Fuel runs out and won’t stay primed

[nukeone]

1998 evinrude E50tslecc battery was hooked up backwards. Now engine starts but will not idle. Could this cause fuel pump damage to my VRO fuel pump? Runs till fuel in filter runs out. Pump fuel bulb but won’t pick fuel up.

 

[Chris1956]

VRO pumps are mechanical. They do have electronic sensors, but if those were damaged the VRO pump would still pump gas and oil.

If your primer bulb will not pump fuel, that is likely the problem. Could be bad primer bulb, leaking connection to fuel tank fuel pickup tube, stuck antisiphon valve, etc. all are easy to fix,,,

 

[nukeone]

Fuel bulb pumps fuel into filter and fills it almost full for some reason it won’t keep pulling fuel from the tank

 

[flyingscott]

Do you have a built in or portable tank? Does the primer get hard? The filter does not need to get full as long as the carbs do. The filter will have very little gas in it when the motor is running so filter level is not as important.

 

[Chris1956]

If the primer bulb goes flat as the engine runs, there is a restriction of some kind upstream of the primer bulb.

If the primer bulb is full of fuel and not collapsed, you have a restriction or air leak downstream of the primer bulb, or the VRO or vapor pump are bad..

If the primer bulb is just empty, you have an air leak upstream of the primer bulb.

 

[cfauvel]

1998 evinrude E50tslecc battery was hooked up backwards. Now engine starts but will not idle. Could this cause fuel pump damage to my VRO fuel pump? Runs till fuel in filter runs out. Pump fuel bulb but won’t pick fuel up.

well as Chris has stated your mistake would not affect the VRO or any mechanical fuel pump...BUT you may have cooked some electrical components such as stator, regulator...but I doubt it...you would have had to have the engine running with the battery hooked up incorrectly, not sure you'd be able to start the motor like that,

So as chris states either a bad pump, bad primer bulb or air leaks either before or after primer bulb.....other than battery mistake what else has been done?

 

[oldboat1]

Reversing polarity can sometimes blow rectifiers/ 20 amp fuses/ safety switches. See if the battery is charging properly and if the tach is working. Fuel issue sounds like a coincidence. If you were in process of reattaching systems (battery, fuel), make sure fuel tank is vented.