AN MD80 CAPTAIN RAISES CONCERNS ABOUT CONTINUED MAINT DEFICIENCIES BEING PASSED ALONG TO CREWS OUT ON THE LINE AND A RECENT FUEL LEAK FROM RIGHT WING BOOST PUMP.

Narrative

ON FLT FROM ZZZ TO ZZZ1 AND THEN A FOLLOW ON FLT TO ZZZ2 AND ZZZ3 WE WERE NOTIFIED OF FLUID SEEPING FROM THE R WING; THIRD BOOST PUMP COVER; BY A DEPLANING PAX. WE NOTIFIED MAINT. MAINT PERFORMED A FLUID SEEPAGE CHK USING A DRY POWDER; WHICH WAS SPREAD UPON THE R WING AND ALLOWED TO SIT FOR APPROX 15 MINS TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT OF THE FUEL LEAK. THE FUEL SEEPAGE SPREAD TO AN AREA OF APPROX 2 INCHES AT ITS WIDEST POINT AFTER THE ALLOCATED AMOUNT OF TIME. THE MECHS TIGHTENED DOWN THE PHILIP HEAD SCREWS ON THE BOOST PUMP COVER. THE FUEL SEEPAGE WAS FOUND TO BE WITHIN LIMITS AND ANNOTATED SO IN THE LOGBOOK. NO GUIDANCE WAS FOUND IN OUR MANUALS AND SINCE THE SEEPAGE WAS WITHIN MAINT MANUAL CRITERIA; WE ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE FLT EVEN THOUGH A DEFERRAL PER THE MEL WAS NOT GIVEN. SINCE THIS ACFT ROUTING BEGAN AT ZZZ4 (SAME DATE AS DEP); IT IS MY BELIEF THAT IF OUR MAINT OVERNIGHT PROCS HAD NOT BEEN REDUCED IN THE LAST FEW YRS; MECHANICAL ITEMS SUCH AS THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN FOUND WHERE THEY SHOULD HAVE; DURING THE OVERNIGHT MAINT INSPECTIONS/CHKS AND NOT CONTINUED TO BE PASSED ALONG TO THE CREWS AND PAX OUT ON THE LINE. I WILL HEAVILY RECONSIDER MY OPTION TO CONTINUE UNDER SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES IN THE FUTURE DUE TO THE SAFETY IMPLICATIONS THAT MAY BE PRESENT. WHO APPROVED SUCH A PROC; AND IS IT REALLY SAFE TO BE FLYING AROUND WITH ANY AMOUNT OF JET A SEEPING OUT UPON THE OUTER SURFACES OF A WING?