[C320-list] A Diesel Fuel Tank Leak

[Chris Burti]

A few quick answers to help you look for the problem.

1. No warranty any longer at this point. If it is, in fact, a manufacturing
defect, Catalina is famous for its responsive customer service. Note that it
is highly unlikely for a defect to take this long to show up, if not unheard
of. Yes, it can start to leak more noticably when you are away from the
boat.

2. Most likely culprits for leaks are the conections for the fuel line,
return line,  fill hose and vent hose.

3. Next most likely culprits would be filters and bleed screws.

4. Next would be the hoses and lines themselves.

5. Last option might be a leak in the tank at a weld, a wear point if
something is rubbing or on rare occasion spot corrosion.
Any good degreaser like Simple Green will clean up diesel fuel and a final
wipe with clorox wipes will attack the smell.
On Mon, Aug 10, 2009 at 10:18 PM, Ken Danko <ken320 at sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> I have developed a diesel fuel leak. I only had a few minutes to look at it
> so I don't have all the details as I write this. I'm really surprised
> because it appears that the hoses and all connections are ok. The leak seems
> to be coming from the tank itself but I don't yet know where. Grace is a
> 2001 model so a tank failure seems to me to be highly unusual. The last time
> I was out on Grace, I hosted a post sailing BBQ and went back the next day
> to clean up (no diesel leaks then). A week went by, I was out of town,
> during which time the leak developed while the boat was sitting at the dock.
> My questions are numerous. How could this happen? Has anyone else
> experienced a sudden tank leak? Should I contact Catalina and see if they
> warranty such a failure? Can tanks be fixed or do I need to get a new one.
> How do I clean the area from the tank to the bilge which is somewhat
> inaccessible? Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. One last
> thing, what cleaning product works best on diesel fuel.
>
> Ken Danko
> Grace
> #802
>



-- 
Chris Burti Farmville, NC