PDQ OWNERS FORUM

We are about to take a long trip so I decided to top off the fuel as full as I could. That was a mistake. The next day the cabin smelled like diesel. There was a small amount on top of the salon fuel tank that had leaked from the sending unit seal. I thought it was contained to the top of the tank, cleaned it up and the smell has not gone away after airing the boat for a couple of days. If any leaked over the top of the tank it would have gone to the rear of it. I can't find any way to access the rear of the tank. Not from the house battery compartment, the aft air conditioner compartment and I removed the salon entry steps with no success.

Any thoughts on access or to neutralize the smell?

Thanks,
Alan

buy a gallon of formula 88 at home depot and pour in. it will break down the diesel. i would think eventually it will find its way into one or both hulls. i thought that the floor of the rear a/c compartment is the bottom of the bridge deck (at least on our 2003).

Thanks for the suggestion John. I tried the Formula 88 this morning and it seems to have taken care of the smell in the salon.

After an email with James Power I think the entire fuel tank sits inside a fiberglass tub, probably to isolate any tank leaks. He said the one time he dealt with a diesel leak issue there was a little bit of seepage into the port hull. Interesting enough we have the same issue. Not enough to see anywhere but we can smell it. There is a small gap just big enough to get a hand in near the front of the main engine cover where there is a slight dampness of diesel. I am going to see if the formula 88 works it's way there by tomorrow. If so, it should eliminate the rest of the smell. I put a diaper in there to try to catch any cleaner. I did pour about 3/4 of a quart of the Formula 88 on top of the fuel tank and it took the same path any diesel would have.

Thanks again for a good idea.

Alan