Fuel leak

[Sol T Pete]

I’m looking for any advice on repair or replacement of my fuel cell. Our 72 gulfstream is losing about 4 gallons of gas a day from the drain. I think it is only happening when I fill the tank but I see no sign in the engine compartment so I’m led to believe that it has a 2 piece fuel cell that is failing. I’ve heard that these boats are foam filled under floor so I’m nervous about taking up the floor and cutting out the gas tank. Are there any other options? It didn’t have this problem until I filled the tank. Thanks for any advice

 

[Chris1956]

A 1972 boat is likely to have an aluminum or more likely a steel fuel tank. If you have one leak, unless it is simply like a fuel gauge sender, you will soon have more.

Some swear by dumping some epoxy into the tank to seal it. If course, that only works with bottom of the tank leaks.

Check the fill, vent and fuel pickup fittings and hoses for damage.

 

[Scott Danforth]

If there is fuel in the bilge, there are fuel vapors in the bilge. Fix it now or BOOM

most likely a steel tank. You will most likely find fuel saturated foam

 

[kcassells]

If there is fuel in the bilge, there are fuel vapors in the bilge. Fix it now or BOOM

most likely a steel tank. You will most likely find fuel saturated foam

No fix for this issue other than taking out the tank. It is a VERY serious explosion issue.

 

[Sol T Pete]

So I did a simple pressure test with soapy water and found no leaks. I then pulled the sending unit to check fuel level and it had only a couple of inches and felt a lot of spongy sediment on bottom… think this old girl needs a new fuel tank

 

[76SeaRay]

My 1976 Sea Ray had a 60 gallon aluminum tank. It had foam around it that was saturated. There weren't any apparent leaks but the tank had a lot of sludge in the bottom. I tried cleaning it out but that was almost impossible. Mine had a lot of corrosion so I went with a custom made new aluminum tank ($800) for a lot of piece of mind and to avoid future problems. To get mine out, I got a real thin but long hand saw. I used the saw to slice along the sides of the tank to cut through the foam. Tank came right out.