Fuel line question

[wormboy]

when i pump the bulb, i get fuel going to the engine ok, and the engine starts great, but the bulb never gets hard--- is this necessarily the bulb, or should pressure stay tight at the engine side as well. The in-line fuel filter never actually fills, which suggests to me at tleast that there is no pressure build up on the egine side of the filter.
The reason why I am not quick to blame the bulob is that I have some fuel that accumulates in the engine housing that pools when the engine is tilted up after running. I don't see fule gushing out anywhere when i keep pumping the bulb-- i suspect it's getting into the engine head/cyclinders.
The VRO system was disconnected by a previous owner-- I wonder if there is a fule/pressure leak somewhere because of this. Could this also be part of the excessive smoking and occasional stalling while at idle/trolling speed (previous post)?
I am heading out to buy a new fuel line/bulb, but wanted to send this in case it rang a bell for anyone.
It's a 1989 150 'rude.
Thanks!!

 

[wilde1j]

Re: Fuel line question

The bulb normally won't stay hard after startup. If the motor starts and runs, why replace anything?

 

[R.Johnson]

Re: Fuel line question

When the engine is running, that bulb is just a wide spot in the line. Fuel is being drawn through the line, so there is nothing to keep it firm.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: Fuel line question

Try pumping the bulb up with the arrow toward the sky(Bulb Vertical). Makes a difference.......

 

[wormboy]

Re: Fuel line question

thanks for the replies--- the bulb was the problem (it wasn't staying hard w/o the engine running), but there was also a leak at the carburetor side--- replaced all the plastic cinches with real clamps and the fuel leak is gone. didn't take care of the exhaust smoke, which is probably the powerhead exhaust gasket, as suggested in an earlier post.
Thanks again!