Found the probable cause of my cockpit gas smell [message #267359] |
Tue, 09 December 2014 13:52 |
kerry pinkerton
Messages: 2565 Registered: July 2012 Location: Harvest, Al
Karma:
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This time I think I really did. I've looked EVERYFRICKINGWHERE for the source of this gas smell for nearly 2 years now. Was about ready to drop the tanks because I'd looked every else multiple times. Just yesterday, I ran the gas lines from the cross member all the way to the tanks. Nothing. Dry as a bone.
Today, I was standing on my head in the hatch checking the timing and just happened to see something shiny move. Pulled out my little pocket flashlight and looked closer and saw a drop of gas run down the gas line.
Early last year I purchased one of Jim B's insulated gas lines. It has male flair fittings on each end. I wanted to connect to the steel line from the gas tanks with a short rubber hose (I run electric fuel pumps). So I had a short length of 3/8 brake line with the male flair fitting so I connected the two of them together with a female/female flair fitting. Apparently I did not get one tight enough and it weeped just a bit. It doesn't take much gas to stink things up. Fortunately it was right behind the radiator so the air from the fan evaporated it before it got back to the manifold or things could have been unpleasant.
Pretty sure this is the problem. It certainly was "A" problem. The electric pumps have check valves that would keep pressure in the hose so it would weep for a long time when not running. This fits with our noticing the smell every time we walked past the coach even when it had not been started in a month. The location was somewhere that you would never see it unless you were WAAAAY up at the front of the engine standing on your head.
Note, this had nothing to do with Jim B's fuel line. It had to do with me not tightening it correctly. If I recall correctly, I did it on the coach instead of taking it loose at the carb and doing it right.
Kerry Pinkerton - North Alabama
Had 5 over the years. Currently have a '06 Fleetwood Discovery 39L
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