Re: Fuel issues - 97 175 OP 60 degree Looper
And now the rest of the story...
The new fuel pump w/VRO came in over the weekend. I installed it yesterday, all is well. I appreciate everyone's help on this issue. Looking back here is how I would attack the issue if I were to do it over again.
1. Inspect all fuel lines for cracks or leaks.
2. Run the motor off of a secondary fuel tank. I used a milk jug which allowed me to visually inspect whether the fuel pump was sucking fuel up through the fuel line. The motor did not use any of the fuel in the secondary tank unless I manually pumped the bulb. This verified that the fuel issue was not related the the fuel tank or water/fuel separator.
3. Visually inspect all fuel lines as well as vacuum lines on the fuel pump, vapor separator, vapor lift pump etc. No obvious issues then,
4. Remove the the 4 bolts/washers and take the entire fuel assembly off of the motor. Inspect the entire assembly for cracks or obvious damage. This may look really complicated to many but it really is not that bad. Just mark your lines so you can re-install them later.
5. Use this flowchart http://www.maxrules.com/graphics/VRO...Oflowchart.jpg (thanks hidef) to verify that the pump is bad or not. If the pump is bad, bite the bullet and replace it. There is really no sense in trying to save money in rebuilding the fuel pump. In fact, it would probably cost you more in the end.
6. If the pump is not bad, check and or replace the fuel filter, vapor lift pump and vapor separator for damage.
Parts are still available for these motors and in my opinion they worth keeping them on the water.
I was trying to get out cheap and performed steps 5 and 6 in reverse order. I replaced the vapor lift pump and vapor separator gasket first. In hindsight, this cost me an additional 100.00+ dollars. Given that my motor is 15 years old, it probably did the motor good to replace them anyway but I don't think they were the cause of the motor failure.
Good luck to all and happy boating.
And now the rest of the story...
The new fuel pump w/VRO came in over the weekend. I installed it yesterday, all is well. I appreciate everyone's help on this issue. Looking back here is how I would attack the issue if I were to do it over again.
1. Inspect all fuel lines for cracks or leaks.
2. Run the motor off of a secondary fuel tank. I used a milk jug which allowed me to visually inspect whether the fuel pump was sucking fuel up through the fuel line. The motor did not use any of the fuel in the secondary tank unless I manually pumped the bulb. This verified that the fuel issue was not related the the fuel tank or water/fuel separator.
3. Visually inspect all fuel lines as well as vacuum lines on the fuel pump, vapor separator, vapor lift pump etc. No obvious issues then,
4. Remove the the 4 bolts/washers and take the entire fuel assembly off of the motor. Inspect the entire assembly for cracks or obvious damage. This may look really complicated to many but it really is not that bad. Just mark your lines so you can re-install them later.
5. Use this flowchart http://www.maxrules.com/graphics/VRO...Oflowchart.jpg (thanks hidef) to verify that the pump is bad or not. If the pump is bad, bite the bullet and replace it. There is really no sense in trying to save money in rebuilding the fuel pump. In fact, it would probably cost you more in the end.
6. If the pump is not bad, check and or replace the fuel filter, vapor lift pump and vapor separator for damage.
Parts are still available for these motors and in my opinion they worth keeping them on the water.
I was trying to get out cheap and performed steps 5 and 6 in reverse order. I replaced the vapor lift pump and vapor separator gasket first. In hindsight, this cost me an additional 100.00+ dollars. Given that my motor is 15 years old, it probably did the motor good to replace them anyway but I don't think they were the cause of the motor failure.
Good luck to all and happy boating.