Fuel in Bilge

[DTL504]

I top off the boat yesterday seeing that the price of gas is on a rise. This Pro-Line 20 Sport have a 70 Gal tank but only took 25 gal to top off. I had the fuel pump handle lock so that it will automatically click off when the boat reach full. Once it click off I started pumping by hand and recieved some overflow of fuel along side the boat. At that point I stopped. Upon returning the handle to the pump I was getting fuel out of the drain hole in the back of the boat. I did not carry my drain plug with me so I was loosing fuel as I drove down the road. After getting back home last night and letting the boat sit over night I open up all the access holes in the floor and beneath the filler tube. I cannot find any hose that seem to be leaking to dump that much fuel. What I did notice this morning was a severe wet spot around the Fuel/Water separator in the bilge.

Now that I have lost several gal of fuel when I press the bulb till it get hard I can see a trickle of fuel run down the filter.

My question is how can a Fuel/Water separator cause fuel to leak only when the tank is full of gas?

BTW: I will be replacing that Fuel/Water separator and will not start this boat until the problem is resolved.

Here is a picture of the wet spot I seen this morning which has led me to believe its the Fuel/Water separator.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Fuel in Bilge

Ayuh,...

My Guess is the Fuel Tank or it's lines are leaking,+ it's running down the line,...
Making it Look like it's the filter...

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: Fuel in Bilge

I don't know about the wet spot, could be nothing more than condensation comming off the seperator, looks like it's even has a stain there. Topping off the fuel tank till fuel spews from the vent isn't a good idea, not worth the 13cents you mignt be saving, seems like may somehow be connected to your fuel spill in the bilge, if you filter is leaking it would leak all the time not just when your tank is full.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Fuel in Bilge

get the gas out, and wash down the bilge really well.

 

[capt sam]

Re: Fuel in Bilge

those filters will corrode and leak, it's possible the fuel line coming from the tank is bad but I doubt the tank itself is leaking. If you overfilled the tank and say you had a leak at the sending unit or the anti siphon it would only leak till the fuel level dropped, I'd replace that filter first and don't top off the tank, you just spill fuel on the ground or waterways thru the vent.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Fuel in Bilge

Looks like the top rim of the fuel filter is rusty/corroded to me.

 

[DTL504]

Re: Fuel in Bilge

Looks like the top rim of the fuel filter is rusty/corroded to me.

Yes, that thing was rusted and corroded, I also found the bulb fuel line to be deteriorating so I will be replacing that also. Look like the gas was eating away at the inside plastic gray line. Not sure how they rate these line to withstand gas. I will install 3/8 black fuel line from the auto parts store.

As far as the leak I think I found the problem. It seem to be leaking from the top of the fuel sending unit. When I took a 3 out of the five screws out fuel just stared running into the bilge, take a look at the pictures.

The main fuel line that runs from gas cap to tank and return line was dry with dust and dirt that look to be un disturbed. I have ordered a new fuel sending unit. Hopefully this solves the problem, everything else looks good

Fuel Tank:

Fuel Sending Unit:

My New sending Unit I order today, my guage is reading 3/4 tank as you can see gas is to the rim of the fuel sending unit:

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Fuel in Bilge

I will install 3/8 black fuel line from the auto parts store.

Use A1 "marine" rated fuel line, it's built to marine specs, thicker, fire rated, ect.. You might be able to find it at an auto parts store depending on your area of the country and their selection, but most likely you will have to go to the local marine shop ,,, order on-line. Iboats has it.

 

[Bob's Garage]

Re: Fuel in Bilge

DTL504;

Don't use fuel line you get from the auto parts store. It's not rated for use on a boat. You should only use hoses approved and rated by the Coast Guard. The rubber is specially rated to be more resistant to fuel vapor leakage. If your boat is old enough, it could be suffering from the 10% ethanol that is in our fuel now. Could be why the lines deteriorated. If that's the case, you should probably replace all of them as the gunk could wind up in your engine(s).

 

[dingbat]

Re: Fuel in Bilge

You really should replace all the fuel lines on that boat. The manufacturing date of the hose running from the fuel tanks tanks is Feb. 1993. A 16 year old fuel line is a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Fuel in Bilge

The original sender is rather interesting. Looks to be solid state with no moving parts.

You say the OEM sender registers 3/4 full when the tank is full? Has it always done that? Maybe some of the resisters (if thats what they are) on the sender have gone bad. Kind of neat, never saw one like that before. How well did the OEM sender handle gas slosh? Was the gauge moving a lot or steady?

The new sender you pictured is a WEMA unit, and they need to be measured carefully to ensure that the sender will work with your tank. On plastic tanks, there should be about 1 inch clearance between the bottom of the sender and the bottom of the tank. If the clearance is more or less, the gauge will not register properly. The WEMA sender is not adjustable. BTW, they are rated as a very good sender.

Regarding the fuel line, yes you need to replace it with marine grade fuel line. There are a number of reasons why: 1) The heavy vinyl outer jacket is fire resistant. 2) The heavy vinyl outer jacket will prevent abrasion leading to leaks in regular fuel line. 3) Marine grade fuel line is much more alcohol resistant than auto fuel line. 4) Marine grade fuel line has internal reinforcemnts that auto grade fuel line does not have. 5) If there is ever a fire on your boat and the insurance co finds auto grade fuel line, they will most likely not pay the claim.

You can buy the hose in 10' increments here at iboats. Thats about $2.06 per foot. A cheap insurance against fuel line problems. Also, get a good primer bulb. The Moeller unit iboats carries is a good one. Its a good idea to have the primer bulb installed in a vertical section of the fuel line for maximum performance and reduced leak down.

Also, when applying the double hose clamps, try to have the screw sections as far to 180* apart as possable to reduce leaking.