'08 Response - Gas smell

[dragon174]

We just bought and '08 Response LXI with low hours (236).  Before we purchased it, the dealership told us that the mechanics went through the engine and did a check on everything and everything was in good working order.   When we took delivery, we went out on the water for the first ride and everything seemed great.   We store the boat in our garage, so after we brought it home right after its first ride it didn't have much gas left in the tank, but we noticed the next day a smell of gas in the garage.  It wasn't a super strong smell so didn't really think much about it. 

Yesterday was one of the nicest days here in Michigan so we filled up the tank and took the boat out.  There was a strong smell while driving the boat even with the blower on.  I turned the bilge on and that seemed to really help.  This morning when we went into the garage, the smell of gas was almost overwhelming.   Is this normal?  What might be causing this and how do I fix it if there is an issue?

Thanks!

[formulaben]

NO, that is NOT NORMAL and is a huge safety risk.  Boats go kablammo far too often causing damage, fires, and injuries after starting the engine due to a fuel leak.  It could be as simple as a clogged vent line, but either way take it back to the dealership and have them fix it.  This is nothing you want to mess around with.

Edited June 2, 2017 by formulaben

[dragon174]

That is exactly what I was thinking too.  Thanks. 

[footndale]

Could be a leaking fuel line. Shouldn't smell gas in and EFI or a carb

[formulaben]

Food for thought...incidents involving "ignition of fuel or vapor":

2015 had 60 incidents with 33 injuries and 2 fatalities.  

2014 had 47 incidents with 37 injuries.

2013 had 52 incidents with 52 injuries.

2012 had 66 incidents with 50 injuries and 1 fatality. 

Given that these are reported incidents that meet criteria required by law, there is undoubtedly other incidents that go unreported...

http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/accident_statistics.php

[dragon174]

That is terrifying..... my wife and kids were on the boat last night with me.  I already called the dealership, but the guy I dealt with isn't in today.   I plan on getting the boat back to the dealership ASAP and getting this issue taken care of immediately.

[formulaben]

The good news is it'll probably be an easy fix and you can easily prevent an accident by using your nose and always the blower.

[Michigan boarder]

3 hours ago, dragon174 said:

 There was a strong smell while driving the boat even with the blower on.  I turned the bilge on and that seemed to really help. 

 

This is scary....the blower helped, but the bilge pump helped even more?  Like do you think you had raw fuel in the bilge?

Just as an FYI, if you ever smell it like that again you should consider that a major warning sign and shut it down and lift the engine cover up to ventilate.  Glad you made it back OK!  Like formulaben said, probably an easy fix.  My guess is the water/fuel separator was changed and not tightened.

[jbower]

I bought a used sunsetter vlx off my local dealer last year. When they serviced it with spark plugs,cap,rotor and fuel filter the tech didn't put an o ring back on the fuel line going into the fuel filter. Had raw fuel all over my bilge. The service manager definitely got an unhappy call. Not 100k boat but people's life's are still at risk

[dragon174]

Wow!  All things to consider.  A friend of mine who lives just two houses down works for Ilmor in engineering.  I'm going to see if he can come down and take a look at it tonight to see if he can see any thing obvious. 

[footndale]

Families Mastercraft was smelling like gas once. Nephew told me it always did and they ignored it. I drove it once and shut the darn thing off, after I could see fuel leaking from line.  The fuel line hadn't been replaced in years and it was completely collapsed and falling apart under the muffler. Quick change of line and cleaning of bilge area. Guess what? No more fuel smell.

Been to a rescue when and engine blew up on inboard. Not fun to see.

 

[dragon174]

So friend came by the house last night and checked out the engine, fuel lines, etc and everything in the engine is fine.  We traced the smell to the port side storage area which is located just under the fuel cap.  At first guess, when I filled up the fuel tank, some fuel spilled out but didn't come out of the overflow.  He thinks it could be the lines from the fill to the tank or the overflow line.  From first look, the overflow line that we could see looks brand new. 

Next step is to remove the floor over the fuel tank and inspect the fuel lines coming into the tank and the overflow lines.  It's going to be a fun weekend. 

[MadMan]

The fuel level sending unit/gasket are problem areas also.

[Michigan boarder]

4 minutes ago, dragon174 said:

So friend came by the house last night and checked out the engine, fuel lines, etc and everything in the engine is fine.  We traced the smell to the port side storage area which is located just under the fuel cap.  At first guess, when I filled up the fuel tank, some fuel spilled out but didn't come out of the overflow.  He thinks it could be the lines from the fill to the tank or the overflow line.  From first look, the overflow line that we could see looks brand new. 

Next step is to remove the floor over the fuel tank and inspect the fuel lines coming into the tank and the overflow lines.  It's going to be a fun weekend. 

Consider it a good "familiarity session" with your new boat.  The more you know/learn about it, the better off you'll be in the long run.

[drh]

I second the fuel sending unit as a probable cause. This was the problem for me and I had almost the exact same symptoms you had. The sending unit on my boat is on the drivers side though and so is the fill cap. The plastic tank was slightly warped there and it cause the rubber gasket not to seal even though I replaced it with a new one. I used Permatex #2 on both sides of the gasket and the tank and so far it has solved the problem. It was a very strong smell of gas after fill up and anything above a half a tank.

[formulaben]

3 hours ago, Michigan boarder said:

Consider it a good "familiarity session" with your new boat.  The more you know/learn about it, the better off you'll be in the long run.

This times 10.

[tccombs]

as much as i hate to  say it ... until that gas leak is fixed..  

I would :

1.  Get it out of the garage

2 drain as much gas out of it as you can  (put it in your truck maybe)

3 keep all the vents and covers off  and open 

[WABOBO]

Not to undermine any of the above. Vapors are serious, and if you smell gas, you should check you connections & seals, and ALWAYS use your blower before starting and while at slow speeds.

But, I have an 07 RLXI and have noticed the fuel system is easy to overload. I've learned that when you put gas in at the pump, gas will come out the vent before it automatically shuts off at the handle. First time I gassed it up, I had about 1 cup of gas spew out the vent before I realized what was happening ( it was on the opposite side of the boat/trailer). I believe until you get the gas level down a touch, you'll have a gas smell coming out of the vent, since there is likely gas in the vent line. Prevention: Know your tank capacity, watch the volume as you fill it up, and only fill it to 90-95%. Plus, if you have to drive down a slope towards the ramp, before backing it up, a 100% full tank can sometimes force some more gas out the vent, again, since it wants to go towards the front of the boat where the vent is located).  

EDIT: This is my first and only Malibu, so I'm not sure if it's the same with any of the other boats and a well known occurrence. With the car/truck, I just fill it up till it stops. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Edited May 26, 2017 by WABOBO

[formulaben]

I've never had that issue, but if I did I'd consider adding one of these.

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|294|1825671|2349073&id=133911

[WABOBO]

On 5/26/2017 at 1:04 PM, formulaben said:

I've never had that issue, but if I did I'd consider adding one of these.

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|294|1825671|2349073&id=133911

Could just be a 1-off nuisance with my boat. Thanks for the tip on the part. The only time my boat sees a pump is in the spring when I tow it out to the lake for the season. The rest of the season it isn't an issue, since I use Jerry Cans. It rarely makes it over 3/4 tank during the season. 

[dragon174]

Well, my buddy and I found the issue.  It turns out that the fuel tank neck connects to the fuel fill hose some how got deformed and collapsed on itself (but only half way up the neck) allowing the fuel to run right out of the fill line and into the boat.  We were able to reposition the clamps above the deformation thankfully.   Performed a test with a small amount of fuel again no more fuel leak.   Let the boat sit for about a week before taking the boat out on the water for another test and no more issue with gas smell or leaking fuel.  One fix down.  Now the radio isn't working and the battery is showing low voltage at start up.  Time to take the battery in for testing and will probably need to buy a new one. 

[tccombs]

Glad you found the leak..