"Sweating" Fuel Line Connection |
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gsyogi
Senior Member Joined: July-04-2012 Location: Denver, CO Status: Offline Points: 109 |
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Posted: August-03-2016 at 7:27pm |
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Hey guys ... it's been a while ... our little '94 has been running great. 2nd to last day of our annual summer boating vacation and during my morning inspection I noticed the fuel line connection to the carb was "sweating" fuel ... just a residue (I can dab it off with paper towel ... the temps here in KY are close to 90F and near 100% humidity). There are NO drips on the metal fuel line and NO drops on the manifold ... just a bit of fuel "sweat" around the connection (see pic). I have Bri892001's (what a great post) Rochester Carburetor Wrench on my onboard kit ... but am not much of a mechanic. As I have everyone that I love and care about on our little skier (i.e., my wife and two children), I want to make sure I/we are safe. Like I said, would like to use our boat for the last two days but I am a "safety first" guy. Thanks in advance.
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8122pbrainard
Grand Poobah Joined: September-14-2006 Location: Three Lakes Wi. Status: Offline Points: 41045 |
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Brian,
That's a pretty common problem. What is happening is when the inverted flare fitting on the steel line is tightened, it twists the steel line. Then the steel line want's to go back to it's original position but when it does, it also loosens the inverted flare fitting and or the flare adaptor in the body of the carb. The solution is to lubricate between the flare nut and the steel tubing with some grease. You do not want to get any grease on the flare itself. |
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gsyogi
Senior Member Joined: July-04-2012 Location: Denver, CO Status: Offline Points: 109 |
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Peter, I have some silicon grease ... should I use that? Is there any way you can show (i.e., point/describe) exactly where to place the grease? Again, I confess I am not much of mechanic ... although I desire to fix that. Ok, to run it for our last two days, "as is"?
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KooK
Senior Member Joined: February-10-2014 Location: Iowa Status: Offline Points: 143 |
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Is that Red RTV Silicone around your fuel line fitting?
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gsyogi
Senior Member Joined: July-04-2012 Location: Denver, CO Status: Offline Points: 109 |
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A ... don't know. Purchased the boat with it like that 5 years ago ... never a hint of a fuel issue ... impeccably maintained since I took delivery. I only have some clear silicon grease on hand out here in the country ... Kind of looking for a "vacation saver" answer?
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gsyogi
Senior Member Joined: July-04-2012 Location: Denver, CO Status: Offline Points: 109 |
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Actually, I have some AGS White Lithium Grease, some Lube 111 silicon grease, and tube(s) of red & blue thread locker in my onboard kit ...
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Dreaming
Platinum Member Joined: May-21-2010 Location: Tacoma, WA Status: Offline Points: 1870 |
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either grease will work for the purpose, but if you grease and tighten the fitting, make sure you just tweak it, or you'll have a bigger problem than you have now. are you anywhere near an automechanic? I bent my own fuel lines in about an hour, out of steel brake line tubing (with the double flared end) in a pinch you could have someone do that at a local garage. if you go this route, YOU MUST USE A DOUBLE FLARE. (not yelling, just ensuring that you see that part ) the red rtv on the nut would indicate that there was a problem in the past that the PO couldn't fix. stay away from the thread locker in this application
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gsyogi
Senior Member Joined: July-04-2012 Location: Denver, CO Status: Offline Points: 109 |
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Got it ... unlikely to try to fix this myself ... should I put the boat on the trailer or run it?
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MrMcD
Grand Poobah Joined: January-28-2014 Location: Folsom, CA Status: Offline Points: 3749 |
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Silicone will fall apart if exposed to gasoline or gas vapor. Works for many things great but not for any gasoline project.
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8122pbrainard
Grand Poobah Joined: September-14-2006 Location: Three Lakes Wi. Status: Offline Points: 41045 |
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Mark, Please read:
The grease isn't in contact with gas!! Brian, That sure does look like red RTV so there was a problem at one time. The boat may have been maintained but whoever put the RTV on, was a hack! |
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gsyogi
Senior Member Joined: July-04-2012 Location: Denver, CO Status: Offline Points: 109 |
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Pete, Thanks ... actually, thanks to all! MrMcD that is a super looking boat ... wow! Anyway, I decided to "man up" (a guy will do a lot to save the last couple of days of vacation) ... I used my onboard "carb kit" (which, by the way, I put together from this site ... thank you) ... and fixed her right up! Dry tonight ... got a couple of long pulls for everyone in. I will be sure to post up the long-term fix as it proceeds once I get back to Denver. (I will also be watching it like a hawk tomorrow as the gas gets to my "repair") ... loosened lower nut and tightened the upper by 1/8th turn.
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Gary S
Grand Poobah Joined: November-30-2006 Location: Illinois Status: Offline Points: 14096 |
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Pete I don't think Mark said anything about grease ?
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8122pbrainard
Grand Poobah Joined: September-14-2006 Location: Three Lakes Wi. Status: Offline Points: 41045 |
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Now I'm confused! Mark, Where you referring to the silicone grease or the RTV? If the RTV, I agree that it does not hold up around gas. |
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8122pbrainard
Grand Poobah Joined: September-14-2006 Location: Three Lakes Wi. Status: Offline Points: 41045 |
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Brain, Don't be surprised if it loosens up again. If it does, I feel you'll need to go deeper into the problem. The RTV has got to be removed. A new gasket for the adapter is needed Then the grease under the inverted flare nut. When tightening the flare nut, it will help if you can grab onto the steel fuel line preventing it from twisting/winding up. I use a vise grip with a chunk of rubber to protect the tubing. Great to see you have the flare nut wrench and the thin wrench for the carb adapter. The spot is a rear PITA to get to without them. |
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Jonny Quest
Grand Poobah Joined: August-20-2013 Location: Utah--via Texas Status: Offline Points: 2976 |
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Glad to see that you used a flare-end wrench for the soft brass fittings. I've seen a lot of buggered-up stuff from people not using or knowing about flare-end wrenches.
You also may want to consider changing out the fuel line -- assuming that the culprit is the the flare end at the carb. www.skidim.com has 2 fuel line options: Hard Fuel Line Flex Fuel Line JQ |
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8122pbrainard
Grand Poobah Joined: September-14-2006 Location: Three Lakes Wi. Status: Offline Points: 41045 |
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JQ, Sounds like the flare is good and it was only the adapter on the carb.
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