Generator leaking?

It sure is. My friend Eric can attest to that (long story). He's a fellow 410DA owner. Aaron, did your 380DA have a reverso? You'd have had the same thing in that boat if it did.
 
Lower left, filter and two O-rings. Pesky little thing.


s-l1600.jpg
 
I had one but didn't recall if the gen was connected. I'm spoiled now that my Trans's are connected also.
 
There is a 410 in the marina for service. I walked down and looked at it. From what I could see looking around the mechanics I think that is the oil drain line. But I think you guys are right...... it may be laying in diesel fuel, but that isn’t the source of the leak since it would be oozing jet black sae-30, not red diesel.
 
Woody said:
dtfeld, as if you don't have anything else to do......it's time to look over all your hose clamps, if they're rusty replace them.
Click to expand...

Yup...bought several boxes...
 
I have not had the time to diagnose where the fuel is coming from. It was an hour just finding the damn shutoff!! This engine room is not conducive to 6'3" people moving around easily.

I pulled out the manual, and started making a list of possible failure areas...I'll find it. The good news is it runs like a champ...smooth, no smoke, which I think lessens the chance of a leak in the fuel supply side of things. I'm thinking something lossened up, maybe on the return line side of things.

But you are right...it does look like the oil change line.
 
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My system does not look like the Sea Ray manuals. Racor in different place lines routed slightly different. My Racor out towards starboard side fuel lines run down behind or under the generator

Front accessible side of engine is not covered in diesel, so leak is on the bottom or back (read highly inaccessible). There is a fuel lift pump somewhere, I'm cant find it in my pictures, so its a suspect. Could just be an old hose/fitting. Or the HP pump...now looking for its location in manuals. The stop solenoid looks OK, but looks like it slides into something that could hide the leak.

Starboard side of engine room with generator Racor on wall. Fuel from tank in from left, out towards the right and down. I think return line behind.
20180408_100505.jpg
 
fwebster said:
The OEM fittings are bronze and cannot be rusty. Sea Ray also uses black USCG certified fuel lines. Therefore, i’m thinking the red hose is a locally obtained replacement and if the connectors are rusty it is because the replacement was made wit common or industrial instead of marine fittings.
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One would think so but my 400DA had the same configuration and that same fitting was very corroded. As it ended up there was part of that assembly made from carbon steel.
fwebster said:
There is a 410 in the marina for service. I walked down and looked at it. From what I could see looking around the mechanics I think that is the oil drain line. But I think you guys are right...... it may be laying in diesel fuel, but that isn’t the source of the leak since it would be oozing jet black sae-30, not red diesel.
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Yes that is the oil drain line. There are no fuel lines that far back.
The best solution at this point is to spray concentrated degreaser with a Hudson sprayer and long wand the entire area, (in, around, and on the generator but not in the electrical areas of the generator). Use the wand to get under and behind the generator and areas aft. Get in there with a brush and scotchbrite pads and really try to scrub the surfaces. Then rinse the area well and let dry. I think you will quickly find where the leaks are sourced or find (more likely) there are no leaks and that the little filter on the generator or the racor was serviced without turning off the fuel tank valves; Fuel will siphon all over things as these filters are lower than the fuel level in the tanks. Dtfield said the isolation valves were near impossible to locate so I would suspect the filters were changed with fuel spilling....
 
PO left changing fuel filters to me, so I doubt that's the issue, and this developed well after the inspection and sea trial. I'm headed back to the boat to change all the Racors and fuel filters this week-end. Certainly not the racor, its 6 feet away.

I already cleaned the area up once and I can see most of the fuel system components as they are exposed, except I cant see the fuel lift pump and the fuel supply hose fittings. They are in the general vacinity of the leak, and that is my first suspicion, the second being the return fuel line, as I believe it travels right through the area I first noticed fuel. With all that said, plenty of other little areas to explore.

I'm hoping just a loose fitting or other easily resolved issue.
 
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The lift pump is the little square box that ticks when the generator is priming and is located just below the little filter assembly.
 
Good info guys!!
 
There is a 3rd filter on these things Manual says one on end of fuel supply before the elbow into the lift pump. That's the area I suspect the leak and the place that is most difficult to see. Looks like a little steel canister with a rolled edge. I'm betting I find a severly corroded fuel filter when I look.


Pump_LI.jpg
Parts.PNG



Filter.PNG
 
Well...none of the original lift pump is left. Has a posi flo pump installed, no filter. I still think the leak is on or around that pump or fittings.

So tomorrow the hunt begins. Clean it up and put some absorption mats around and See what starts dripping.

There will be a red oily road map pointing in the general direction...
 
Are you sure your arrangement isn't like this? The Westerbeke 7.6BTD on my 400DA did not have the filter on the inlet of the lift pump but rather after; the supply hose (item 48) from the Racor connected directly into the lift pump (item 44).
upload_2018-4-12_3-43-16.png
 
ttmott said:
Are you sure your arrangement isn't like this? The Westerbeke 7.6BTD on my 400DA did not have the filter on the inlet of the lift pump but rather after; the supply hose (item 48) from the Racor connected directly into the lift pump (item 44).
View attachment 54807
Click to expand...
No. My has been modified now has an aftermarket fuel pump, no filter. It’s a “posi flo” seems to work just fine.

I put in a new impeller on the genny and ran it under load for about 45 minutes, no fuel leak...hmmmm. Put diapers under the genny, both engines and trannys.

On a positive no, put all new zincs in, minus a few that are stuck/rounded off, rebuilt the front vacumm generator, redid a bunch of hose clamps new impeller on the genny, and several other odds and end. I’m getting there.

But man am I whooped! Feel like I went 15 with a Mike Tyson. And lost.
 
Here is what was installed by the previous owner. The fuel comes from the Racor, strait to this, then up to the Westerbeke little canister filter. I left a day of so ago, no fuel leak that I could identify.

PosiFlo.PNG
 
rondds said:
See post #19 above
Click to expand...

Thanks. I looked at this filter as well, that was not leaking. I have not changed it yet (next trip down as I have a new filter and o-rings).

I used the technique Frank and Carter suggested wiping everything down with a towel top to bottom, but by the time I got to it, I had the fuel off at the shutoff for several days and everything was dry.

I installed a new impeller ran it under load for about 45 minutes, then put diapers underneath, hoping that point to the issue. Maybe an intermittent problem.
 
Well back doing some mx before vacation, and checked the diaper I left under the generator, and there is a small amount of diesel in the pad.

I'm thinking it's the connections to the fuel pump, but there is enough wet fittings that it's hard to tell, and it still could be the return line.

It is de finitely not the oil sump line to the reverse unit (although thst needs to be addressed).

For now, I'm going to live with it as a pad keeps it under control, and I have a drop pan on order.
 
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