fuel water separate

C

carver 2557

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Having a problem when boat gets on plane. It runs good and then seems to be starving for fuel. I took the water fuel separator filter off and it had no water in it, but it wasn't completely full of fuel either. Should it be full and with no water in it does it seem that would be the problem?.It runs great at lower rpm. 5.7 mercruiser.
 
how full was it? they don't fill to the brim but should be mostly full.

is it the replaceable canister or clear bowl on the bottom type separator?...if you had to dump the gas out did you give it time to settle again?

electronic ignition or points?

how old is the fuel?
 
Replace it anyway. Also replace the filter in the carb (if you have a carb). I had some problems for a couple of years with my Merc 5.7 and it ended up being old fuel. I siphoned the fuel out last spring and it was quite amber in color. I had no problems after I did that, so I followed the same procedure this year. Now of course everyone can't do that if they have 200 gal tanks. Mine is only a 50.
 
It may not be in the separator, it could be a bad pick up from the tank. Does the motor have a carb? It could be gunked up...
 
I was remembering last night that the boat was used only twice last year and the fuel was never topped up. Had roughly 15 gallons in it this year at launch time and I added another 10 gallons yesterday, so some of that gas is 2 years old, but fuel preservative was added both falls at storage time. It was suggested last night here, that I add some methol hydrate(sp) and that should clear things out. Any thoughts on that?. It is a carb engine.
 
Carver I didn't know you were helping your ex keep her boat running?
Bill
 
Check for possible air leaks too. I had a similar situation and checked all hoses and connections for possible air being drawn in by vacuum...it turned out that the Raycor Aluminum body had a small corrosion pin hole and that was the source of the air leak and the cause of the fuel starvation.
 
That's the same symptoms I had. I had used the proper amount of stabil in it and just added some more fuel each spring. I think you have bad gas and adding more fuel treatment won't help. You have just 15 gal of fuel. Just siphon it out into 5 gal cans and be done with it. Put one of the cans in your car with each of the next three fill ups to re-use it.
 
So I'm almost on empty now. I hold 100 gallons of fuel, so if I fill up I would be putting approximately 90 gallons of fuel with the approximately 10 of the presumed not so good If I fill up with premium gas (93)octain, will it mix in and eventually be OK?.
Siphoning 10 gallons or any amount for that fact would be a royal pain in the butt..., but if it has to be done, it has to be done...
 
Since seperated fuel particullary water is heavier than gas no it won't help drain it now while you only have a 10 gallon mess.
Bill
 
^ this....rule out this possibility now while it's easier and you haven't thrown good money on top of it in the form of more fuel.
 
quote:
Originally posted by carver 2557

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You didn't answer the "how full was it?" question. It is my belief that it should be very close to the top and if not you may be sucking air at high speeds instead of fuel. Some leaks are so small that fuel will not leak but air can get sucked it. Check all your fuel line connections.
 
About 3/4 full, maybe a bit more..Here is an email reply I got from Seafoam people...

Sounds like the Carburetor may have some varnish build up in it causing your running problem or the fuel filter may also have gum and varnish in it causing a flow problem. First I would check the fuel filter and replace if necessary. Next I would add two 16 ounce bottles of Sea Foam to the fuel. Once you have added the Sea Foam added to the fuel, run the engine for about 10 minutes to get the Sea Foam fuel mixture into the carb. Then shut engine off and let sit at least 24 hours. Then take the boat out and run it. I would think you either have a fuel restriction caused by a plugged fuel filter or the jets in the carb are vanished causing a fuel restriction. Next time you store the boat add Sea Foam to the fuel at 1 ounce per gallon to stabilize the fuel for up to two years and you should never have this problem again.
 
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