Smell Gas Fumes in Center Console

[GMUGMU]

2000 Parker 23 Center. No smell of fumes in bilge. No fuel in bilge. I popped the inspection pie plate. I saw nothing leaking. The gas tank looks good there. What could cause this? Is this a dangerous situation? Thanks in advance

 

[tomc585]

Vent or fill hose? have they been changed? Check those screws/gasket at the float flange.

 

[GMUGMU]

just bought boat. Prior owner bought new in 2000. No knowledge of hose changes. Is the float flange access in pie plate in console? Thanks

 

[tomc585]

Mid pie plate will give you access to the sending unit and hose fitting for the fuel line to the motor. Forward pie plate should give you access to the fill and vent hoses.

 

[GMUGMU]

Roger that. I will check. Many thanks

 

[Brent]

Could be the fuel sender gasket or sender screws loose. Could be external file filter is loose.

 

[capecodparker2320]

If you check the fuel sender screws, I suggest you soak them with a penetrating oil first then work them very carefully back and forth as the threaded insert nuts that are in the tank can break loose and they are not easy to get out once they spin.

 

[Seaway85]

I bought a 2000 2300 DVCC this Spring and changed the fill and vent hoses. There was no fuel smell yet but they were in ROUGH shape - practically crumbling. There’s a good chance there’s a crack in one of them causing the smell. I posted details about how I changed them in another thread but feel free to DM me if you have qusstions!

 

[Gsully23]

I have the same situation on my 04 21se. Only happens when I'm filling the tank or he a full tank. Simsupsecting old lines or bad sender gasket. Taking the boat into my shop this week to diagnose. Hoping its not the tank but due to the circumstances when it happens I'm leaning towards lines or gasket. Good luck, lmk what you find. Ill do the same

 

[johnfbushjr]

I just got done replacing the fuel fill hose and vent hose on my 2005 2510. I had a strong fuel smell immediately after I would refuel then it would dissipate after a day or two. It ended up being the fill hose that was cracked in about 10 different places.

 

[johnfbushjr]

A picture is worth a thousand words they say ... this is what the old fill hose looked like. There were two areas like this that were cracked and seeping fuel during fill ups. Notice the bottle of Dawn dishwashing soap in the background ... If you tackle the job yourself liberally coat the new hose with soap to help lubricate it. It will save you a lot of time and aggravation.

 

[captmatt]

Any time you smell fuel fumes in an enclosed space there is the potential for a dangerous situation. DO NOT use the boat until you figure this out.

As others have said, you need to replace your fuel hoses and check the gasket on the sender. 20 years for fuel hoses is a long time. A boat that age is also likely to have hoses that are not ethanol rated.

 

[GMUGMU]

Mid pie plate will give you access to the sending unit and hose fitting for the fuel line to the motor. Forward pie plate should give you access to the fill and vent hoses.

Thanks. Checked plates. All looks well. Vent hose has some cracking where it is exposed under gunnel. I plan to replace both hoses. Are they of standard sizes and types. This is my first experience and I did not see markings on hoses. Thanks

 

[GMUGMU]

Any time you smell fuel fumes in an enclosed space there is the potential for a dangerous situation. DO NOT use the boat until you figure this out.

As others have said, you need to replace your fuel hoses and check the gasket on the sender. 20 years for fuel hoses is a long time. A boat that age is also likely to have hoses that are not ethanol rated.

I will be changing them out. I have purchased ethanol-free fuel the one time I have added fuel. Thanks for the heads-up

 

[GMUGMU]

A picture is worth a thousand words they say ... this is what the old fill hose looked like. There were two areas like this that were cracked and seeping fuel during fill ups. Notice the bottle of Dawn dishwashing soap in the background ... If you tackle the job yourself liberally coat the new hose with soap to help lubricate it. It will save you a lot of time and aggravation.

View attachment 27287

Thanks for the pic. My vent hose looks like that. I'm going to replace both. What size and type of hose do I need? I did not see any markings. Also, di you use the old hoses to pull the new hoses into position? Did you pull at gunnel, with new hoses being pulled into the console pie plate? Thanks for info and pic

 

[GMUGMU]

I have the same situation on my 04 21se. Only happens when I'm filling the tank or he a full tank. Simsupsecting old lines or bad sender gasket. Taking the boat into my shop this week to diagnose. Hoping its not the tank but due to the circumstances when it happens I'm leaning towards lines or gasket. Good luck, lmk what you find. Ill do the same

Will do. My vent hose has cracking so I'm going to replace both.

 

[johnfbushjr]

Thanks for the pic. My vent hose looks like that. I'm going to replace both. What size and type of hose do I need? I did not see any markings. Also, di you use the old hoses to pull the new hoses into position? Did you pull at gunnel, with new hoses being pulled into the console pie plate? Thanks for info and pic

Yes I have a whole written procedure with pics. I’ll get it posted this weekend. It’ll save you a ton of time and effort.

 

[johnfbushjr]

Here is the procedure I followed to change the fuel hose and vent hose on my 2005 Parker 2510.

BOM

A2 Fuel Hose, 1-1/2” inner diameter for fill line, and 5/8” inner diameter for vent line

Hose clamps (4) for fill hose, SAE size 28 (Amazon.com: Scandvik 08134037045 Stainless Steel Hose Clamp (SAE Size 28, 32-57 mm, 1 2 1/4", 12mm Band, 13657), 10 Pack: Automotive)

Hose clamps (4) for vent hose, SAE size 10 (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FM7QLJ0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s01?)

Dawn soap
Duct tape
Couplers (wood dowel and self tapping screws)

TOOLS

Large Channel locks for breaking the hose loose from the barbs
¼” drive socket set for removing the side access panel (11/32” deep well socket) and for torqueing the hose clamps
Work Light or Headlamp
Screwdriver for hoseclamps
Drill driver with #2 philips bit for removing pie plate and side access panel
Razor Knife for cutting hose
Wire cutters for cutting the wire inside the hose

PROCEDURE

1. Unscrew the port seat bubble from the deck and slide it towards the stern so you have full access to the side panel shown in picture #1.
2. Remove the port side access panel. Some of the fasteners are oval head wood screws, the others are oval head machine screws. Picture #2 shows the panel removed.
3. On the fill side, remove the ground wire from the fill fitting and duct tape it to the hull so it doesn’t slide down below deck. See picture #3.
4. On the fill side, loosen and slide the hose clamp(s) down past the fill fitting’s barb.
5. Remove the old hose from the fill fitting barb. You may have to cut the hose with a razor knife and/or twist it off with a pair of channel locks.
6. Remove the deck pie plate shown in picture #4 to gain access to the connections on the fuel tank. You will want to remove the whole pie plate assembly by unscrewing it from the deck (i.e. – not jus the center part). You will need every square inch of room you can get.
7. On the tank side, loosen and slide the hose clamp(s) back past the tank’s hose barb.
8. Remove the hose from the fuel tank hose barb.
9. Immediately duct tape the fuel tank opening to prevent debris from entering the tank. See picture #5.
10. Couple the new hose to the old hose at fill side using duct tape and a coupler. A strong connection is needed so you can use the old hose to pull the new hose below the deck. I used a small piece of wood 1x2 about 6” in length as a coupler. Insert the wood inside the hose, then use self taping wood screws to screw from the outside of the hose in to the wood. Use two screws on each side. Then use duct tape to cover the whole area extending at least 6 inches up on each hose. This ensures the coupling will not get snagged below deck. This is a very very strong connection. You will not be able to undo it, you will need to cut it off which is why you need extra length of hose.
11. Next liberally coat the new hose with dawn soap. Don’t coat the whole hose at one time though or you will never be able to get a grip on it to push it down through the chase. Coat about 2 feet at a time. There’s a punchline in here somewhere.
12. Now have one person push the new hose down the chase and one person pull the old hose through the deck pie plate opening. See picture #6. I did this by myself but two guys make it easier. I thought this would be difficult, but the soap allowed it to slide right through.
13. Keep pulling and pull the splice all of the way out of the access hole. Again this is why you want to have extra hose length. See picture #7.
14. Cut the splice out using a razor knife. The hose is reinforced with wire so you will need a pair of side cutters to cut the wire. Do use a hack saw like I did at first. It creates rubber saw dust which is a real PITA to clean out of the ID of the hose.
15. Slip the hose clamps around the new hose. It’s a good practice to have them facing in opposite directions. It is also a good practice to use new clamps.
16. Remove the tape from the fuel tank barb. Clean and lubricate it with WD-40 or similar.
17. Install the hose on to the fuel tank barb and tighten the hose clamps.
18. Cut the hose to the proper length on the fill fitting side and re-install using the same steps as the fuel tank side.
19. Re-attach the ground wire.
20. Repeat same procedure for the vent hose. The only difference is the coupling design. I used a razor knife to create a tapered butt joint and one self tapping screw to mechanically connect them. Use plenty of duct tape again and just cut it off when done. See picture #8 of the splice prior to taping.
21. Picture #9 shows the serious cracks in my fill hose. My vent hose looked fine but there is no way to inspect it without removing it.
22. Picture #10 is a view from the pie plate access looking towards the bow and the chase opening.

 

[tomc585]

now thats a tutorial

 

[Noloso]

Wow, brilliant. Is this the same for a 2003 2120SC? Replacing hoses is one of my projects this year.