Smells like Fuel - Safety Concern?

Thanks. That helps explain the thought process a bit.

CCFcourt wrote: Thanks for the info. is the ProTec known to be a bad system? .

Yes, it was PCM / CC's first attempt at Fuel Injection. I believe you will find that the parts are obsolete. As people retrofit, they sell the old parts on this site. Some have had no problems, but many have not been so lucky. WWW.Skidim.COM (Discount inboard marine) sells a retrofit kits that includes a new distributor and other parts to work around it.

http://www.witchhunter.com/index.php

These are the guys I was thinking of, never had anything like this done, but I trust the folks who gave me their name.

Having a hard time keeping up with which boat has which problem, but if its running fine otherwise I would guess there is just a clogged nozzle on one of the Injectors causing it to spray to the side. Like Brian said, you're looking at a new carb and dizzy to replace the ProTec when it goes so don't pour a bunch of money in it trying to keep it going. Last time I looked it was about $25 and some shipping to have nozzles cleaned and rebuilt, that would be worth trying if the ProTec is giving you no other issues

I had some time today to take the cover off and have a look. The boat hadn't been used in a week and I found just a tiny bit of fuel sitting on top of the engine. I couldn't see anything actively leaking or wet. Without starting the engine, I turned the key to accessory on, and could hear the fuel pump kick on. At this point, I saw a small trickle of fuel coming out of what I believe is the side of the carburetor. It is difficult to tell exactly what is leaking, but I see fuel gather and ripple slightly (like a light breeze on calm water) in the area circled in the attached picture. It appears the fuel is then circling around the rim of the carb and dripping down off of it - although I'm not certain that's a true statement and have circled in yellow an additional site in the front of the engine, beneath the carb that is wet now (but could just be from the fuel dripping over the rim of the carb). This happens every time I turn the key completely off and then turn it again on so that the fuel pump kicks on.

The last two digits of the HIN are 94, so I guess I have a 94 model year. The pictures indicate a throttle body injection, correct? Also, I've included a picture of the top of the fuel filter housing. It looks corroded (was this way before I got the boat). Should I be concerned about that? Doesn't appear to be leaking in that area at all.

So I'd love to get advice on what you think exactly is leaking in the carburetor (is that the right term, or should I be calling it something else if this is TBI?). Does it need to be rebuilt? As always, thanks much for pointing this out on this thread so I don't keep using the boat, thinking all boats smell a little like fuel!

Pictures:

Fuel Filter:


Fuel Pump:


Location of perceived leak (orange circle) and pooling fuel (yellow circle):


Pooling fuel in yellow circle area at front of carb too (may be from run off above):

Thanks for the ideas. Based on the comments, I plan to run the boat in the driveway this week and look for leaks. I have observed that the top of the fuel filter (mounted in left rear of the engine compartment) is corroded.. but has been that way since I bought the boat a few years ago.   

If the fuel tank is leaking, will I be able to see the leak behind the rear seats? Probably not, but maybe on the floor?

Yes, I believe I was thinking of the ProTec ignition...

Two common leaks are the inlet fitting into the carb and the plugged holes on the carburetor itself.

Check your intake manifold, is there any fuel sitting in between the runners? That's a prime spot for leaking fuel to show itself. As Tim said, if its bad enough that you're smelling it while idling and running then you need to get the problem resolved before taking it on the water again.

Team of Engine Repair Experts,

Every time I take my 1993 ski nautique out, I seem to notice more and more that the cockpit smells like fuel after just a few minutes of running the engine. I can turn the blower on and run the boat fast with the windshield open to keep the smell to a minimum, but this becomes hard at idle speeds or just after turning off the engine. I've had others on the boat who agree with me that it smells much stronger than expected.

How do I go about troubleshooting this? It is safe to assume that I'm pretty green but capable of learning if given the right keywords to search. Thoughts that come to mind are possible fuel mixture issues with the carb, some form of timing problem not burning efficiently, a leak from the filter, etc. I don't know how to evaluate any of those things at this point. Suggestions appreciated (including telling me if this is too complicated for a beginner, what to ask the service dept to investigate!). I have the pro boss fuel inject system that came with the boat originally. All parts are original to my knowledge.