Dead Fuel Pump?

I am hoping to tap into some of the knowledge on here. I recently acquired a 1998 Evinrude 50hp motor. So far I have replaced all of the fuel lines, cleaned the carbs, checked the spark (good) and replaced the lower unit oil. I still can't get it to start. When I turn the key, the motor cranks but won't catch. I noticed that the inline fuel filter is not getting any gas - leading me to believe the fuel pump (VRO) is the issue. So having limited knowledge of outboard motors, I did what I would do with a car motor - I pulled hoses off in several places (one a time) to see if the pump was pushing anything through the lines. In a car fuel pump I would expect to see fuel shoot a foot out of the line. In this case, I have nothing coming out of the lines.

The motor sat for 8 years, but has less 30 hours on it. Any ideas as to other things I can look for/at? I am trying to avoid replacing the pump (I am seeing prices of $350-500, depending on where I look). If it is a torn diaphragm, is that something that I can replace separately? I was under the impression that you can't really rebuild fuel pumps.

Thanks,
Steve

Will it start if you pump the bulb while cranking the motor over? If so, the pump it shot for sure. Just put a non vro pump on it, much cheaper.

I did not try that. If I am understanding you correctly, pumping the bulb while turning it over will force gas through the dead pump? Or do I need to bypass the pump to test this?

If your in-line fuel filter isn't getting any gas, then your problem is before your fuel pump. Are you pumping the bulb until it gets hard? In your case, after replacing all of the fuel lines, it would take a good amount of pumping before filling the system. Also, all of the fuel lines typically have ball checks in them, so you won't see a lot of fuel coming out when you remove the lines.

Pump the bulb until it gets hard. What you are doing is forcing all of the air out of your system. Do it before you try starting your motor. The fuel pump is designed to let any pumped fuel into the carburetor. If your fuel pump and lines are empty, it will take a lot of cranking before the fuel pump would be able to prime the system on it's own.

Procedure should be:

1) Pump the fuel bulb until it gets hard - It may take a while, keep pumping until you can't squeeze the bulb down, or you start seeing fuel leaking out. This first time, it may be better to keep your cowling off.

2) Put your throttle lever in neutral override with about 1/4 advance on the throttle.

3) While turning the key, make sure that you are pushing it in at the same time to keep the primer solenoid open (if you push in and release the key you should hear a slight click from your motor)

4) Keep the key pushed in while it is cranking. When it fires, you can stop turning and pushing. I find that I have to keep bumping the key in for the primer for the first 10 or 15 seconds that the motor is running to keep it from stalling out. As it warms, you will hear the speed increasing.

If in the end, the fuel pump is bad, it may be cheaper to buy a Non-VRO pump and pre-mix your fuel instead. If not, there are likely to be lots of VRO pumps and systems on Craigslist, as many people remove them before they go bad. It's a fairly easy modification and a standard fuel pump is likely around 1/10 the price of a VRO version.

Good luck!

Kofkorn, thank you for the detailed reply. I pumped the fuel bulb until it was hard and definitely had fuel at the connection to the motor (I know this because it sprayed everywhere when I disconnected it from the pressure). I will try removing the line where it enters the VRO pump, and squeeze the bulb until I have fuel in the lines all the way to the pump.

I was already following steps 2-4 (sometimes it's better to be lucky than good?)

I considered replacing with a non-VRO pump as that is what I currently have in my boat. I figured I'd give the VRO a try when I swapped motors (mainly to avoid dealing with alarm wiring etc). However, if I can't get this motor working, I may go this route.

Did you get fuel into the filter when you pumped the bulb? If not, there is an obstruction somewhere or the lines are not routed properly. Try to take a picture of the fule lines/filter area, we can compare to working setups. I have a 96 or 97 40 hp evinrude. There is a fuel pump diaphragm rebuild kit available that I think is around $50-$75.

You have gotten lots of good advice here.

Just so I'm on the right page too: You pulled the fuel lines off the two carb nipples and no fuel is getting there? Fuel's not getting there with the fuel pump OR the squeeze bulb?!?

If fuel IS getting there, either with the fuel pump, OR with the squeeze bulb...then I would check the carb bowls for oil. VRO systems will fill the fuel system with pure oil if the engine is 'run-out' of gas. I have seen this more than once.

If fuel IS NOT getting to the two carbs, either with the fuel pump, OR with the squeeze bulb, then you have to take the system apart one fitting at a time to find where the blockage might be. Start at the fuel connector and work towards the carbs.

Be ready for a simple solution, most times it is not a pump failure.

I haven't had a chance to look at this yet (darn work getting in the way again) but this weekend I will do some investigating. The fuel bulb got hard when I pumped it, but no fuel got to the inline filter. I will try disconnecting the fuel line where it enters the fuel pump and squeeze the bulb to see if I can get anything through the line to the point where it should enter the pump. I'm not sure if the fuel line can get airlocked, or if squeezing the bulb should push the fuel right up to the pump?

I did pull one of the lines off where it enters the carb from the fuel pump before I replaced all the lines, and when I cranked the engine over I was getting a slow push of fluid through the line. Again, my experience is limited to car motors, so I expected to see fuel shoot out a foot, not just ooze out.

Squeezing the primer bulb will pressurize and fill the fuel system completely. Lines, pump, filter, primer, and carburetor fuel bowls.
As has already been outlined this is normal starting procedure for an engine that has been sitting for, say, overnight.
Once pressurized you can turn the key to the on position and push the key switch in. You should hear an audible click from the primer. This will prime the engine with fuel as long as the system has fuel pressure. Turn the key to the start/crank position and the engine should begin to fire and start. While cranking you can hold the key In to keep the primer activated or you may not need to. Each engine is a little different in starting.
You may have to bump the primer a few times while the engine is warming up.
If the engine runs for a minute or two and shuts off then go back and pump the bulb again. If the engine remains running while pumping the bulb and shuts down after a minute or two when not pumping the bulb then the pump has failed. All you are doing with the bulb is taking the place of the engine driven fuel pump.

So as far as I can tell, you're getting fuel to the ball pump. When you pump, the ball gets hard. There is no fuel getting to the filter.

One simple thing to check: Make sure that your quick connect fittings are properly connected. It is very easy to bump the little release lever on the fuel line connector and disconnect it just enough to prevent fuel from flowing past the ball check on the line, but not have the connector completely drop off. I spent about 30 min cussing out my motor because I couldn't get it to run before I realized I had done this.

It would give you the symptoms you are seeing, hard ball, no fuel. If it's not this, then there is a complete blockage of something somewhere in your system. Did you accidentally hook up the fuel line to the vacuum pulse line on the fuel pump? That would create a dead end in your fuel line as well. As stated before, you will need to disconnect at each connection in order and try to hunt down the blockage.

Good luck!

A quick thought, did you connect the fuel line backwards (is the fuel side on the prong side)? Or, did you plug the fuel line into the VRO oil line connection? If the VRO was disconnected, I think the fitting would still be sticking out the front of the motor and it might be the same connection style as the fuel line.

The fuel line from the tank to the fuel pump is definitely installed correctly. I've had the connection at the motor off and on a couple times, and know I've got fuel up to that point. Then the 5/16 line continues to the fuel filter, which then jumps up hose diameter to 3/8" from the filter to the pump. I know that I have the right line on the right hose inlet due to different size hose/inlet matching up (also due to pictures and diagrams I dew before pulling stuff apart).

Does the arrow on the primer bulb point toward the engine?
If not then correct that.

Just in case someone in the future has a similar problem and is looking for answers, I'll share what the problem was. It was much simpler than I thought. The fitting that plugs into the motor was gummed up from sitting so long. I bought a new fitting to attach to my fuel line and was able to pump the bulb and see fuel enter my inline filter. A couple of attempts to crank the motor over and she ran like a champ.

Gotta love the easy fixes. I've acculmulated several sets of fuel lines, filters, tanks, fittings over the years and it's always good to have extra parts not just for your own boat but for someone else out on the water that might run into problems.