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Can't get primer bulb to prime with new fuel tank

87concord

87concord

Regular Contributor
Long story short. My dad bought a '79 glastron 17ft boat for my sister for her graduating with a masters. Boat is in mint condition. Has sat inside for last 25 years. Runs like a champ. For some reason somebody took the original fuel tank out and was running remote tanks. We decided to buy a new permanent tank and put it in to make the fuel gauge work and all that jazz. Boat ran fine on remote tank. Put in new moehler tank and the bulb won't prime. Its a bulb and line we bought three weeks ago and used it on the remote tank. Vent is hooked up correctly and is free and clear. Have tried different fittings on the tank side with no luck at all. Any ideas on WTF this thing is doing? Only variable is the fuel tanks.
Bulb wants to stay collapsed and soft when you squeeze it.


 
From my past experiences, the bulb staying flat is because there is a clog in the line. Since you have the ability to remove the line at the tank, try removing it and see if the bulb stays flat. If it works (which I suspect is the case), then you know the clog is in the line that goes into the tank (pick up tube). You can try blowing compressed air into the tank to remove the clog, but that will force whatever is clogging the line into the tank and it might find it's way back to the pick up tube. I have a similar problem in one of my boats, but luckily I have two tanks, so when it clogs, I switch to the other tank. After bouncing around for a while with no suction on the bad tank, it seems to unclog itself and I can switch back to the bad tank and it doesn't happen again for a long time. I know the right thing to do is to empty the tank, and try to fish out whatever is clogging the line through an inspection port (the hole that is used for the fuel gauge sending unit), but I am a bit lazy and it is kinda dangerous messing with gasoline.
 
Vent is clear, pick up is clear. Only thing left is a small air leak or a bad bulb. Will post results once problem is solved
 
just bought a new moeller tank(the 6 gallon portable) and it had shavings in the bottom of the tank of the material the tank is made of.....as far as i am concerned if the quality control lets one type of tank out like that then it can happen to any of them....i have also heard one bad report that says moeller has changed the venting on some of there tanks and has a problem....this is not verified though...
 
Ugh! I had to modify the venting on mine as well--unless the hard-to-unscrew vent screw was all the way up, it wasn't venting. Dumb design!

Jeff
 
i noticed that also jeff.....i actually havent run the tank yet as it is a back up but i noticed the swelling and shrinking etc in the sun and at night and had to completely open the vent......actually open it to the point of jamming it...i may return the tank to west marine.....
 
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