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Fuel Primer Bulb/fuel pump question on a Honda BF130

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Contributing Member
I'm having a problem with my honda 4stroke. it started out last summer, only on hot days my engine would run and then start to stall. If I throttled back a bit it would eventually clear itself out and then I'd never have the problem for the rest of the day. This would only happen on hot days.

I just finished changing the fuel feed line from the aluminum gas tank (boston whaler outrage 19) to the gas/water separator. Yesterday I took the boat out and it started having the same problem right from the get go, this was on a cold day as well. It cleared up and then I went on my trip, but when I was about 25 miles it started up again and actually stalled out the engine several times. I noticed that the bulb was "squishy" and felt like there was air in there. If I pumped the bulb hard nothing happened. But if I did several short small pumps the air cleared out and the boat ran fine. I attributed that to having air in the lines after I did the fuel feed line switch. However a few miles later it happened again and I notice this problem happens more after the boat has sit and then is started up again. If I do several short small pumps before starting I do not have this problem.

I am going to guess it is a problem with having some sort of leak in the fuel line where air is getting into the line either at a connection or maybe the gas/water separator BEFORE the fuel primer bulb. But I was wondering if this problem could also be happening on a bad fuel pump? Could this be a fuel pump problem, or is the fuel pump usually all or nothing when it is going bad?

Thanks!
 
It could be the fuel pump but since you probably do not have fuel gauges etc to measure the pressure, etc, I would find a 6 gallon tank and a different fuel line...then run the engine only on that. If the problem goes away, the problem is in you fuel lines, filter or tank and not your engine.

Insert a clear piece of plastic hose into your fuel line starting near your engine and run the motor. It you are sucking air, you will see the air bubbles. Just keep moving the inserted piece along the fuel line to track down the source of the bubbles. If there are no bubbles, then you probably should check the squeeze bulb...if in doubt...replace it. Do not use the cheap ones from Walmart...find an Evinrude dealer and buy an Evinrude bulb....they are well worth the money.

If you do not see bubbles and you still have the problem, then it is probably somewhere on the engine. Make sure all hose connections are tight.

Mike
 
One more thing to check...Right where the fuel line enters the engine there is a bracket that holds the control cables, fuel line and electrical wires. The bracket on the Honda engine corrodes, swells and pinches off the fuel line. Remove the bracket and inspect it and the fuel line.
 
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