January 2019
Our boat has always been fairly diesel-y smelling (previous post), I wrote the smell off, to being just the nature of the beast, what with a motor next to your bed and all. This past summer I noticed a new sheen in our bilge, upon investigation, I see that many of the compression washers are oozing on the banjo bolts as well as on the filter bleed screws (below right). I also noticed a few of the hose crimps are a bit drippy near the filters. I have always wondered why the fuel filters are under our bed with less than an inch of access under them, making draining and filter changing very difficult. So this spring I plan to move the filters up to the engine compartment, replace all hose and replace all the compression washers with Dowty washers.
Dowty washers/seals are used in place of traditional (annealed) copper washers. They are a steel washer with a rubber inner. I’ve ordered an assorted box and plan to use them on my bikes as well.
I can’t claim this as my own idea but came about from looking for solutions in the Sailboat Owners forums.
Yanmar has stopped using the copper washers on their newer model diesels and now use a rubber bonded-to-metal replacement. They are called Dowty washers. They are a direct replacement for the copper washers. The stock numbers are 22190-080002 for the 8mm, and 22190-120002 for the 12mm. .... No more leaks.