gasoline odor?

[grb22]

Howdy all.......haven't been around in a while due to a bunch of goings on......hope all are doing well in this new year. I wanted to throw this out there and see what feedback I get. We went down to LOZ a couple of weeks back (and did very well over brush piles on the lower Glaize, by the way), and parked the boat as usual in the garage when we got home. Last weekend, I was out puttering around in the garage and realized that I had not recharged the batteries, so decided to do so........I happened to have a small screwdriver in my hand, and when I opened the lid to the battery hold I accidentally dropped the screwdriver in the hold.......while bending down to look for it, I noticed the unmistakable odor of gas, not overwhelming mind you, but definitely could smell it. I checked the bulb, gas line that is visible off of the motor, line connections, and the connection of the line to the motor but could not detect anything that looked like a leak. Question, is this normal in any way? I thought maybe that there was a fuel venting system of some sort located in the vicinity of the motor and that the lingering gas smell could have been from that. I checked the live well, which is located directly adjacent to the fuel tank and smelled nothing.

I am obviously on edge about hooking the charger up, let alone getting the boat out on the water. I hope it is nothing, but thought that I would ask since.....duhh.....it is a fuel smell, and we all know that loose fuel and spark of any sort make for very bad results. I plan to take it to Columbia Bass Pro for a checkup, but wanted to see what anyone on here might have to say. Like I said, it is not an overwhelming smell, but it is there.

My thanks.

[vic n]

Ethanol gas will eat away gas lines. If we are talking about an outboard, there is really only the fill tube and the gas line. You could try pumping the bulb up good and then run fingers along the gas line from tank up. I know there won't really be any pressure on the gas, but it will be up in that line and so may show a leak. Also check the line all the way to the bulb and then up to the motor with the bulb pumped up. Only other alternative would be a leaky tank, but that seems unlikely. If it's an inboard, I have no clue what to check...sorry. Good luck.

BTW, when ethanol eats the lines, it just shows up as microscopic pinholes

[Charley41]

what vic said

[maxcmos]

just a thought was the tank vent closed?maybe it was just venting fumes.good fishing!!

[LSL Angler]

Where is your fuel tank located? I have an older aluminum boat 1995 which i have a slight gas odor also. My fuel tank is up front which makes it hard to locate any leak. I can see the tank and the inlet hose and they look ok. the other hoses run underneath the floor and back live wells so you would have to tear everything a part to try and locate where the leak is coming from. I just leave the cover open to vent it. Mine is just a slight leak like yours where you can't smell it till you put your head down there. I guess it time for us to trade in the boats and upgrade. I good to hear from you, glad your still getting out and catching some crappie.