Fuel problem

[jeffmo]

Over the last several years while I've been out on Erie I had a problem w/ the motor shutting down and it's driving me nuts trying to figure it out. It has to be a fuel delivery problem and my guess is that it's in the line from the tank to the motor. I'll be running and it'll shut off like I've turned the key off. The fuel bulb will be collapsed and all I have to do is remove the line from the tank side of the bulb, allot it to fill again and then re-attach it. Then the motor runs fine. This has happened maybe 3 time in as many years. The vent is open and clear so I'm guessing that isn't the problem. I had heard that I need to replace the fuel line from the tank to the motor fuel line to correct it.
Any suggestions would surely be appreciated and thanks ahead of time!

[Cam]

You definitely have a blockage of some sort. Could be a vent line or could be your fuel line is collapsing. It could also be a clogged fuel screen in the tank or a faulty anti-siphon valve on tank...

[smokeonthewater]

WHS

I once fought this problem on a dirt bike for over a year... took the fuel valve apart several times, kept cleaning the carb, replaced fuel line, multiple filters.... it would just die but I would hit a big bump or shake it and it would live again.... Gas tank was visible and spotless inside... I FINALLY found a piece of cellophane like from a cigarette pack floating in the gas...

[macojoe]

Could be something in the tank that when it gets to a certain level it sucks it up. when you fill the tank again it floats to high to get stuck, I also took out my little ball that was in the line to stop the siphon and it took care of mine. Also on the Sea Ox I had a loop in the vent line, if it gets kinked or filled with fuel it will block the vent.

[Blue_Runner]

I have the exact symptoms and it is trash in my fuel tank. I pumped it out last year and got lots off junk out of it, thought my problem was fixed but low and behold it is still doing it. When it happens I have to blow into the tank side of the fuel line to clear it then everything is fine. Only happens once in a while but I will be pumping the tank again before I take it to the coast. I dont' like the motor starving like that even if it rarely happens. Always something.....

[jeffmo]

I believe I'm gonna try replacing the fuel line from the tank to the motor first and see if it cures the problem. I was told that an old line can collapse and cause the problem. If it works I'll post.
Seems like it could be a whole range of problems.
The first time it happened I was 8 miles or so out on Erie and it wasn't a very good feeling.
Thanks for the help and suggestions.

[Fitz]

I had a very similar problem that took a long time to diagnose and resolve. I have a 1975 V20 with a 1989 Evinrude 200. One summer several years ago my engine began to starve out at high speeds and also whenever it was quickly throttled for things like pulling skiers out of the water.

I replaced the central filter, the engine filter, the VRO and almost all of the fuel lines, but those actions didn't solve the problem. I inspected the tanks, and they were spotless.

The following winter I pulled the saddle tanks in order to replace the lines from them to the fuel switch, which were the only fuel lines that I hadn't replaced in the summer. When I pulled those lines off of the tank fittings I found that each tank had a small round metal filter within its fitting. Needless to say, those filters were 1975 original and were almost completely clogged. They were unseen, inaccessible, and unknown. Because they were metal it was possible to clean them, but I just threw them out because they were totally unnecessary. I have both a central Racor filter and the standard in-line filter in the engine, so under the best of circumstances they would only limit fuel flow. After I did that my problem was completely solved.

Your profile indicates that your boat is a 1983, so I'm not sure if your tank(s) have those filters, but I think it would be worth pulling the line(s) right at the tank top to check.

[jeffmo]

Thanks Fitz, I'll check those.

[Seaducer]

I have a related problem with a Yamaha 200 four stroke. It doesn't starve for gas unless it sits for an hour or so while I'm fishing. It runs fine at high speeds, but during a start up and mild idle the bulb will collapse. I pump the bulb, and it runs just fine. We put in a new fuel line... Same problem. We even took the hose off the bulb, attached a clear hose to the engine side of the bulb, and watched the fuel run back into the tank. Maybe just an anti-siphon valve? Any ideas?

[macojoe]

The ball has a ck valve so the gas does not go back, I say get a new ball and you will be fine! Been there done that!! Get a OME one as all the after market stuff is $hit right from the box! Done that also