2007 ar230 fuel leak

[Jbuck9233]

Hey guys! I have a 2007 Ar 230. I keep it stored outside and covered . Yesterday mid day I climb under the cover to grab something out of the boat and I smelt an overwhelming smell of gas . I was in a hurry so I didn’t investigate too much and sort of hoped since it was roughly 98 degrees and I had filled the boat completely up with fuel after last trip that maybe the plastic tank expanded some and the smell was coming from vent or overflow SOMETHING . Long story short this morning same issue so I pull the floor up and expose the tank and notice gas was leaking on top of the fuel pump on port side of tank. My question is , how common is this ? I had a fuel leak fixed last year by dealer and I think same spot . Dealer is 3 weeks out in service . Is this something I can just take off myself replace gasket and save some money? I feel I’m pretty mechanically inclined but since the dealer fixed this last year and it’s leaking again I’m curious if there’s more to it ? See photos

 

[Brad_Ct]

First thing I would do is verify if the screws are tight that secure the fuel pump to the tank.

 

[Jbuck9233]

Thanks for the reply ! So yeah that was the first thing I did was go through each screw and tighten them down . Some were maybe half turn they were able to be tightened . Unfortunately still seems to be leaking in the same area.

 

[Scottintexas]

I'd want to understand where and how it is leaking,

Is it while filling up and the pressure is pushing it out, is it sloshing around coming out,
is it coming from the fuel line connection while the engine is on pulling fuel,

I'd dry it up and then do some observation with the hatch off,

If it is just the gasket seal on the pump that should be an easy enough fix,

 

[Jbuck9233]

So I first noticed it while simply just sitting on the trailer in the yard . Removed the access panel to the tank and couldn’t find it so I pressed on the gas tank and noticed it was leaking around the top (in pictures ) given I had it filled with gas right before parking it so could be a mixture of pressure build up , (temps were roughly 95f outside ) but after I pressed on the tsnk
It continued to very lightly seep around the seal. I tightened all bolts and it still was lightly seeping . (Tank was still full of fuel and yard was slightly on slant so most gas was towards the back )

 

[Brad_Ct]

You will probably need to replace the seal #4

 

[Jbuck9233]

I appreciate that ! I’ll order the gasket and give it a whirl!

 

[Jbuck9233]

Does anyone know if there’s a torque value on the bolts up top ? Or where I can find that information ? I’d imagine over tightening runs the risk on pinching the gasket and causing it to leak ?

 

[Scottintexas]

from the service manual

 

[Jbuck9233]

Thank you so much!

 

[finnrigged]

ever resolve this leak?

 

[Jbuck9233]

I did not . Well sort of not lol I ended up tightening all the bolts down and it seems to still slightly leak but after that I haven’t noticed the overwhelming gas smell. I’m thinking I filled the tank to the brim and it was pushing 100 degrees here that week and the plastic tank expanded and was forcing it through . I plan to pull it in and do a more in depth evaluation this fall

 

[jcullen]

When you dive into it more, check those capture nuts that are molded into the tank. I had a wicked problem with my 2005 SX230. I run in salt water and found that the dis-similar metals used in the nuts and the bolts caused galvanic action to occur. The capture nut molded into the tank was corroding so bad that it deformed the surrounding plastic of the tank. This occurred on a few of the nuts, some worse than others. The deformation of the plastic created a surface that was no longer flat and the gasket could no longer create a seal. I had to dig out the failed nuts and epoxy in new ones in addition to grinding down a smooth surface again on the top of the plastic tank. I had a post out here on the forum from years ago when I did the work and shared a bunch of pics. It's been well over 10 years ago and the fix has been holding up well.

 

[Jbuck9233]

When you dive into it more, check those capture nuts that are molded into the tank. I had a wicked problem with my 2005 SX230. I run in salt water and found that the dis-similar metals used in the nuts and the bolts caused galvanic action to occur. The capture nut molded into the tank was corroding so bad that it deformed the surrounding plastic of the tank. This occurred on a few of the nuts, some worse than others. The deformation of the plastic created a surface that was no longer flat and the gasket could no longer create a seal. I had to dig out the failed nuts and epoxy in new ones in addition to grinding down a smooth surface again on the top of the plastic tank. I had a post out here on the forum from years ago when I did the work and shared a bunch of pics. It's been well over 10 years ago and the fix has been holding up well.

Wow that’s crazy! Yeah I’ll def check that out here in the next few weeks . I’m freshwater so surely it shouldn’t be too bad but you never know lol I don’t count out anything . I appreciate the insight