I’m going to install a booster fuel pump on my Johnson 250 Ocean Pro. I’ve had a fuel starvation problem at idle spd since I bought the boat a year ago. Everything runs fine until you drop it to idle spd… It’s just not getting enough fuel to the carbs @ low rpms ( 800 – 1000 ). If you prime the bulb it’ll smooth right out for a min. or two then it’ll start to stall out again. Trying to load the
boat in a 3 to 5 mph current is tough. Unless there’s two people on board with one priming. I’ve replaced – inspected and\or removed everything from the tank fuel ASV\pick up tube to the new fuel pump. All carb lines\vac lines replaced – power pac is good - running temps are good on both sides – compression all within 10% of each other……have checked and rechecked for air leak, there are none…
Other people have had this same problem with this same motor and the booster pump solved it but I can’t find the details in the fix.
My question is: If I use a Holley Red fuel pump ( 712-801-1 USCG approved) with 5 psi will it push fuel right thru the non-VRO pulse pump which operates from 1 to 5 psi depending on rpms. This is a free flow Holley pump so I don’t have to use it until I think I’ll need it and it’ll pump 67 gph @ 5 psi. I don’t want this booster
pump to push unwanted fuel through and\or blow out any diaphrams in my current fuel pump.
Mr. Gasket makes a 2 – 3.5 psi inline electric pump which is free flow and delivers 42 gph. It’s not specifically for marine use and no USCG stamp on it.
Be careful with non uscg electric pumps in confined spaces, fumes may build up possably causing an unsealed pump to go boom.I did it years ago and the dealer doing the service refused to work on the boat and ask me to come and get it off the lot. The things we learn when we are young and dumb and trying to save some money.
Jeff
I would not add a pump that pressurized (even a little) my below deck fuel plumbing. Loose fuel connections turn into serious problems under pressure as opposed to the headaches your having with them now.
I dont see how pressure on the suction side could be good. This could even be the start of a bigger problem that might leave you high and dry. Or low and wet depending on the circumstances. You said the compression was within 10% on every cylinder but what was the compression? Im not saying you have a compression issue but if they are all low the 10% doesnt matter much. Have you replaced the diaphrams in the fuel pump. Have you ran it out of a fuel jug straight to the pump? Theres a reason its doing what its doing and it can be found and fixed. It may be aggrevating as hell but it can be done.
Checking the temps. on the heads with a pyrometer - they’re with 5 degs. of eachother after a 30 min. warm up.
I replaced the original fuel pump with a non-VRO. No change in the problem from the original fuel pump to the new one I bought. Still stalling @ idle spd…
I did the remote fuel tank setup. It showed the problem to be at the motor.
I’m almost beginning to think it’s just the way this particular motor runs and that’s the way it is. But I still think I’m over looking something and it’s probably something simple.
I had one on my 06 seapro. I happened to notice little bubbles in my racor bowl. I pulled the hatch and had someone squeeze the primer bulb and I could actually hear the leak. It was the connection at the anti-siphoning valve to the tank. Got a new siphoning valve and pipe dope rated for fuel and installed it. No more air problems after that. While I had the anti-siphoning valve out, I did not knock the valve out. No, I would never knock a valve out of an anti-siphoning valve (sarcasm). I would rather run the risk of trash getting stuck in the valve making it close completely and starve my motor of gas :).
I have clear glass fuel filter right before the fuel pump. During the last couple months I had found a couple air leaks and fixed them -I could see air bubbles in the clear glass filter why running the motor on muffs. The last time I ran the motor on muffs I saw just pin head size air bubbles…just a couple after running it 20 mins…
I took the boat to Hartwell last weekend. Running the boat under load the big air bubbles were back in the glass filter - what seems like a lot of air bubbles. Somewhere there’s a leak from the clear fuel filter back to the tank. I guess I’ll go thru and re-do every fuel line connection from the tank to the fuel pump…again. I’ll cut off the fuel line ends and re-hose clamp.
Is there a better way to make sure when I’m re-doing the lines that they are leak free…is there some thing you can put in the male ends of the connestion to get a leak free connestion…?
get rid of the clear glass fuel filter, thats probably the problem. replace the filter with one of the white in line filters made for the engine. What brand of primer bulb did you use, get a Bombardier, Merc or Yamaha bulb.DOn’t use anything that has Moeller written on it.
I went through several of those clear glass filters. Never could get one that wouldn’t leak. Piece of cr#$ those things are, imo.
84’ 18 Privateer
08’ Yamaha 90
There are always greater fish than you have caught, always the lure of greater task and achievement, always the inspiration to seek, to endure, to find.
What I liked about the glass fuel filter was that you could see if there were air bubbles in the line…but it’s gone now.
I replaced the glass fuel filter with a Johnson OE plastic filter - replaced the primer bulb with a Mercury OE bulb - cut off all fuel line ends ( at the tank & the water seperater ) and put new hose clamps on - took loose the connection at the ASV - put yellow teflon tape and a little teflon paste on the 3\8" npt threads and re-attached ( no ball in the ASV ).
I even positiond the new primer bulb vertical as recommended on the box. One thing I noticed was that all the hose clamps had loosed up. Is there a type of clamp that won’t loosed up from vibration…
We’ll see what happens - in the water next week end - on the muffs tomorrow.