Gasline woes!

[jmg]

Hoping for some ideas as to what to do. I have a '97 30 HP tiller Evinrude motor that I bought this past Spring. I have only used it 4 times this year. The first 2 times, it ran like a champ, but the last 2 times I had trouble with it surging, but acting as though it wasn't in gear and then would be ok, but did this repeatedly at higher throttle positions. This past Sun., it did the same thing, then quit and wouldn't stay running after re-starting it. I noticed the bulb was soft and as I pumped it up, I saw gas flowing out of the connection between the hose and the motor. I thought it had become loose, but it was snapped into position. When I pumped the bulb, I could hear air hissing as well as watching the gas flow out of the connection. I repeated this when I got home. The fuel hose assembly was bought new this past Spring, made by Moeller and was relatively expensive, but I know that doesn't always mean anything.. Could it be that there is something wrong with that female fitting or could there be something blocked in the motor that won't allow gas into it? The spring loaded fitting on the motor seems ok, but then, so does the fitting on the hose. Any ideas? I'm hoping for an easy, cheap fix, such as just replacing the fuel hose connector. Thanks, in advance, for any thoughts or help.

[Sonicrunch]

It's hard to say without some pics.

Can you post some pics?

[jmg]

I really don't know which pictures would help, since the parts in question all look fine. That's the weird thing about this, it all looks fine, connections seem to lock into place, but it leaks like crazy out of the connection.

[CAMAN]

Sounds like a blown O-Ring in the connector. Either replace the connector or, if the o-ring is accessible pry it out and see if you can find a replacement.

[scott b]

Water in the line?

[hydro]

Second on the O-ring in the connector. Just replace it and you should be fine. Your symptoms are typical for an air leak in the line. Your dealer may have one or you can go to a "Bearing supply" and ask for an O-ring suitable for use with gasoline. They will have the right size, bring the old one for comparison.

As mentioned above, just push the ball back and pry the O-ring out with a small screwdriver. The new one will push in to the groove, but put a little grease on it to protect it as you push it into the groove in the connector. I have had this problem more than once and it is an easy one to fix!

[jmg]

After not being able to find time to do anything about my fuel line problem until today, I stopped at G. Mtn. to get a replacement connector. Of course, they didn't have a 3/8" one like the orig. one was, but they did have a 5/16" one, which the clerk said would fit and shouldn't be a problem to use in the same hose. However, I am somewhat confused as to which size fitting I should be using for that motor. I looked online and found both sizes listed for that year. Never had to deal with this before when I had my old Merc. Anyway, I cut the old fitting off and it did appear to have a messed up O ring. And, yes, the new, smaller fitting, did go onto the motor fitting ok. When I attempted to put the new fitting on the hose, I found the barbs on the new fitting to go in to the hose WAY too loosely. Can I use that with the 3/8" hose if I try to clamp it as tight as I can without cutting the hose or is this another bad trip to nowhere? I suppose I couldn't get a piece of 5/16" hose to go from the bulb to the motor because I would guess the bulb fittings are 3/8" too. Any suggestions? Sure keeps getting complicated. If the 3/8" connector was too big, could the Spring loaded piece from the male connection on the moter have slipped past the ball in the hose fitting and ruined the O ring? Just wondering! Again, any help is appreciated.

[CAMAN]

The only difference between the 5/16" and the 3/8" fitting is the diameter of the barbed end, the connecting surfaces are all the same. I personally wouldn't use an undersized fitting like that because there is a chance you might not get a good seal and allow air in to the system or a leak sometime down the road. Chances are it won't cause a problem, I'm just not one to cut corners.

If you absolutely cannot find and exchange for a 3/8" fitting then I would make a reducer. You should be able to find a 5/16" to 3/8" straight barbed fitting at an autoparts store and get a 6 inch long piece of 5/16" gasline and a couple hose clamps. Assemble them together and you should be good to go.

Good Luck!

[jmg]

Thanks for the info, CAMAN. If the connecting ends of the 5/16" fittings and the 3/8" fittings are the same, I think I will just try to exchange the 5/16" one for a 3/8" at another G. MTN or order one and hook it back up so it looks and works well.

Thanks again for your response. Hope to be able to get some more fishing in yet this Fall. Got re-inspired last Sun. when my wife caught an 8lb. walleye about 10 min. after the Vikings lost. At least we had something to celebrate that afternoon. Her personal best-so far.