Clogged Fuel Line or Filter from Portable Tank to Engine

[meggyban]

There is only a trickle of fuel arriving through the hose connecting the portable plastic tank to the engine which does not start.
a) should there be a steady stream?
b) can the connector or the tube be clogged
c) is there a filter in the read plastic tank Moeller type, it is a model which shows some level indicator on a black plastic piece seemingly fused to the top of the tank.

if so how do you clean it out since it does not look like you can take it apart
d) the priming bulb gets hard and soft at random

help greatly appreciated

[Vasco]

Sounds like you're getting air in the line. How old is the fuel line and priming bulb? Check the fuel filter in the outboard. Replace the fuel line. You should give more info in your post. Age, type, new problem? etc.

[meggyban]

fuel line and bulb appear air tight but you never know, I will hook the engine to another tank/line/bulb to debug the pb.

is there a flirter in the read plastic tank? If yes how do you get to it
this problem happened 2 weeks ago at the dock and went away when the tank got filled up. Wrong move to ignore the symptomns.
but came back at the worst possible moment out at sea, had to be towed back.
I don't now the age of the fuels line or tank. The engine Mercury 6 hp runs smoothly at the turn of the key usually and is serviced by the boat yard every year.
am trying to learn all this technical stuff on my own .

[Vasco]

There is no filter in the red plastic tank. Sometimes there is a screen in the pick-up tube.

If the priming bulb gets hard and then soft again it's usually a sign that air is getting into the line. Sometimes it's from a small pinhole and hard to see. If it's difficult for the bulb to get hard and fuel only trickles, it's a sign that air is getting in. If you take the cowling off the outboard you can see the fuel filter, it might help to clean or replace. I do not know if your filter has a paper element or just a screen.

As you said try and get another Mercury hose and use your own tank to test. If it works, it's the hose. If it doesn't it may be the pick-up tube in your tank has a hole in it and you should get a new tank. This may be why it worked with a full tank and not when the fuel level is down.

[meggyban]

thanks, your explanation sounds good
what is meant by pick up tube ? what screen should I look for
I thought the only screen would be in the engine but the fuel does not even get there just a slow trickle, should there be a stream coming out of the connector?

[Vasco]

Inside the red tank there is a tube that goes from the hose fitting to the bottom of the tank. This is the pick-up tube. The fuel comes from the bottom of the tank. If there is a hole or crack in the tube you will get air in the line when the level of fuel in the tank goes below where the crack or hole is.

[meggyban]

now I get it,makes sense
going to test all this out this afternoon will report on how it went

[meggyban]

I changed the gas, tank, line, bulb, connector, fuel is coming to the engine
but it will not start nor with the pull cord, nor with the key

[Ex-Calif]

Dumb answer of the day.

These plastic tanks are vented. You need to twist the cap, open a vent or something.

Is there a black squeeze bulb on the supply line?

Lately what I have seen is a quick disconnect fitting for easy removal from teh boat, a black squeeze bulb to prime the line, a black cap with the fuel pick up line feeding through it and either a separate vent valve or an inscription that the tank cap need to be clocked to the vent position or some such.

Keep it simple. If you have verified a good fuel supply to the engine, is the engine fuel valve off? Usually you can also open the engine cover, locate the in-line opaque fuel filter and see if the fuel filter is full.

I have seen these with pin leaks on the inlet side that suck in air.

In this case the symptom your described was manifested.

Squeeze the bulb until it got hard, start the engine, the fuel filter would suck in air, the engine would almost die, squeeze the now soft bulb and it would fill the filter and harden up again.

Good luck.

[Laidback]

Originally Posted by meggyban

I changed the gas, tank, line, bulb, connector, fuel is coming to the engine
but it will not start nor with the pull cord, nor with the key

If the engine itself has a filter before feeding the carburator - that filter may be blocked. If this is not the problem then the next item requiring attention would be the Carburator itself. A tech would strip it down and service it, replacin gaskets on reassembly.
Richard

[meggyban]

I did not open and look into the engine, how do you clean the filter and the carburator ?
or this best left to the pros?

[Laidback]

Originally Posted by meggyban

I did not open and look into the engine, how do you clean the filter and the carburator ?
or this best left to the pros?

This is not a really difficult job - it is something most outboard owners are familiar with. Suggest take the engine to a service center and watch carefully while a tech does the job.