1989 Proline Gas leak SURFWTW again

[Surfwtw]

For those of you who want more info on my post please look at the previous history where I have posted my gas leak problem. OK, I am really starting to think that I don't have a leak in the tank itself. After adding everything up my tank should be full right now. I have a 30 gallon tank. Just 5 days ago I filled it up and took it out for about an hour and that is it. This should have burned only about 5 gallons or so. Everything was fine except my engine felt like it was running weak and bogging down a little on this outing. OK, yesterday (July 4th) when preparing to go for a day of fishing I drained the hull before fueling up. All that drained out was a little water from all the rain we had the last couple weaks but no fuel. At this point I should have had about 25 gallons in my tank and if there was a gas leak in the tank then it would have drained out when I pulled the plug. The next stop was the gas station to top of the tank. I was expecting to put maybe 5-7 gallons in but I ended up putting 25. The reason I kept pumping even though the math didn't add up is becuase my brother said that someone must have siphoned all the gas out. Once I got to 25 gallons I new something was wrong so I immediately stopped pumping and pulled the plug. In all in just a matter of minutes I was able to drain 20 gallons of fuel out of the hull. If you are following so far and do the math it all adds up. before fueling I had 25 gallons, then pumped and additional 25 gallons which means that 50 gallons of gas was in my boat. I then drained 20 gallons out of the hull which leave 30 gallons. Exactly the amount of fuel that my tank can contain. So as it stand I believe I have a full 30 gallons in my tank now. I checked all the connections and they are good. The intake hose to the tank is connected, the anti siphon hose is connected on both ends and the hose going from my tank to my motor is connected. I think that when I was pumping gas yesterday morning I filled my tank with 5 extra gallons and then when I kept pumping in somehow overflowed into my hull instead of the hole where I put the pump. How could this happen and the leak be so rapid when all of my connections are good. The leak has got to be somewhere above the gas tank but I have checked the top of the tank and I don't see anything. Has anyone ever experienced this problem and do you know what could cause this to overflow in my hull. Thanks, Todd

 

[thinksun]

Re: 1989 Proline Gas leak SURFWTW again

Do you have a gas fill with integrated vent (no seperate vent)? I remember there being a recall for this problem and maybe others. Here's a sample of google hits

GEM Products Inc. of Orange Park, FL, has issued a recall of its fuel fills (99800, 99820, 99840, 99680 series). The plastic portion of these vented fuel fills may crack during fueling, according to the Coast Guard recall. Possible fuel discharge into bilges; possible fire, explosion if ignition source present. The letters "PAT. PEND" are visible on the flange of recalled products.

Check for recalls on Perko or Attwood.

 

[andy6374]

Re: 1989 Proline Gas leak SURFWTW again

You messing with a bomb man. You HAVE to pull the tank and inspect it.

Rest assure this IS normal. Anyone who owns a boat that is 15+ years old with a permanant under deck fuel tank should pull for visual inspection and then a pressure test. If aluminum sits in water, it will corrode.

Some 30 year old tanks look like day 1 and some 5 year old tanks look like they've been through war. It's all about how well the fuel tank compartment is sealed from water. A protective coating on tank is a good thing too.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1989 Proline Gas leak SURFWTW again

be safe than sorry, you've got soft spots to repair anyway. take a look at this, could be you.

http://www.splashvision.com/Video/show_vid.php?vid=3317

 

[Surfwtw]

Re: 1989 Proline Gas leak SURFWTW again

but couldn't this just be the fuel lines or something because if there was a leak in the tank then #1 fuel would have leaked out when I drained the hull before I went to fill up but all that drained out was some rain water. #2 after filling up the other day and draining the hull, all that I got out was 20 gallons, where is the rest of it (25 gallons). The tank has to be full which means that my leak is somewhere else. I check the access compartments and the tank doesn't look, corroded anywhere. I can't see the bottom, but if there was a leak on the bottom then I would have drained way more than 20 gallons.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1989 Proline Gas leak SURFWTW again

the gas got in the hull for somewhere, unless you had the nozzle in a pole holder. find it before you blow yourself and loved ones, and my boat parked next to yours, to hell and gone. did you look at that link and see how a boat burns.

 

[Surfwtw]

Re: 1989 Proline Gas leak SURFWTW again

I didn't put it in the rod holder. There were 3 of us there trying to figure it out. I put the pump in and my friend pulled it out and screwed the cap on. One of us would have noticed. Before I do anything I need to get the gas completely out of the tank. I being that the tank is full and I think that the leak might be at the top of the tank or the hoses I am going to go back to the gas station and start filling in and have my brother inspect the tank and the connections to see where the leak is coming from. It could just be a corroded hose.

 

[Surfwtw]

Re: 1989 Proline Gas leak SURFWTW again

yeah I have looked at the links. It looks scary and I think that there was a great possiblity of that happening but I just got lucky and discovered it before taking the boat out that day. What scared me is that I was messing with the battery before I knew there was a leak.