Look what was clogging my fuel line

[DJ_Allatoona]

75hp Mercury outboard. So the other day I had some lurching at high throttle, and a sudden stall. I look back and my primer bulb is flat as a pancake. Tank venting is good, maybe pickup is dirty. Switch to other tank, 2 minutes later, lurch/stall. Bulb again is squeezed flat. Decided to just replace the whole fuel line and bulb and connectors, even though they're all less than a year old.

I cut off the male connector from the old fuel line and found about two inches of this clear plastic crap folded and wadded up in the line:

I guess it's some interior layer of the hose that got loose. It's a miracle this motor would even start with that kind of blockage. Lesson to all if you're having mysterious fuel delivery symptoms. This fuel line was trash after just one season.

New fuel line/bulb and I'm running like this again:

 

[Mercurylips]

DJ- Would you be so kind as to mentioning the name brand of your faulty fuel line?

 

[jimmbo]

There were certain brands of fuel hose that type of failure was common. It used to be enough to say 'grey hose' to pick out bad brand. But now days even Mercury OEM hose can be grey.
Glad you picked up on the symptoms of 'flat bulb' and ruled out a tank problem

 

[DJ_Allatoona]

DJ- Would you be so kind as to mentioning the name brand of your faulty fuel line?

The bad one was Attwood, and so is the new one. I had no choice. To get back on the water today, I needed one ASAP, and that?s the only brand carried in retail stores within reasonable distance. I?m going to replace this new line as soon as possible, because my confidence in Attwood fuel lines is low.

 

[sogood]

As part of the refurb of my Wellcraft with a 5.7 Mercruiser I replaced the fuel pump. The engine was running fine pre - purchase but I thought " why not?".

The old pump was clogged up with crud as we're the fuel lines. How it ran at all is beyond me !

 

[Faztbullet]

Any Merc grey line with red imprint writing is bad......

 

[DJ_Allatoona]

So what is the hands-down best fuel line? Mercury OEM? If I wanted to just get some 3/8 and built a reliable fuel line, what's the gold standard?

 

[dingbat]

If I wanted to just get some 3/8 and built a reliable fuel line, what's the gold standard?

I use Trident Barrier Lined A1-15 Fuel Hose – #365

 

[tommarvin]

I agree any USCG A1 fuel hose,it is a thick black hose that has a two and a half minute burn time.
There is no lining, its black all the way through.
Its what commercial fishermen use.Theirs Trident and another I can think of now.

 

[joeboat150]

75hp Mercury outboard. So the other day I had some lurching at high throttle, and a sudden stall. I look back and my primer bulb is flat as a pancake. Tank venting is good, maybe pickup is dirty. Switch to other tank, 2 minutes later, lurch/stall. Bulb again is squeezed flat. Decided to just replace the whole fuel line and bulb and connectors, even though they're all less than a year old.

I cut off the male connector from the old fuel line and found about two inches of this clear plastic crap folded and wadded up in the line:

I guess it's some interior layer of the hose that got loose. It's a miracle this motor would even start with that kind of blockage. Lesson to all if you're having mysterious fuel delivery symptoms. This fuel line was trash after just one season.

New fuel line/bulb and I'm running like this again:

Same here. 8 hp merc just stopped. After an hour I found the same piece of plastic tube all wrinkled up inside the fuel line. Bad bad bad design

 

[airshot]

My question is....do we have a bunch of fuel lines comming apart on the inside, or, is our fuel quality suffering and all this crap is comming from bad fuel?
I know in my area I have to watch where I buy my fuel.

 

[joeboat150]

My question is....do we have a bunch of fuel lines comming apart on the inside, or, is our fuel quality suffering and all this crap is comming from bad fuel?
I know in my area I have to watch where I buy my fuel.

It's not the fuel. It happens alot when you remove the clamp and then re-install the clamp. The slightest overtightening of the clamp will twist the inner liner and " wrinkle" it. Very bad design It also happens when you try to remove the fuel quick disconnect hose attached to the engine. If you twist that even a little bit it will crinkle the plastic inner liner

 

[boscoe99]

It's not the fuel. It happens alot when you remove the clamp and then re-install the clamp. The slightest overtightening of the clamp will twist the inner liner and " wrinkle" it. Very bad design It also happens when you try to remove the fuel quick disconnect hose attached to the engine. If you twist that even a little bit it will crinkle the plastic inner liner

And that is the nature of man. If just enough tightness is good, then too much must be better.

I recall from the old days when trying to become educated studies showed that most everyone will over tighten almost anything. Aircraft mechanics for instance have to, by law, use a calibrated and certified torque wrench. 40 years on the job and their feel is not good enough.