Fuel Leak

Last night after I got anchored and shut down the engine, I noticed a diesel smell in the cabin. I checked the bilge and thought it might have had a bit of a sheen, but wasn't sure. I'd accumulated a few inches of water on the trip, so I pumped it, but didn't see any sheen on the water, so I figured it was okay. The smell also went away after a while.

I took care of a bunch of stuff today, including recaulking the chainplates and reorganizing some of my gear. I also checked out all my new plumbing and tightened a few hose clamps to stop some leaks.

In the late afternoon, I started messing around with my radios, but didn't transmit because one of my batteries won't hold a charge and I wanted to make sure the other would still start the engine. Even though it was still at around 90%, but I figured I'd go ahead and start the engine, recharge her and see if I could find the fuel leak.

She started right up, so I checked to see if she was charging, and everything looked fine, but I did smell diesel, so I pulled the cover and saw a steady stream dripping off the hose connecting the fuel pump to the fuel filter. I shut her down right away and spent the next couple of hours cleaning up the mess.

I pumped over a quart of fuel out of the oil trap -- it looked good, so added it back to the tank, and cleaned up the mess along the side of the engine. I tightened up the connectors, then, with the stop pulled out, I cranked the engine for a few seconds to see if that fixed it.

It didn't, so I cleaned it up again, and this time used the manual pump lever on the side of the pump and saw the wire shielded hose get wet as I pumped. Since the connector was nice and tight, I figure the hose had gone bad. I think it had already been replaced before since all the other fuel lines are metal tubes.

The sun's going down, and without an engine to recharge the batteries, I don't want to waste any power, so I'll wait till tomorrow to take it apart. Hopefully, it's just the hose and I can find one locally without too much trouble.

I think there's some fuel in the bilge too, so I threw on of those absorbent pads down there and will take a look at it in the morning. I read in the manual that the pump is only necessary if the fuel tank is below the injectors (or something like that -- too dark to look it up right now). Anyway, I might try bypassing the pump tomorrow -- I've got nothing to loose.

Zoe watch:

She still hasn't learned to go on the boat, but it's only been a little over 24 hours. Hopefully she'll go tomorrow, but it could take longer. I want to hold out till she dies, otherwise we'll have to start the whole process over. It can't be pleasant for, and I'd gate to put her through it again.