5hp tohatsu stalls ( not getting fuel) advice please!

[flyhigh123]

I have a 2004 5hp Tohatsu Outboard 4 stroke.

When i start the motor, it runs fine, and after it while, it starts to sound as though it is not getting enough gas and slowly stalls out. If i prime and press the bulb, it comes back to life.

The engine is not getting enough fuel.

Currently my setup is fuel tank is 3/8" going to a fuel water seperator. From there the fuel comes out 2 ports, one goes to my main engine( 70hp, runs fine) and the other line goes to the kicker.

I have replaced all the fuel line in the kicker to the fuel water seperator and also changed the clamps inside the motor to t clamps( used to be a spring clamp that releases using finger and thumb).

Could it be possible the fuel pump inside the motor is not strong enough to pull fuel from 10+feet of fuel line?

I'm going to try to have the motor pull fuel from an independent fuel tank to see if its causing that.

Any other ideas?

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: 5hp tohatsu stalls ( not getting fuel) advice please!

How long is that 5 HP been running on a 10 ft fuel line ? If stalling from the very beginning, hose is too long, if not, check fuel pump's diaphragams, being a 9 year oldie probably are dried out, cracked, balooned. Change if found so. Those diaphragms are real thin, E fuels knocks them down faster compared to non E fuels usage.

Happy Boating

 

[PoorBaylinerGuy]

Re: 5hp tohatsu stalls ( not getting fuel) advice please!

The first thing I would do is check all hoses and connections leading from the fuel tank all the way to the carb and make sure none of them have any leaks in them if they do replace them or try tightening them up, second I would take he fuel pump apart and inspect the diaphragm make sure it looks nice and flat , not stretched or worn out or any pin holes. One of the two would be the problem, the length of the gas line shouldn't be a factor.

 

[flyhigh123]

Re: 5hp tohatsu stalls ( not getting fuel) advice please!

The engine stalls normally after 5-10 minutes, but if I pump the ball, it'll run another 5-10 minutes.

For the diaphragm, what does that look like and do I buy a rebuild kit or is it something I can fix? Will I be able to tell if it looks worn out?

Thanks!

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: 5hp tohatsu stalls ( not getting fuel) advice please!

Usually when you prime fuel bulb again and engine catches revs, springs back to life, it's a fuel pump related issue, diaphragms are not doing their homework. You can buy spare diaphragms alone or as a kit at any Tohatsu dealer. Will need 2, they look something like these...

Happy Boating

 

[PoorBaylinerGuy]

Re: 5hp tohatsu stalls ( not getting fuel) advice please!

Also check your female connection from the gas tank to the motor if you have an old connector , it may well be the problem.

 

[flyhigh123]

Re: 5hp tohatsu stalls ( not getting fuel) advice please!

Also check your female connection from the gas tank to the motor if you have an old connector , it may well be the problem.

where the fuel line attaches to the motor, i checked that and actually bypassed that with a fuel line just in case that was leaking, so i know that part is not it.

Looks like all signs point to a diaphram. I'll look into buying a replacement and swapping that out. will keep everyone posted!

 

[flyhigh123]

Re: 5hp tohatsu stalls ( not getting fuel) advice please!

Well, just wanted to thank everyone who gave me advice. The cost of the diaphram was around 26 and a new pump was 56, so i decided to just get a new pump in case it wasn't the diaphram or what not. Took my 3 minutes to swap out.

Ran it yesterday for an hour and never slowed down or stalled. For now, going to call this case closed!