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03-16-2023, 02:06 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
City: Mary Esther, FL
Vessel Name: Southern C's
Vessel Model: Cabo 31 Express
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 128
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oil smell in cabin when running A/C
I know it's not a trawler but I like the opinions on this forum and well my favorite boat was dad's old woodie GB42.
So I have a '98 Cabo 31 express and the A/C is located in the cabin under a salon bench. It is the original all in one unit but when it is running I am getting an oil smell in the cabin which is pretty strong. I can open the hatches and air out the cabin and no smell but run the AC and it comes back. For those not familiar, there is a bulkhead separating the engine room from the cabin and going down into the ER I don't smell anything remotely like the smell in the cabin which leads me to my question - can the AC generate an oily smell on it's own? The boat sat in a lift for 6 years and I was able to have the AC charged and after replacing the water pump it works really well - except the heat which throws a LP code but I really don't care about heat in Florida.
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03-16-2023, 02:08 PM
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#2
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Guru
City: Rochester, NY
Vessel Name: Hour Glass
Vessel Model: Chris Craft 381 Catalina
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 7,538
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Check the A/C unit over carefully. Look at all of the refrigerant tubing, including the condenser. If anything looks oily, you might have a refrigerant leak. Usually some of the refrigerant oil leaks out as well and you might be smelling that.
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03-16-2023, 03:39 PM
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#3
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Guru
City: Narragansett Bay
Vessel Model: Grand Banks 36 Classic #715
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,856
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Are you sure the “oil” smell is not over heated wire insulation? I would Check every wire and connection for heat / melting from inside the air conditioner back to the ac panel it is connected to.
__________________
Carl
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03-16-2023, 07:23 PM
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#4
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Moderator Emeritus
City: Au Gres, MI
Vessel Name: Black Dog
Vessel Model: Formula 41PC
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 21,131
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Do you have any smell in the A/C compartment when it is off? How about the duct work?
__________________
Boat Nut:
If you are one there is no explanation necessary.
If you aren’t one, there is no explanation possible.
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03-21-2023, 01:41 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
City: North NJ
Vessel Name: Bassey
Vessel Model: 17' Bass
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 438
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Any engine room air getting into the ductwork? Is it just with the AC on or heat to?
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03-21-2023, 01:56 PM
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#6
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Guru
City: Solomons Island Md
Vessel Name: Fryedaze
Vessel Model: MC 42 (Overseas Co) Monk 42
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,720
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I had the same problem with my AC units. The AC intake just sucked on the area they were enclosed in under the seats in the salon. When the filter in the intake grill got dirty it was easier for the unit to suck from ER. I boxed the intake in with foam so it could only suck off the salon.
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03-30-2023, 09:51 AM
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#7
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Guru
City: Cape May, NJ
Vessel Name: Irish Lady
Vessel Model: Monk 36
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,947
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TowLou
Any engine room air getting into the ductwork? Is it just with the AC on or heat to?
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Agree. Most rec boats are not seriously compartmentalized. Air from the engine room leaks everywhere though unsealed wiring openings and such. Does this smell also exist in the ER without AC on?
__________________
Archie
Irish Lady
1984 Monk 36 Hull #46
Currently in Cape May, NJ
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03-30-2023, 10:12 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
City: Mary Esther, FL
Vessel Name: Southern C's
Vessel Model: Cabo 31 Express
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 128
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Quote:
Originally Posted by High Wire
Agree. Most rec boats are not seriously compartmentalized. Air from the engine room leaks everywhere though unsealed wiring openings and such. Does this smell also exist in the ER without AC on?
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I don't notice any smell when I open the ER hatch and have specifically done it and stuck my head down real quick to see if there is a smell. One thing right now, I do have the fridge removed as well as the old CRT TV that is behind the helm and I am working on closing those hatches holes up. Last week I removed the cushion above the AC unit so that the top of the AC was exposed to the cabin and I have not experienced any smell in the boat, at least not like it was so it must be pulling air from the ER from very small holes in the firewall from the wiring chases. Also, I checked the AC unit and did not notice any oil residue any where on the unit.
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