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Old 06-09-2014, 06:01 PM
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Minnesota_Slick Minnesota_Slick is offline
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Question Finding the source of a gas leak

Hi folks,

My late model A4 has a gas leak somewhere around the carb. I've done a thorough inspection of the fuel lines from the electric fuel pump(which is installed on the bulkhead). The in-line fuel filter was leaking, so I've replaced that, along with the hose that went from the pump to the in-line filter.

The hose from the inline fuel filter to the carb is not leaking, but I'm not so sure about the actual brass elbow that screws into the block. It looks like the previous owner used some black goop(RTV?) on the threads instead of pipe tape.

If I unscrew that elbow, would I use pipe tape on the threads, or will gas eat that tape? If not pipe tape, then what?

Shortly after purchasing the boat last summer, the carb burped a bunch of gas into the bilge. So we had to pump that out, and, being new to the A4 and not having my Moyer's Manual yet, I paid the local boat mechanic to install a new carb kit.

The gas doesn't seem to leak out when it's just sitting there, as I've cleaned it up, come back the next day, and it's still clean. I think it must be leaking either while running(yikes!) or right after stopping the motor from a trip on the lake.

Are there any other places other than the gasket between the top & bottom halves of the carb, where gas can leak out the carb?

Right now, I suspect either that gasket(which I assume was replaced when they changed out the carb kit), or the brass elbow. But if there are other possible culprits, please guide me.

This A4 runs like a dream, but it seems like it's been one gas leak after another since I bought it.

I'm tempted to remove the carb and do an inspection and re-install. But I've got about only 2" of clearance on that side of the engine. It's really difficult to work on.

The mechanic who replaced the carb kit was the first one to inform me about installing a oil pressure safety switch, so I'm also doing that this week. That's another fun one, because the install spot is right above the oil pressure adjuster, which is also on that side of the engine.

Any advice of how to methodically track this gas leak down is greatly appreciated.
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1977 Ericson 29' hull #527
Lake Pepin Marina
Lake City, MN
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