Gasoline smell after shut down

[TADTOOMUCH]

Every time I take my F-32 out for a run I get a gasoline smell from the bilge area after I shut down the engines. It never smells before we start the engines only after shut down. I run the blowers three minutes before start-up, then continuously during the trip and three minutes after shut down. Then after about 20 minutes after shut down, I start to smell gas. No leaks anywhere to be seen. After a day of not running the engines the smell is gone.

I suspect that maybe the carb float is not seating the needle valve and after shut down, the fuel pressure left in the line still lets gas flow into the carb and that is what I am smelling.

Anyone else have a similar experience?

[rick1954]

I think you are right, on the gas dripping down the carb. Dam boats why don’t they run on beer. Hope you find the prob

[Rod Brandt]

Regarding your fuel vapor smell after shutdown. I had a similiar problem with my 75 F-32. Only after a fully warmed up run when I came back to the dock. I traced the smell to the side lockers on both sides. After you shut them down the gas in the carbs will sometimes boil causing the fumes to rise to the top of the salon floor. After a time the smell finds its way to the side lockers and permeates upward to the salon area through the side locker doors. I added a second blower that picks up this vapor from each locker area via an intake on each side in the locker area and when connecting the two left a considerable hole in the conection tubing
which ran across the bottom of the salon floor. This blower sucks both lockers and the top of the salon floor area. This has worked well. Running the standard blower does not pull the fumes from the higher areas under the floor just the low stuff. I do believe that on the lower models they have locker vents on the cabin sides to aleviate this problem. These locker vents created a place for water to enter the cabin structure and work its way down to the side walks if they were not kept well caulked inside to keep the water out of the core.

[Rod Brandt]

Sorry, I meant to say newer models vs. lower models.

[Stripermann2]

Yep...I get that smell too. Especially after running it for a couple of hours.

The heat from the engines and engine room area tend to amplify that fuel vapor smell after a hot soak. No leaks on my boat yet...hope it stays that way too!

On a side note: I rebuilt one of my Quadrajets this past week and it was running great on our club shakedown weekend trip this past Saturday. I was 13 miles out and slowed to do some trolling on my way down. Opened my hatch and found one of my oil cooler lines to the remote filter on my starboard engine spraying oil. Shut down and continued on down another 10 miles on the port engine. Couldn't get it sealed up by Sunday, so I made the return trip back up just as mother nature let loose her fury with 25-30 mph winds! Fun motoring in at 7-1/2 knots on one engine while getting tossed!

Now on to order my new parts for this weekend.