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Gas Leak

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Bob Rhea

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"Took our boat out for its 4th

"Took our boat out for its 4th shakedown cruise. 1996 that we bought with water in the engine and after new carb, starter, reworked heads, dist cap, coil, and plugs runs great. Wanted to try out a lower pitch prop which worked good but we had less than a half tank of fuel so we filled up ($4.15 a gallon and she took 38 gallons) at a marina 45 mins from home launch and after a lunch break smelled gas when the blower was turned on. Opened the hatch (23 foot Maxum with a 70+ gallon tank. Gas was leaking out around the fuel guage sender into the bilge. Made it home but had to stop and remove almost a full gallon of fuel from bilge. Leak slowed considerably after 30 minutes of running with hatch open and blower running. Anyone have a similar experience? Is this a Maxum problem? Have had experience with gasoline fires and this was pretty scary."
 
Haven't heard of it. Pull

Haven't heard of it. Pull the sender after the batteries are disconnected and check the tank opening for minute cracks. No cracks? Replace the sending unit and related gaskets. Do not use substitutes for the correct gaskets. Sender frame may have a minute crack. Guy
 
"Frankly--and I say this for o

"Frankly--and I say this for others reading this post--you are OUT OF YOUR MIND running that boat at all with that much gas in the bilge! You are lucky not to have blown your boat and yourself all to hell!

One should never, EVER, under any circumstances even start the motor with a noticable gas leak like that. A cup of gasoline converted to fumes equals a stick of dynamite.


Jeff"
 
WELL SAID JEFF.

IT IS JUS


WELL SAID JEFF.

IT IS JUST LIKE PULLING THE PIN ON A GRENADE AND HOPING YOU DON'T LET GO OF THE HANDLE! GUY
 
"Sorry Bob but Jeff is right.

"Sorry Bob but Jeff is right.
That is what god made radio's for, so you can call for a tow, instead of someone else calling for a medical team, when your boat explodes, into very small fragments of fibreglass,metal and human flesh.

Dont ever compromise you or your passengers safety just to get back home on time, there are people who have chosen to do that in the past who are no longer with us because of that decision.

You were right to say it was scary.

Now dont do it again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers
Peter C"
 
"Thanks-it is definitely somet

"Thanks-it is definitely something I will never do again. I'm 62 years old and have been working on boats for 40 years- no fool like an old fool. I took the fuel sender apart this morning and found that a previous owner or a non marine mechanic replaced the sender and had one of the 5 small screws lost or stripped and replaced the screw with a slightly larger, coarser threaded, and no neoprene washer on the oddball screw. With the tank holding 70 gallons it was not often filled up and the leak was not enough to find it until it was filled."
 
"Also remember, that if the ki

"Also remember, that if the kid on the pumps at the marina fills your boat 'right up' till some comes out the vent, and depending on the size of your boat and how long the hose is going to the tank, your going to have a whole bunch of fuel in the hose to the level of the vent.. Could be a couple of quarts or more, until your engine uses it.. At about 8lbs to the gallon, your going to have 2-4 pounds of hydrostatic pressure on the tank fittings and if anything is not tight, it's gonna leak.."
 
Good point. I took the old se

Good point. I took the old sender into the machine shop at work and under closer inspection the oddball larger screw was a self threader and being too big to fit through the sender hole it threaded its way through that also which if not held tightly (confirmed by my tool and die maker) could create a lifting of the sender causing it to not seal properly either.
 
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