fuel hose/bulb not pulling fuel

Ive got a fuel hose that is not pulling fuel from the tank. sometimes (not often) the bulb gets solid like its full but I have an inline filter after the bulb that is not filling with fuel.

points that may be important:
* Ive replaced the fuel connector at the tank
* Ive replaced the hose/bulb
* the fuel line and filter are going in the right direction towards the motor
* sometimes fuel out of the connector on the tank

the motor is running weaker than it should also, and eventually runs out of fuel.

could this be an air leak with the connector on the tank?

could be the hose clamps not tight enough , but really dont think that is your problem . have you tried a different tank ? i had a metal tank I swore was a good tank because it looked clean inside and out , but the problem was the tank. i replaced line , bulb , clamps and motor fitting and it still would not stay primed. I had the carb rebuilt to . the mechanic i had work on the carb told me to try a new tank because he has seen metal tanks have little pin holes rust out in the pick - up tube in the tank . sure enough when the tank would be full it was fine but as soon as the fuel in the tank would drop about a 3/4 of a inch it would lose prime . it drove me nuts but i borrowed a buddies tank and tried it and it fixed it. have you taken off the fitting for the motor and tried pumping the bulb to see if it is getting fuel or even push the ball in the fitting to see if fuel comes out.? BTW what make and size is the motor ?

the motor is a 5 horse 4 stroke nissan. 2000 I think.

I did pick up another gas can, and fuel hose, from my friend so Ill check it tomorrow. at first my problem was that the motor was not running as strong as it should. then after fooling with the fuel connections the motor ran fine. then ran crappy again the next two times out, both times I noticed the hose not picking up the fuel.

Im hoping its just an air problem with the tank/fuel connector.

It would be pretty simple to take a piece of clear hose with a male/male nipple on one end and see if you are pulling air. What you have to remembr here is that the bulb will never be full or "hard" when the engine is running due to the fact that the engine is sucking fuel across the filter and bulb from the tank. The filter is the same way. You will usually only see a small amount of fuel in the filter. Once the fuel reaches the element inside the filter it will pull through and to the engine. Something else to remember is that there are several fuel connectors that look alike that are definitely for different engines. The inner diameter of the female connectors for different engines are all different so a larger than necessary connector on your engine would create an immediate air leak.

Def. an air leak somewhere

Sounds like an air leak or pickup tube problem.

went out again today and found out its not my tank. luckily I had my friends tank and fuel line. turns out my problem is the fuel line. the line assembly (bulb, line, connectors) are new, so is the inline filter. I bought the fuel line assembly at kmart, I think the brand was seasense.

so when I replace the fuel line assembly should I just get an attwood assembly, or buy the expensive line from my local marine shop. they sell the line for $2.99 a foot and then I would have to buy a bulb also.

you can buy fuel line at about any autoparts store and it should be cheaper than 2.99 a foot.

I just bought marine grade 5/16 hose for $2.25 a foot, think it will last a little longer with the ethanol fuels jmo. Good Luck! 8)

If you are getting fuel out of the connector at the tank, I would look at that as being the issue rather than a brand new fuel line and primer bulb.

Quackrstackr said:

If you are getting fuel out of the connector at the tank, I would look at that as being the issue rather than a brand new fuel line and primer bulb.

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I dont follow. I used my hose & tank and got weak motor power, fuel wouldnt pump thru hose, and motor ran out of fuel. I used my hose on my friends tank and had the same problem weak motor power, fuel wouldnt pump thru hose, and motor ran out of fuel. when I switched to my friends hose on his tank, everything was fine. I noticed immediately that the hose was picking up the fuel, the motor ran as strong as it should, and I did not run out of fuel.

Im all for replacing the connector at the tank since that would be cheaper than a new hose and primer bulb, but would that fix my problem?

Read my earlier post! Not all fuel connectors are the same. There are different diameters on the female connectors. Put an incorrect female fitting (too large) on your tank or engine connector and it will click into place but will pull air. Take a look at your buddy's line assembly and see if there is a dfference.