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So I purchased a new Attwood portable 6 gallon fuel tank a couple weeks ago to replace the older metal OMC tank. the main reason is because it fits under the bench seat of my 15 Sport. The problem is that sometimes it won't feed fuel to the motor. Primer bulb goes flat and starves the motor of fuel. Trieed running with the vent open, closed, gas cap on, and off... It makes no difference. I have had this same problem with plastic tanks in the past, with different motors, and always go back to the old metal ones. I don't get it.... Any ideas ?????

BTW---- It's a 1997 Evinrude 70hp

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Have you looked closely at the fuel line to tank connector on the hose?

I would consider your fuel line. If more than 3 or 4 years old, buy a new one.

Stick to OEM brand. The aftermarket brands, while cheaper, have higher problem rates.

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Everything is new OEM. Hose, fittings, primer bulb....

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So when it refuses to feed fuel, what do you do to get going again?

Tim

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It really sounds like a fuel restriction.

If you're sure the tank, line, bulb, and fittings to the engine are good, the next step is to pull the cowling and take a look at what you've got there. Do a visual of the fuel lines under the hood. Your motor has an inline fuel filter under there. Check that out, or just replace it. It's a 5 dollar part and doesn't hurt to have an extra. You can then check the fuel pump operation by disconnecting the line from the fuel manifold assembly and cranking the motor. You should get good strong spurts of fuel as you crank the motor. If you have troubble determining what is what, BRP has some very good diagrams freely available on their parts website: http://epc.brp.com/ The same test can be performed on the lines that enter the bowls of the carbs.

If all of the above is OK, it's time to move on to carbs.

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What about the brass male connector fitting that screws onto the tank, is that new too and OEM or did you reuse the old one?

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Let's clarify something.

This problem started when you changed tanks. Did anything else change?

When using the metal tank and the new fuel line/primer ball, you did not have any problems?

Did anything get touched on the motor?

We need to isolate the events before and after the problem surfaced.

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Brass fitting is new OEM last week with the tank. Hose and primer and fittings a month old. Just started when I changed tanks. Nothing on the engine has been touched... I Hooked up the old tank last night and it worked great all night. I don't mind the old tanks but they don't fit under the seat.

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First off, if the bulb is collapsing, it's obviously a restriction "upstream." From the description, there is nothing wrong with anything downstream such as your motor.

1) When the problem occurs, what do you do to make the motor run again? (same question as above).
2) When you pump the bulb to prime the motor, does it get good and hard?
3) Have you checked to make sure the fuel line is installed facing the right way? (Don't laugh, someone had that problem a few weeks back)

Tim

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Fuel line is the correct direction, I've made that mistake once. To get it going again I just unhook the line from the brass tank fitting, push it back on slowly, pump it a few times and it gets hard and I'm good to go for a little bit. It seems to happen mostly after a minute or so of wide open throttle...

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OK, since the bulb only collapses when fuel demands are highest, you have a restriction, not a complete blockage. What type of connector do you have on the fuel hose and tank? I am guessing your problem is in the hose end fitting or the tank fitting - it may be simplest to replace both.

Other possibilities include a restriction in the pickup tube in the tank, and you might also check for foreign materiel in the tank that might be drifting around and occasionally blocking the pickup.

Tim

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How did you change back to the old tank when the plastic tanks use a 1/4 NPT fitting and the old metal tanks took the engine specific barb type connector?

I am thinking there is something wrong with the new Attwood tank/fuel line fitting

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Phil, you get a specific coupler that matches your fuel line on the one end, and is 1/4 NPT on the other, and screw it into the tank's fitting.

Which gives me an idea for the original poster - you didn't use any kind of pipe dope or maybe teflon tape on that connection, did you?

Tim

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Did you check the new tank for debris before using it? Is there a filter on your engine?

For a while I always trusted that my Racor filter would take care of things and never put much thought about my on engine fuel filter....well that was until I got some water in the tank and fouled both. I had the same symptoms as you. As soon as I changed the on engine filter my problems went away.

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Waterbug-

The reason for my questions is to identify what is different between the metal tank setup and the new Attwood tank.

I am breaking it down by the process of elimination.

Tim brings up a good point. If the threaded fitting on the tank has pipe dope or Teflon tape blocking a portion of the opening, it could cause the bulb to go flat since the fuel lift pump is attempting to pull more volume than the blocked fitting can provide at high speed.