Key West - Saga of the fuel leak continues

The orchids are in the front yards of most houses in Key West

The mechanic came by first thing in the morning with the special tool he needed to tighten the injector pump nuts in the tight spacing. The adapter cost $120! A standard open end wench did not fit, the fingers were too wide to go between the nuts on the injector. Anyhow, after tightening everything, the problem promptly got worse. It is tough to tighten a nut on a copper compression washer. They are made to be used once and not retightened but it was worth a try. The next step is to replace the washers with new ones and see if that will stem the leak. If that doesn't work, then it's off to buy a new injector pump, not a small expense!

Staying light later now, sun sets at 7:40 EDT now

Meanwhile, we're running into our deadline for leaving Key West. We're still planning on leaving Friday if the weather holds and if we can get the injector leak fixed in time. With all the excitement of the fuel leak, we delayed our walks until the afternoon and once again marveled at the abundance of orchids. It seems every second house has them on display, tied to palms and other trees in the front yard. I never tire of admiring them.

We viewed the sunset tonight from our harbor. Mallory Square is really crowded, it's more peaceful here. We're all on pins and needles about the fuel leak, we'll be glad to get that settled! The mechanic is due back Wednesday afternoon to install the new compression washers.