No Prime?

[hondarider188]

On my johnson 18hp when i go and try to prime the engine I can never get the bulb to harden and hold the fuel. But I can just pump the fuel in all day long but where is it going and why wont it prime. and if I try to start the engine it doesnt even try to start and when it finaly does it acts like its not getting enough fuel?

 

[jgriner]

Re: No Prime?

im no mechanic, but i would trying take the fuel line off somewhere after the primer, to see if it pumps fuel as u squeeze. I think there are some valves in the blub that can go bad, then u just kinda squash fuel around and not pump it. but wait and see what one of the experts say

 

[Monte1961]

Re: No Prime?

On my johnson 18hp when i go and try to prime the engine I can never get the bulb to harden and hold the fuel. But I can just pump the fuel in all day long but where is it going and why wont it prime. and if I try to start the engine it doesnt even try to start and when it finaly does it acts like its not getting enough fuel?

Is the arrow on the primer bulb heading towards motor? Check valve could be not working inside primer bulb. post results!

 

[Rick.]

Re: No Prime?

Good comment above for sure. The only other thing I can think of is that your float needle is not holding which would require a carb. kit. Best of luck. Rick.

 

[DamianJP]

Re: No Prime?

Like posted already I think your problem lies in the primer "ball". There are check valves in there like jgriner and Monte1961 said.

Try and get another primer/line to see if you symptom go away.

If the arrows were reversed the primer would keep pumping sucking all the fuel out of the carb until it was dry and would start to suck air. You would start to hear bubbling sounds every pump in the fuel tank. Or it would not be able to suck anything and the primer would deflate and stay deflated when squeezed.

If it was the needle stuck open or not seat , I would think it would spill gas out of the overflow or come out of the mouth of the carb and be a fuel puddle in the engine area.

*Check the engine bay area in the cowling, if theres fuel spitting out of the carb(s) when you do the "endless" pumping I would say carb problem.

*If theres no fuel in the engine bay or spitting out of the carb I would say primer/line.

*Check the arrow orientation on primer.

I know everyone else before covered most of that but I thought I would still throw that out there. More help the better.


Hope that helps and let us know,
DamianJP

 

[hondarider188]

Re: No Prime?

When I first brought the engine home I bought all new fuel lines coming to the tank to engine with a new bulb and it is running the right direction. and tonight when i was pulling on the engine i did notice a small amount of fuel dripping off of the bottom of the air intake(which connects onto carb below the overflow). and we did have a small problem with the needle valve sticking up inside of the fuel flow. the float should be working but could of changed so tomorrow I will have to take apart the carb out find out.

 

[AEROCOOK]

Re: No Prime?

When I first brought the engine home I bought all new fuel lines coming to the tank to engine with a new bulb and it is running the right direction. and tonight when i was pulling on the engine i did notice a small amount of fuel dripping off of the bottom of the air intake(which connects onto carb below the overflow). and we did have a small problem with the needle valve sticking up inside of the fuel flow. the float should be working but could of changed so tomorrow I will have to take apart the carb out find out.

The fuel leak at the carb needs to be fixed but that wont be the cause of your primer bulb not working. Was the new fuel line prefabricated or did you build it yourself? The reason I ask is because the bulb needs to be closer to the tank that the motor.

 

[hondarider188]

Re: No Prime?

I did put it together myself and its closer to tank than the engine. And I did find out what the problem is, that the fuel line connector that hooks together the engine and tank fuel lines. Whats happening is that they act like there opposite's(as if a magnet) to where they keep trying to push off of each other ans if its pressurized even though there is none. But what could of caused this?

 

[Rick.]

Re: No Prime?

has it ever worked right? Perhaps you've got a wrong style connecter or the o-ring in it is pinched. Rick.

 

[hondarider188]

Re: No Prime?

Yes it has always worked right until now when I brought the boat home to restore it and working on the engine it has always worked right until the last day or two I started have fuel problems and that was the only thing wrong so it could be the o-ring and if so where is it located in the fitting?

 

[hondarider188]

Re: No Prime?

oops two posts

 

[Rick.]

Re: No Prime?

Not to far in but you should consider just replacing the fitting. The O ring is very difficult to source and if it's that old I would just replace it. Rick.

 

[hondarider188]

Re: No Prime?

Well the O ring was just about disinigrated and i pulled almost all of it out. So I asked my neighbor if he had a fitting (because he has a boat, though it woiuld be worth a try) and he had an extra fitting and it fits perfect then i found a small slit in the other end of the same fuel line so i cut it off and now i am getting a good prime. SO THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP