Diesel Fuel leak mystery

[Bidgood]

A few days ago I noticed pink diesel fuel in the forward cabin bilge of my Albing 30 FC which is the same as the 28 TE. Not alot but enough to want find out where it is coming from. I looked at the lines and around the engine (Perkins 265) myself and did not come up with a source. I had my marina trace all the fuel lines and vents wiping as they went and could not find a thing. We wiped down the engine to see any tell tail signs. We only found a bit of moisture under the engine. We cleaned the bilge and looked for the signs of a drip. NA-DA. Yet over the course of four hours the pink sheen mysteriously appears in the forward cabin bilge. I have noticed a small drip of water from the area of the stringer between the bilge and the head where the shower drain and bilge pump lines traverse, but that is it. I had the tank filled all the way to the top before I noticed the fuel in the bilge but did not see any direct signs of a spill. Any ideas out there. I would like to solve this one.

Tom L.

[jleonard]

I had a leak in my ex boat via the fuel sender mount. Gasket was shot.
Top off the fuel, then it expands after several hours , then the leak.
Could come from a vent (outside the boat) or via a loose vent hose (inside the boat).
I would check those kinds of things knowing it started after a complete top off.

[RobS]

I agree. It sounds like a gasketed or hose connection at the top of the tank or a fill, vent, return, etc line at a high point in the system otherwise you would have a continuous leak. Here's a few shots of the top of the tank with the cockpit deck removed. Not sure what access you have to the top of the tank in the FC model?

[Bidgood]

Thanks for the tips. I am suspecting the vent hose. The fuel might have run down the stringers and not gotten into the bilge until it found a pathway. Then a slow drip into the forward bilge. I have found a really skinny guy to get down and go over it again. I will also pull the access panels to the top of the tanks again and look at the gaskets by the senders. The mystery will be solved.... More later.

Tom L.

[Bidgood]

Well, after much searching I have found the general area of the leak. Thank you for all the input. It is coming from the engine on the low pressure side where all the fuel lines are. I could finally see a drip as it came off of the motor but still could not find the root cause. So the good news is that I have identified the general area. It is no longer a mystery. I will now have to have a diesel mechanic in to isolate and fix the problem. When my wallet is a little lighter, I will post the specific cause.

Tom L.

[jprohan]

You own a boat and you have a wallet? You must not be married...my wife took my wallet away a long time ago. Now I have to beg for my allowance; and never get any folding money!

[Bidgood]

All my money has been spent on women and boats. Any thing left was wasted.....

[DougSea]

I agree. It sounds like a gasketed or hose connection at the top of the tank or a fill, vent, return, etc line at a high point in the system otherwise you would have a continuous leak. Here's a few shots of the top of the tank with the cockpit deck removed. Not sure what access you have to the top of the tank in the FC model?

Rob, you are the man...

Someone has a question about the engine or bilge, you pull your motor. Fuel tank? Let me just open this up and get you some pics!

[RobS]

Someone has a question about the engine or bilge, you pull your motor. Fuel tank? Let me just open this up and get you some pics!

I do maintain quite a photo/document library. Current properties: 1,611 Files, 90 Folders

[Bidgood]

So the mystery was finally solved and fixed. There were a couple of fittings on the lower part of the port side of the engine that had worked thier way loose. But in order to get to them we had to remove the water tank on the port side. So it ended up being 2.5 hrs to remove and replace the tank and 3 hrs to troubleshoot and fix the problem. With tax ...about $600. Next time I will remove the tank......


Thanks for all who emailed. I am off the the Florida Rendevous next week after a trip to Useppa Island this weekend!

Tom L.