new sea ray sundancer 1980 owners gas odour

[yvonne and john]

We just bought our boat and are really enjoying it. However there has been some gas odour even after using blowers. We put half a tank of gas in and the odour was so bad we had to vacate the boat. Gas smell still lingers a day later.

Also wondering about fuel injected engine cap, as the cap is original to the boat, not a locking one....the boat was repowered in 1997 with a 5.7 EFI 260 hp mercruiser...should the gas cap have been changed.

Thanks for any input and must say this is a great site!

Y & J

 

[BillyT0020]

Not sure what your referring to with the locking Gas Cap. Are you talking about the gas fitting on the hull where you re-fill your tank? If so then the locking gas cap makes no difference whatsoever. Its for your piece of mind knowing that no one will steel your petro!

I have the same boat and I also get the smell of gas while the boat is running and a little while after. A couple of things you can check are all of your fuel hoses. If they look cracked then replace them. Check to make sure the gas vent on the outside of your boat is not clogged and causing the odors to stay in your bildge. Take a look at your gas tank. If its showing signs of corrosion or you think there is a leak then replace. I would tell you to check your carb because if its running rich then that could cause an odor as well, but your EFI and I have no Idea how that animal operates. I have a poly tank, and they are known to "permeate" so I am sure that is part of my odor but I'm pretty sure its normal with the tank so close to the aft cabin. You can try replacing the seal around the gas tank access panel in the aft cabin as well. If my engines are on my blowers are on and that seems to help significantly. I will probably add another blower so I have 2 to help even more.

Part of the problem is due to a poor ventilation design. I don't think the bilge gets a lot of air from the too small loovers on the side of the boat due to their size and placement. Most boats have clamshells that force fresh air into the bildge but sea ray missed the ball on this one.

Good Luck!

 

[SJAurora]

I would first check everywhere there is a fuel line for any type of leak, and check below your injectors (if it's ported injection) and on the manifold below the throttle body (especially if it's tbi). Fuel vapors are a recipie for disaster - especially if in an enclosed area. If you can't find the problem yourself it would be well worth taking your boat to a reputable shop to find the problem - you don't want to have a "boat-b-que".

 

[yvonne and john]

Thanks for the answers...got a mechanic over to look and he said it all looks fine. The gas tank is original so 30 years old, but no visible leaks and all the hoses and clamps are good, but cant believe the amount of fumes when we gassed up. We are going to have another blower installed to help with the fumes...any advice on that?

Thanks again

Y & J
1980 Sea Ray Sundancer
5.7l mercruiser

 

[BillyT0020]

I would go ahead put 2 new ones in at the same time with the 4" 250 cfm blowers. You can get them on eBay for like $20 a piece. I'm actually gonna order mine this week and do the same thing. Use the wires going to your original blower and run them to both of the new ones. I believe they are yellow and black if memory serves me correctly. You can get a Y splitter from WM or any electronics store so you can run 2 new wires off each of the old blower wires. I plan on usning marine tex to affix two small pieces of painted marine grade plywood to the transom to screw the new blower mounts to (so you don't have to make any new holes in your transom). Then jsut run your 4 in blower hose from the bottom of your bildge into your blower and from the top of the blower out your blower vent on the top of your transom. Should be a pretty easy job that can be done in an hour or so.

Good Luck!

 

[yvonne and john]

Thanks for the answers. Heres another thought...I pulled off the carpet in the aft cabin to look at the gas tank and that is all there is ....a carpet wall. The cabin gets a lot of fumes. I was thinking of cutting a piece of sheet metal and installing it over the opening and calking it to seal, then put the carpet back up over the top.

Also, when you replaced your gas tank, was it able to be pulled out through the aft cabin, as it looks like we might have to look at that soon.

Thanks for the valuable info...as you can tell, we are newbies!

Y & J

 

[BillyT0020]

Y & J,
Unfortunately the Engine has to be pulled in order to replace the gas tank. I would stay away from putting steel in your boat as it will eventually rust. If you wanted to use fiberglassed marine grade plywood behind the tank to keep the fumes away from the cabin that would help. If you seal up that removable carpeted panel make sure you don't seal it up permanently as you may need to get in there for something.

Good Luck

 

[Tail Chaser 661]

Strange about the fumes. I never have any. I would check again. Sender screws or gasket?