fuel primer pump ball questions

rentprop1

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 30, 2008
Messages
358
does the placement of the fuel primer pump ball thing matter in relation to where it is with relation to the tank and the engine ?

why I ask is on my pontoon boat the tank is permanently mounted at the port rear inside a compartment and the primer ball used to be about 6 inched from the top of the tank, I moved the ball to the outside of the compartment and replaced the 6 inch hose with a new hose about 18 inches long so I could pump the ball from the rear of the boat while on the trailer to flush the engine...I got sick of climbing up inside after a long day on the water just to prime the ball for a 3 min wash down.

after I moved the primer location I now notice the ball will not pump to firm, but each time I tried this the fuel was also pretty low in the tank, not empty, but pretty low

I checked all the fittings and connections all are tight and the fuel line was replaced with the correct size

thought and thanks
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,758
You can locate the primer bulb anywhere between the tank and the engine. It will work best when held or positioned vertically rather than horizontal. Just make sure the arrow on the bulb points toward the engine. Very often folks ignore this and then wonder why it doesn't work.
 

undone

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jul 26, 2014
Messages
147
And when in the vertical position the arrow should point up.
 

Triangleboater

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Mar 5, 2013
Messages
207
Yeah I have a little 15hp where I work and hooked the fuel host the wrong way and I spent probably 30mins looked under the cowl and messing with the fuel tank. I will always look at the arrow from now on :facepalm:
 

Bondo

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 17, 2002
Messages
70,465
You can locate the primer bulb anywhere between the tank and the engine. It will work best when held or positioned vertically rather than horizontal. Just make sure the arrow on the bulb points toward the engine. Very often folks ignore this and then wonder why it doesn't work.

Ayuh,.... Never thought of that, nor paid any attention to it,.....

Is that so's air bubbles purge more quickly,..??
 

roscoe

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Oct 30, 2002
Messages
21,657
I believe it helps the check valves in the bulb work better.

I never had an issue with bulb orientation, until I bought a cheap one at kmart.
 

robert graham

Admiral
Joined
Apr 16, 2009
Messages
6,908
I'm guessing those 2 ball check valves are spring loaded, but if not then holding the bulb in the "up" position could matter....I've always tried to hold mine at least a little "up" towards the motor....so far, so good!....
 

undone

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jul 26, 2014
Messages
147
They are not spring loaded (well some might be), the ball just floats in place and depends on flow and pressure differences to make a seal.

With the arrow point up it has a better chance of doing its job. I will say that most of the time its not a big deal, but can be at times.
 
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