Fuel in bilge

[bigk23surf]

I’m working on a 2004 1801 and have an obvious fuel leak but I don’t think it’s coming from the tank. In the last few weeks I changed the fill and vent hose. The fill hose was leaking. After changing them I didn’t notice any fuel in the bilge but did smell gas. I cleaned the bilge and jacked the front of the trailer up to drain all the water. After that I have noticed fuel getting into the bilge. The fuel is coming from the outside of the port stringer on the top of the stringer and leaking down. The gas tank is inside the stringer. The ground isn’t level and the boat has a slight lean to the starboard side. My thought is the fuel fill hose has been leaking and gas was stuck outside the port stringer and is making its way back to the bilge now that the front of the boat is up so high.

The tank is full and I have checked the seal under the sending unit. I also don’t see any gas on top of the tank or leaking down the sides.

Has anyone else ran into this issue? My hope is I let it sit like this for a week and all the gas will make its way out. I really hope it’s not the tank and don’t understand how fuel would get on the outside of the stringer.

 

[Antidote]

Isn't the fuel filler outside the port stringer? It would make sense if the filler hose was leaking that there would be fuel outside the stringer

 

[knotflying]

I would do as you said and see what happens.

 

[bigk23surf]

Yep, fuel is OUTSIDE the stringer. It would be nice if there was a picture of how the stringer grid was laid out. I can’t think of another way fuel would get there but I could be wrong.

 

[MDP]

The holes drilled throught the stringers aren't sealed before the fuel lines are installed so you may have fuel saturated stringers as well and there is no way for the fuel to escape if inside the stringer. Not a good situation if you have an electrical spark under the deck.

 

[Brent]

Fuel sender gasket - check it n mounting screws are tight and holes not stripped out

 

[Mpellet]

I’m working on a 2004 1801 and have an obvious fuel leak but I don’t think it’s coming from the tank. In the last few weeks I changed the fill and vent hose. The fill hose was leaking. After changing them I didn’t notice any fuel in the bilge but did smell gas. I cleaned the bilge and jacked the front of the trailer up to drain all the water. After that I have noticed fuel getting into the bilge. The fuel is coming from the outside of the port stringer on the top of the stringer and leaking down. The gas tank is inside the stringer. The ground isn’t level and the boat has a slight lean to the starboard side. My thought is the fuel fill hose has been leaking and gas was stuck outside the port stringer and is making its way back to the bilge now that the front of the boat is up so high.

The tank is full and I have checked the seal under the sending unit. I also don’t see any gas on top of the tank or leaking down the sides.

Has anyone else ran into this issue? My hope is I let it sit like this for a week and all the gas will make its way out. I really hope it’s not the tank and don’t understand how fuel would get on the outside of the stringer.
View attachment 31423

If your boat‘s fuel tank is similar to what is in my 2005 Parker 2520, the tank sits in a coffin of sorts. If fuel leaks from the tank into that coffin, the coffin will leak fuel into the bilge but not rapidly. If you had a tank leak or hose leak that released a few gallons of gasoline into that coffin and then you fixed the problem that caused leak, the gasoline leaked into the coffin before you fixed the situation will continue to leak but do so slowly into the bilge until the coffin is drained.

If you HAD a fuel leak and fixed it, unfortunately the fuel that was released into the coffin may be trickling out for a while.

Two years ago, I had the gasket on my sending unit develop a leak while the boat was covered over the Winter with a full tank of gasoline onboard. The fuel tank leaked about 5 gallons of gasoline into the coffin and then stopped leaking because the fuel level in the tank drained off enough so that there was no longer any fuel pushing up through the gasket. I could not find a leak in the hoses or a leak in the top of the tank because there wasn't fuel leaking from the tank anymore but I was STILL getting gasoline in the bilge as those 5 or so gallons that had been released into the coffin kept slowly trickling into the bilge.

After wiping gasoline from the bilge every morning for a week, I concluded (WRONGFULLY) that my tank HAD to be leaking. I cut the deck and pulled the tank, only to find that my tank wasn’t comprised but there as still several gallons of gasoline trapped in the coffin. A few ounces of gasoline dripped from the coffin into the bilge each day. The tank was 15 years old and since the damage was already done to the deck I went ahead and had the fuel tank replaced but the only actual leak in that tank was at the sending unit.

That “coffin” built without a drain in it IMO makes diagnosing a fuel leak in a Parker very tricky business.

PS: YES a properly executed pressure test would have likely shown the leak at the sending unit BUT I still would have had that gasoline continuing to trickle out of the coffin until it had all drained and that in itself would have probably pushed me to cut the deck anyhow. Why that “coffin” doesn’t have a drain is beyond me.

 

[bigk23surf]

I stuck my phone in the bilge and took some pictures and think I found the source. There is no sign of gas coming from the tank. It looks like it’s slowly dripping down the outside of the port stringer from just under the deck. I tried to get a drill up there to put a drain hole and later patch it but just can reach.

 

[Antidote]

You could cut a hole in the deck (about where you knees are in the picture) clean it out and then place a hatch.

 

[bigk23surf]

I looked closer at the last pic I posted above and after looking at it for a while didn’t think it was coming from the top of the deck where I circled it. Water and fuel should make it to the lowest spot of the hull. I decided to drill a small hole that I can fill with epoxy later to seal. I did it as close to the hull bottom and back to the rear of the bulk head. As soon as I pulled the drill but out water started to flow out. Shorty after gas started to come out. Makes sense since water is heavier. I had a bucket under the drain plug to catch whatever came out. Less than 1/2 a gallon total. I think my issue is solved. I’ll let everything dry for a week or so and patch the hole. For an 18 year old boat I think 1/2 gallon of water there is acceptable. I drilled the other side to and it was empty. I also have a piece of foam from the boat soaking in fuel to see what happens to it. After about a week it’s absorbed nothing so I don’t think my foam will be saturated.

 

[TimC2520]

Stupid question, but, are you 100% sure it's fuel and not just water? That one photo you posted looks like a portion of the cut out of the stringer is cracked and getting wet which would result in brownish colored water getting into the bilge..
See my post below...

https://www.classicparker.com/threads/stringer-repair.5831/#p41215

 

[Antidote]

Instead of plugging the hole you drilled, how about putting a drain so you can keep an eye on it?

 

[Fishaddict]

Wet piece of paper with this liquid, go outside in safe area and put a match to it. Gas will ignite.

 

[bigk23surf]

It’s fuel, I, sure of it. I know where it came from and won’t be coming back.

I thought about putting a small drain tube there but don’t sure I want water in the bilge getting in there. I usually keep my bilge completely dry but who knows what will happen.

 

[Antidote]

I was thinking something like a garboard drain plug. Leave the plug in place and check from time to time.

 

[bigk23surf]

So if anyone is wondering there is a small hole in the port side stringer. I continued to see fuel in the bilge so I decided to replace the tank. When it was pulled we found the small hole. It had a paper towel stuck in it, probably to keep the foam from making its way from the other side of the stringer. I had a small drain put under the tank so,any water from condensation will not flow to the bilge. New tank it epoxy coated so should last a long time. RaYao Marine on Long Island did the work. Boat looks amazing, can tell the deck was ever cut. If anyone is needs a tank replaced, or any other work I highly recommend them.

 

[big_tuna]

Can you post a picture of your deck seams where they cut? I'm curious to see what it looks like