Water seperator/filter question

No Worries · Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 8:46 pm Post subject: Water seperator/filter question

SO I am in the process of doing a tune up on my boat. I changed the fuel filters in the engines and the water separator/filter. It is a honda filter/separator. Well I must have done something wrong. I cant get the gas to flow now. I see there is a vent screw on the water/separator filter. What step did I miss here? I disconnected the fuel lines when I was replacing the fuel filter. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Doug

dogon dory · Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 9:20 pm Post subject:

Sorry, Folks - Post Deleted By Author

No Worries · Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 9:26 pm Post subject:

thanks mucho... I will give that a try tommorow...... Doug

Captains Cat · Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 11:01 pm Post subject:

There's a little check valve in the connector that needs to be pushed down to get the fuel to flow. You've got to push it in with a tool or something while you pump the bulb...

Charlie

thataway · Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 12:05 am Post subject:

Or you can disconnect the hose before the connector at the engine (assuming that there is a conector at the engine, which is removiable.

If we have a problem like this, we hook up our electric fuel pump. Once when I changed out a filter connector, I had used teflon tape on the threads (rated for gasoline and diesel) and some how I had gotten a bit of the tape over the lumen of the fitting!--so check it out if pumping or pulling the fuel thru doesn't work properly...(I am not familiar with your specific filter, since I use Racor filters).

No Worries · Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 10:16 am Post subject:

Thanks mucho.... when you say in the connector, you mean the fuel hose itself?? Its a snap on coupling for the fuel hoses, so push the little ball in there in a bit and then pump the bulb to get the fuel pumping then reconnect to the filter??

Its the honda water separator.... I do see a vent screw that has an allen head on it, I wounder if I open that up and pump it until fuel comes in if that will work....

thanks again...

Doug

marvin4239 · Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 10:46 am Post subject:

I have the problem you are describing all the time with my Mercury. All I do is as Charlie said disconnect the fuel line from the engine push the little ball in with a phillips head and pump the squeeze ball til I get a good flow of fuel. Happens every time I run a tank empty.

No Worries · Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 2:48 pm Post subject:

Okay I have bleed the lines as you described above. Was having some issues and figured out that I had the o-ring and rubber gasket in the backasswards position (honda water separator), which was causing an air leak. so I put them in the correct position and I got one line to pull fuel but not the other. Makes no sense to me, switched them around and still same deal. I have dual outboards.... and recommendations?

Thanks in advance and have a good Tday.... Doug

tsturm · Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 2:55 pm Post subject:

tsturm · Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 2:58 pm Post subject:

Forty Two · Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2007 5:05 pm Post subject:

Last spring I was putting the fuel filters back on the boat, and couldn't get fuel to flow. Turns out there was a check valve at the top of the fuel tank that was stuck shut. When I finally figured out where the problem was, I unscrewed the check valve, washed it in WD40, and got a little crud out. After that, it worked just fine.

snal · Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2007 8:53 pm Post subject:

Are you supposed to prime, or fill the new filters with fuel? I wondered about this when I changed mine, didn't have any flow problems installing them dry, but I have always wondered if I should have primed them.

thataway · Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2007 10:17 pm Post subject:

The check valve that fishbob found, is the anti siphon valve, which is required on gasoline tanks. It looks like a pipe thread to hose barb fitting, but has the ball valve and a spring in it. One of these on my Tom Cat was defective when the boat was new, so I carry spares aboard.

I just use the primer bulb to pull fuel thru the filter. I have always filled diesel filters up with fuel, but not gas.

Almas Only · Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2007 7:35 am Post subject:

Maybe I'm missing something on the basics of the problem first stated, but if you're pumping the fuel bulb (with gas tank valve selector in the proper position, gas in the tank, and the bulb getting and remaining hard), but gas is not filling the Racor bowl after changing the filter element, it's because you have air in the fuel delivery system, AND fuel in the carb bowls. If the carb bowls have a full load of fuel, their floats are in the "up" position, and neither air nor gas is going to flow through the bulb, no matter how long, nor how hard you pump. Therefore, no fuel is going to be drawn out of the gas tank, and no fuel is going to fill the Racor.

You can fix this either of two ways. First, as already suggested, separate the fuel hose at the motor, and use an electrical cable strap or something else to depress the ball valve in the connector. Then, with the ball depressed, the connector elevated, and the bulb in the vertical position, fuel and air can flow freely out the end of the hose as you pump the bulb, and you will draw fuel from the tank, displace the air in the system, and fill the Racor bowl. But, if you've already pumped the bulb, watch out, because the hose is under pressure, and you're likely to get a face full of gas when you depress the ball. And, since the fuel delivery system is now "open", watch out for fuel coming out the end of the hose, which is a rather crude way of telling when you've pumped the bulb enough.

Or, you can simply drain one of the carburator bowls, causing that carb's float to lower, and it's fill valve to open. Then, pump the bulb. The carb's valve will stay open, so long as you're just passing air, since there's nothing for the float to float in. Once the air is purged through the carb, and gas is flowing through the bulb and into the carb's bowl, the float will raise, closing the carb's inlet valve. At that point, you should have all fuel, and no air, in the Racor. If not, you pumped the bulb too fast. If that's the case, drain the carb bowl again, and go slower pumping. If you watch the Racor bowl while you're pumping, it's pretty easy to see what's happening. Since all you need is for the carb's valve to open slightly, you don't really have to drain it's bowl all the way. Try removing just a little fuel, and see if that's enough to open the carb's float valve. It's pretty east to tell if you've removed enough fuel, if you keep a hand on the fuel bulb. Once the carb's float valve opens, the bulb will go soft as the pressure in the fuel deivery system is reduced through the carb. At that point, you're set to pump the bulb.

Larry H · Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2007 3:31 pm Post subject:

A couple of comments:

Point the arrow on the primer bulb "up" to the sky, and then squeeze the bulb to pump. The check valves in the primer bulb are gravity activated.

Get a spare fitting (the one that the fuel hose clips onto at the motor) for the end of the gas line. Then snap the fitting into the connector on the end of the fuel hose and pump away. This lets the fuel and air flow out the end of the hose without spray.

This same fitting lets you 'pump' (by squeezing the bulb) gas from the boat tank into a dingy motor or other small tank.