Hi point2301,
I was able to check the all hose connections and hose clamps. I made sure they were tight. (and they all were).
To get to your fuel tank and hoses, you need to remove your seat cushions. I was able to do that by removing 20 screws. (10 for each seat) They were kind of hard to find being that they were hidden in/under the carpet. There are 4 on the back casting/platform deck right behind the seat-back rests. Again, on the casting deck about 1" +/- behind the back rest of both operator and passenger seats.
There are 6 screws located below the back rest cushion. Flip forward/up the lower seat cushion to get these screws. There should be 2 - 1" screws that screw through the black nylon strap. Then there should be 4 - 1 3/4" screws hidden in/under the carpet. You should be able to screw they out going through the carpet without lifting up the carpet. The trick is finding the screws to unscrew...then trying to find the holes to put then back in....that was a bugger.After you get the screws out, Pull the top of the back rest seat towards the Bow of the boat and push the bottom of the back rest towards the stern and work it out. Putting the cushions back. I would suggest ( if you have a pair of hemostats or artery forceps to clamp the lower black strap to have something to hold on to & pull while re-installing the back rest cushion back into place.
Once you have those out, you get access to hoses, clamps, wiring, etc. While you are there Make sure you look at your Fuel Fill Hose. Mine was badly cracked so I replaced it thinking that was where the gas smell came from. I was wrong, but it still needed to be replaced. It was only about $30.
Sorry for the lengthy instructions.....
Hope this helps, Any questions, shoot me an email. I can get you pics.
Ronnie
"Good judgment comes from experience, a lot of that comes from bad judgment!!"
2002 Viper/Cobra 180 w/ 135 hp Mercury Optimax
