Couldn’t you have disconnected the primer bulb, disconnect the fuel line coming from tank IN to the fuel h2o sep, put the bulb on fuel line coming from tank, then pump fuel from the tank into the sep (or a beer can and pour into filter)? Not a bad idea to carry a spare primer bult too.
It ain’t no mystery…this beer’s history!
not bad idea but is seas is ruff be hard to do , primer hose might be good idea
Been there before… now I carry an extra primer ball.
The primer balls have a check valve inside. You can syphon the gas (with your mouth) through the primer ball and filter and prime it back up. I know priming with your mouth is a bad idea, but an old timer taught me, and it saved my butt.
After finishing my taxes, I can get back on the MB.
As others have said, you can prime the fuel separator with the “priming bulb”. Disconnect the engine side from the bulb…squeeze the bulb…hold your thumb over the free end and “plug” it with your thumb as the “primer bulb” expands…repeat until the fuel comes out the thumb side…couple of thousand squeezes. It is a closed system that requires vacuum to maintain fuel available to the fuel pump/VST system on your engine.
Doing it by hand or sucking on the fuel line WILL WORK if you keep the down line flow airtight. The Coast Guard should have suggested you do that prior to sending fuel. You would learn not to do it again… If they sent a chopper…they should fire the guy that approved it. If they sent a cutter that was on station…they got some practice.
You’re lucky they didn’t send sea tow…you’d have gotten a big bill.
Maybe somebody else can learn from this.
Once again, I suggest Racor clear bottom filters so you can see the water in your fuel and mount it so you can see it easily and check it often. The spin on filters don’t let you know you got water in your fuel till the engine quits. Then you have to take the cowl off and dump the engine filter to clear the engine…without running your battery(s) down. Even more exciting in the jetties or in the path of a ship offshore.
Lucky we have a Coast Guard. Dead in the water because of water in your fuel filter is different from a rod through the block. Sorry to be the bad guy.