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Primer bulb won't get hard.

2

216 Bay Reef

New member
I have a 2001 Mercury 200xl carbureted 2 stroke outboard. Every time I have the carbs off for something and reinstalled, I have a hard time getting the system primed back up with the primer bulb. Should the primer bulb be able to refill the 3 carburetor bowls by itself? I often have to disconnect the line at the first carb, pump the bulb to get fuel flowing, and then hook the line back up to the carb to get the bulb hard.

I also noticed air coming from the bottom carb this morning after having the carbs off and trying to orime the system for the first time. It's coming from the main jet at the top center of the front of the carb. The needle valve in the bowl is sealing when fuel is in the bowl, but obviously letting this air through when the bowl is empty. Is this also normal?
 
I recently (somewhat) bought a Merc/Quicksilver bulb with inlet/outlet hoses (in a sealed package) at a trusted retailer in the sporting goods dept. It never got hard like my bulbs I used over most of my life and starting a first start engine on an outing and starting was almost impossible. So I threw it in the trash, installed a 12v fuel pump between the tank and engine. Turn on the key, you hear the pump building up pressure and when the pressure reaches somewhere around 3# the pump shuts off, carbs full of gas, activate the choke function and instant starting, especially nice with a cold engine that has been sitting for 3 months between outings.
 
The bulb is a simple manual pump.-----But some are cheap.-----It MUST pump fuel in order to go hard.-----So if it does not , you have a leak.-----Pumping air instead of fuel.----Broken fuel tube INSIDE your tank.---Air leak at fittings.-----Bad fuel pump diaphragm.----Should not be hard to find the issue.
 
Well sir, why did my little low pressure electric pump, pump up to the cut out pressure, and turn off when I replaced the bulb with it? Had no more starting problems, or any problems after the switch.
 
I can not see or touch these " problem " motors.----Finding out why a bulb will not go hard is easy in my opinion !
 
Bad check valve in the bulb, I've had them do it. I keep a couple in stock, I had one do it the other day, could not get it to fill with fuel, changed tanks, nothing. Installed a new one, pumped up fine.
 
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