engine dies 10-15 seconds after starting

[mcgurk34]

my 1988 50HP 3cyc Mariner dies after shortly after starting. It ran great last week but this problem just appeared yesterday. Primer bulb does not get firm at all, but I do have to pump it to get the engine to fire. Tank vent is open. Checked it twice. Could the primer bulb go bad just sitting there for a week?

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: engine dies 10-15 seconds after starting

When was the fuel pump last rebuilt ? May have developed a hole in one of the diaphrams. Why not replace the bulb, they are cheap. If thats not the cause then you will have a spare.<br />Are you able to get the engine running at all ?

 

[mcgurk34]

Re: engine dies 10-15 seconds after starting

I just got back from the boat. In fact I put her on the trailer and towed her home. While in the water I replaced the primer bulb and fuel line. The bulb pumps up firmly only if the fuel line is not connected to the engine. If connected it never pumps up. I can hear air hissing when I pump it, coming from the carburetors, but no fuel. It looks like there is no fuel in the in-line gas filter down stream from the fuel pump. I don't know if the fuel pump was ever rebuilt. I think that is where I'm going next. It's like I'm pumping air, not fuel. Any other ideas?

 

[Vlad D Impeller]

Re: engine dies 10-15 seconds after starting

thats a good place to start

 

[mcgurk34]

Re: engine dies 10-15 seconds after starting

Latest update. After rebuilding the fuel pump, the problem was still with me. Pumping the primer gave no fuel to the fuel pump. Long story short, the pick-up hose inside of the tank had rotted away. The tank was 7/8 full but the hose inside the tank was gone! All that remained was the short piece held in place by the hose clamp. This is a relatively new, less than 5 years old, Quicksilver brand 6 gallon tank. Could the 10% ethanol fuel we get today be the cause of the shorten life of the plastic hose?

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: engine dies 10-15 seconds after starting

Glad you got it resolved mcgurk34. Sometimes the simplest solutions are overlooked. Thanks for posting the fix so others can benefit. Happy boating.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: engine dies 10-15 seconds after starting

Ethanol blended fuel absolutely can eat up certain plastics including those used in fuel systems. It turned the fuel line in my chain saw to dust. We've been using "corn squeezins" for years in the midwest. It causes problems initially but after all the gunk is cleaned from fuel systems and fuel related components are repaired with parts that tolerate ethanol, those problems disappear.