fuel leak

[GTIMS]

i have a 2015 tracker Tf175 with a 60 hp mercury, it has an intermittent fuel leak. last week i fished all day with no issues, when i went to the boat ramp to leave i started smelling fuel, once on the trailer i started it and fuel was pouring out of the lower engine cover but i couldnt see where it was coming from, once i got home and tried to find the leak it wasnt leaking anymore. i tried to get it to leak for sevreal days with no luck. yesterday i took it to the river and sometime it would leak fuel, over times it wouldnt. i suspect the float or needle are sticking in the vapor separator but cant verify.. anyone experienced this? if so what was the fix?

 

[alldodge]

suspect the float or needle are sticking

Agree, open it up might just need cleaning/adjusting

 

[GTIMS]

Agree, open it up might just need cleaning/adjusting

I plan to get into it this weekend, thanks for your input.

 

[QBhoy]

If it’s anything like my 2016 merc…it’s a sealed system. As far as the fsm vst goes. Should leak. Perhaps yours is different?
I’d be checking more around the fuel fitting to the engine and to and from the inline filter under there too. If you have the quick connect red tab to release fittings there, it seems that many have had issues with these just recently. I know that mine at the inlet to the engine, upon inspection last week, seems to show signs of deterioration at the inner yellow seal. Undoubtedly caused by the introduction of ethanol rich fuel here in the last year or two.

 

[racerone]

I believe the parts diagram shows a vent.-----I doubt that the expensive vent can cause a leak !

 

[QBhoy]

I believe the parts diagram shows a vent.-----I doubt that the expensive vent can cause a leak !

His may be the older generation with the actual vst and not the FSM like the later ones perhaps…but the only way fuel or anything else (like air) can escape is from depressing the shrader valve on the fuel rail…or through the injectors…on the newer fsm at least…and as far as I know. The poster may well have an older system though, that may manage to vent fuel perhaps ?

 

[GTIMS]

If it’s anything like my 2016 merc…it’s a sealed system. As far as the fsm vst goes. Should leak. Perhaps yours is different?
I’d be checking more around the fuel fitting to the engine and to and from the inline filter under there too. If you have the quick connect red tab to release fittings there, it seems that many have had issues with these just recently. I know that mine at the inlet to the engine, upon inspection last week, seems to show signs of deterioration at the inner yellow seal. Undoubtedly caused by the introduction of ethanol rich fuel here in the last year or two.

Thx is for the information, I spoke a marine tech today and he said the bat is a sealed unit, he mentioned the same thing as you about the fuel line that feeds it, I will get into it this weekend and see what I can find. Thanks.

 

[QBhoy]

Thx is for the information, I spoke a marine tech today and he said the bat is a sealed unit, he mentioned the same thing as you about the fuel line that feeds it, I will get into it this weekend and see what I can find. Thanks.

Yeah. If it’s anything like mine, there are 4 areas to look for the culprit. The inlet to the engine itself, the inlet to the in line filter, the outlet from that filter and likely hidden from view is the inlet to the vst or FSM has the same fitting too. There was a noticeable difference in the seal on my inlet fitting, compared to a brand new one. Look great but I suspect aren’t up to the job of ethanol fuel and numerous off and ons in the case of the fuel filter

 

[GTIMS]

 

[GTIMS]

It has taken me a few days to get back to the boat, upon further research and inspection I found that the VST does indeed have a vent at the top of the unit, what I found was trash causing the needle / float stick which in turn caused the VST to overflow out of the vent. I was able to clean the needle and VST and it seems to have corrected the problem. I have had the boat out two times with no issues.

 

[QBhoy]

It has taken me a few days to get back to the boat, upon further research and inspection I found that the VST does indeed have a vent at the top of the unit, what I found was trash causing the needle / float stick which in turn caused the VST to overflow out of the vent. I was able to clean the needle and VST and it seems to have corrected the problem. I have had the boat out two times with no issues.

Excellent news !