Gas smell in the cabin

bndfishing · **Posted:** Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:40 am

you can get the foam from any foam shop in town. Just buy a queen size foam mattress piece and have it cut in half. found out from an upholsterer that the plastic is only to help it slide into the covers easier and has no real other benefit. We have been spending 4-6 nights a month on the boat this year and with that much use the smell has not come back. I think when the boat sits for a long time with little ventilation all the petroleum smells get sucked up into the foam.

Steve · **Posted:** Wed Sep 08, 2010 12:27 pm

I have recently bought a 2004 288 Vista that might have a gas tank issue. There is a stale gas smell that comes and goes. At first I thought it was just engine room smell that was being circulated by the A/C unit. I have succeeded in stopping that by closing any openings, from the engine area, to the A/C plenum. The A/C now breaths only from the cabin and all is well below.
However, it is almost impossible to live in the cockpit area now. The smell now seems to be coming up through openings beside the port side lounge seat and through substructure where the cabin door slides.
The boat is pristine through out. The bilge is as white as my butt. Hoses look perfect and the clamps are tight. There is not a single drip from anywhere on the engine, while running or standing. The smell is stale but strong. Not raw gasoline. I did set-off the gas sensor once when I had removed the vent hose and was blowing through it to see if it was clear. That led me to look for tank vents on the outside of the hull. There are none, but I did find that they vent to the fill areas and the fill cap has a vent to the atmosphere through a small valve that seems to be ok. Maybe something to do with the California Certification??
When I bought the boat the previous owner was strangely, to me, running the engines off the starboard tank and the port side had almost no fuel in it. There was no evidence of trouble during three visits to the boat before purchase, one being an hour long cruise.
This issue was discussed here a couple of years ago but I am not able to fine how a definitive diagnosis is made or what the cure is.
Thanks
Steve

mcraigchr · **Posted:** Wed Sep 08, 2010 3:38 pm

Steve wrote:

I have recently bought a 2004 288 Vista that might have a gas tank issue. There is a stale gas smell that comes and goes. At first I thought it was just engine room smell that was being circulated by the A/C unit. I have succeeded in stopping that by closing any openings, from the engine area, to the A/C plenum. The A/C now breaths only from the cabin and all is well below.

I replaced all of the fuel lines, including the filler line which was cracking. (Boy, was that a pain in the ass) I made sure the fire wall was sealed. I still get a gas smell in my cabin. Some suggested that it's the tank that leaches some odor. I have decided they must be correct and I just live with it. I'm not spending $450 for a new tank.

Craig C.

wbiii · **Posted:** Thu Sep 09, 2010 11:36 am

I know it is a stretch, but our friends have gas smell down in their cabin. The kid at the fuel dock filled their waste tank with fuel!!! Thanfully he had only put in 5 gallons before the owner of the boat noticed what was going on. They pumped it out within a few hours, but still smells. That was over a month ago.

mcraigchr · **Posted:** Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:26 pm

wbiii wrote:

I know it is a stretch, but our friends have gas smell down in their cabin. The kid at the fuel dock filled their waste tank with fuel!!! Thanfully he had only put in 5 gallons before the owner of the boat noticed what was going on. They pumped it out within a few hours, but still smells. That was over a month ago.

Good help is so hard to find these days.

Craig C.

Steve · **Posted:** Fri Sep 10, 2010 12:33 pm

Thanks for the suggestions. I can't be sure as to what has happened in the past but I have pumped the holding tank a few times and treated it also. I have also smelled the vent end of the holding tank, after the filter, all is fresh there and when I stuck my nose in the tank side of the filter and smelled there I got pretty much what I suspected. Gas for sure but not gasoline.
I would happily pay for new tanks to protect my investment but I think that price would pale to the cost of getting at them. Looks as though the engines might have to come out first. Even that might be worth it but I would have to be sure I was ending the problem.

Cap'n Morgan · **Posted:** Fri Sep 10, 2010 12:49 pm

Quote:

I just live with it

Same with a few others on this board with FW boats. They just don't mention it anymore, or are
getting use to the smell.

firecadet613 · **Posted:** Fri Sep 10, 2010 3:23 pm

Cap'n Morgan wrote:

Quote:

I just live with it

Same with a few others on this board with FW boats. They just don't mention it anymore, or are
getting use to the smell.

Our smell has gone away. It must have something to do with the boats sitting. Now that we are on it every week, and sometimes during the week, it is not there any more.

Keep in mind...ours sat for just about 2 years before we bought it.

Hoff · **Posted:** Mon Sep 27, 2010 12:22 pm

We had a gas odor in our 318Vista cruiser and it was determined that the odor was from the gas odor leaching from the fiberglass gas tanks and into the cavity that serves as the intake for the air conditioner, so the more the more the air ran, the worse the smell. That area needs to be sealed off and have the intake moved to air from the cabin, not the cavity.

Cap'n Morgan · **Posted:** Mon Sep 27, 2010 12:29 pm

Hoff wrote:

We had a gas odor in our 318Vista cruiser and it was determined that the odor was from the gas odor leaching from the fiberglass gas tanks and into the cavity that serves as the intake for the air conditioner,

Really ??????
The air intake to the AC is back by the fuel tanks on a 318 ? If so, that is just crazy. It should be knowhere near the engine compartment, fuel tanks. Wow..........

jsimon · **Posted:** Mon Sep 27, 2010 1:33 pm

Cap'n Morgan wrote:

Hoff wrote:

We had a gas odor in our 318Vista cruiser and it was determined that the odor was from the gas odor leaching from the fiberglass gas tanks and into the cavity that serves as the intake for the air conditioner,

Really ??????
The air intake to the AC is back by the fuel tanks on a 318 ? If so, that is just crazy. It should be nowhere near the engine compartment, fuel tanks. Wow..........

I don't know all the specifics on this as i haven't been into anything around that area, here is a layout of the hull, the AC resides forward of the port fuel tank, I would have to think there isn't a common area between the 2.

Cap'n Morgan · **Posted:** Mon Sep 27, 2010 1:52 pm

Maybe I just read his post wrong. I can't believe the intake would have any chance of getting engine/fuel tank fumes by design. I have no idea either, but was just curious what other's with 318's had to say.

jsimon · **Posted:** Mon Sep 27, 2010 2:15 pm

Cap, here is an interior photo I pulled of the website, the AC intake is in between the first and second steps on the side of the cabinet, it very hard to make out, but i couldn't find anything better.

Cap'n Morgan · **Posted:** Mon Sep 27, 2010 2:22 pm

That makes more sense. Thanks !

I remember back a while, this dude posted his gas smell problem on several message boards, he never finished any
of the threads.

pwrplay wrote:

Hey there,

Anyone here with a Vista 318 experiencing a slight gas smell in the cabin? It becomes worse if we turn any fans or the AC. We tried sleeping on the boat on Saturday (1st time) and ended up having to leave at 02:00 in the morning because the smell was just too much to take.

Looking at where the tanks are located , they are not easily accessible to inspect. When I open the engine hatch, there is the typical engine smell, but nothing too bad that would indicate a fuel leak on the engines.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=265458

http://my.boatus.com/forum/forum_posts. ... 65188&PN=1

He did not even finish the thread he started here.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2232&p=20610&hilit=+gas+smell

But he did sell the boat shortly thereafter, wonder if it's still gassy ??
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3411

Hoff · **Posted:** Mon Sep 27, 2010 8:25 pm

I see the message that I have posted several times about this gas odor. Actually, this is my first time as I am new to the Four Winns sight. I am leaving the problem in the hands of the Four Winns service guys.

www.iFourWinns.com

Gas smell in the cabin

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