the engine and run it in neutral and check for leaks. Tightening up some connections just a tad might cure your problem. Don't forget to adjust your stuffing box drip rate after your done. Good luck
Can't
It's impossible to pull the tank since it's molded into the glaas and lower than the bilge, so the fuel must have come from a leak in the line or engine. BTW, the remedy for a bad tank is to cut out the glass and drop in a replacement tank, but I don't think that's your problem.
It's impossible to pull the tank since it's molded into the glaas and lower than the bilge, so the fuel must have come from a leak in the line or engine. BTW, the remedy for a bad tank is to cut out the glass and drop in a replacement tank, but I don't think that's your problem.
Similar Problem
I recently looked at a 30 footer for sale. When I went down into the cabin, the smell of diesel was over whelming....I checked the engine and saw no obvious leaks and didnt find any fuel or oily water in the bilge. This was an older boat with the original engine....a Yanmar 12 hp. Could this smell be caused by blow by and coming from the breather or air intake????
I recently looked at a 30 footer for sale. When I went down into the cabin, the smell of diesel was over whelming....I checked the engine and saw no obvious leaks and didnt find any fuel or oily water in the bilge. This was an older boat with the original engine....a Yanmar 12 hp. Could this smell be caused by blow by and coming from the breather or air intake????
Could be
IF your boat cover is anything like mine, canvas and drapes over the sides, that the cover- covered the vent line of the diesel tank which would help to trap the fumes to inside the boat and if you (or the yard) had fogged the motor prior to storage that the condensation (if not leaks) could have (for lack of words) washed some of that into the bilge causing the oily specks of water in the bilge. But a good look over the fuel system wouldn't do any harm after a good day of open hatches and ventilation. Another thing to consider is that if your diesel gelled up because of the cold and if there was some water in the lines, that it could have expanded and forced something out of the filter, drain cocks or any other fitting,
IF your boat cover is anything like mine, canvas and drapes over the sides, that the cover- covered the vent line of the diesel tank which would help to trap the fumes to inside the boat and if you (or the yard) had fogged the motor prior to storage that the condensation (if not leaks) could have (for lack of words) washed some of that into the bilge causing the oily specks of water in the bilge. But a good look over the fuel system wouldn't do any harm after a good day of open hatches and ventilation. Another thing to consider is that if your diesel gelled up because of the cold and if there was some water in the lines, that it could have expanded and forced something out of the filter, drain cocks or any other fitting,
Check Fuel Filters
Seen this alot. Any water in fuel filters/separator over the winter freezes, expands and popped the seals or cracks the plastic separator. Check them first.
Seen this alot. Any water in fuel filters/separator over the winter freezes, expands and popped the seals or cracks the plastic separator. Check them first.
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