5 hp mercury 4 strokes gas line

[Rollie647]

could somebody tell me why the prime ball would not get hard. it had a long fuel hose so cut it shorter. Would it make any difference?

 

[MTboatguy]

could somebody tell me why the prime ball would not get hard. it had a long fuel hose so cut it shorter. Would it make any difference?

You are going to have better luck posting this in the correct topic section, which would be the Mercury Outboard Motor section.

 

[GA_Boater]

You are going to have better luck posting this in the correct topic section, which would be the Mercury Outboard Motor section.

Moved.

Long hose, short hose - No difference when squeezing the until firm except a long hose may need a couple of extra compressions.

Is gas leaking out of the carb while squeezing the bulb? Carb float may be stuck if the motor has carbs.

 

[MH Hawker]

and it depends on what fuel hose if its gray yes that has a inner liner that screws up and it can be the float and needle in the carb or the check valve in the fuel pump

 

[Chigwalla]

You might also have an air leak between the bulb and the tank killing your suction.
Look for cracks where the hose comes off a barb and check the bulb itself.
You might not see any gas leaking but you can hear the air inside the bulb.
The pickup tube in the tank may have separated as well, but that's pretty rare.

Like MV Hawker said, absolutely it could be hose delamination.
Have you got a fuel line from something else you can swap in to check ?

"Carb float may be stuck if the motor has carbs."
The 5hp is indeed a single carb.

 

[km1125]

Could just be a cheap bulb. The valves in the bulb need to seal good to make the bulb go 'firm', but if they are leaking then it will always be soft. I bought a brand new bulb and line to use on a different tank and it does not get firm but it does prime the engine good enough for starting.

You just need to make sure you're not sucking air, because that could mean you also might not be feeding the engine enough fuel at WOT. Close the vent on the tank and squeeze the tank to check if air is leaking out anywhere. If it's not, you're probably good to go. Now, it might leak out the tank cap if it's got a gauge built into it, but that would not be a problem.