VRO or Airline problem.

[vegasroll]

I have a 1989 Evinrude 200HP 2 stroke engine. E200STLCEB. My bulb which is an omc, goes flat all the time. I have 3 tanks, I replaced the 3 way valve, replaced all fuel lines, and filters including main filter. Took intakes out and got rid of the screens. Went out to retest, bulb still going flat. I have to manually squeeze it, otherwise the boat slows down and shuts off. Is this a VRO problem? I put a new one one a year and a half ago. I even last week cut the fuel lines and went directly to the engine from each seperate tank and still the bulb goes flat. A friend of mine told me to get rid of VRO and mix in fuel tanks and get a fuel pump that does not cost $400.00 a pop. Please help. I would rater do this right.

[SEAHORSE]

Are your 3 tanks portable tanks or built in the boat?

Are there any quick disconnect fittings or is everything the recommended 3/8" inner diameter Coast Guard approved marine fuel line with clamps?

Have you replace the primer ball with the genuine Evinrude one?

[vegasroll]

The threee tanks are built in and cannot be removed. No qucik disconnect fittings. 3/8" Diamter fuel line is legit, but picked them up at NAPA. Will this make a difference. Also bulb is after market and not evinrude.

[SEAHORSE]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by vegasroll &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">Also bulb is after market and not evinrude.</td></tr></table>

Get rid of the bulb and use an Evinrude one.

Did the bulb go flat on all three tanks when they were selected?

[vegasroll]

On the Aux and the portside tanks. The starboard one is ok .

[SEAHORSE]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by vegasroll &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">On the Aux and the portside tanks. The starboard one is ok .</td></tr></table>

Then inside those tanks, fittings, hoses, or valve selector is where your restriction lies.

[vegasroll]

Thanks for the advice. I will put a new evinrude bulb in and open up the tanks and look around and replace all I can. The problem with the portside tank is I cannot remove the intake pipe because of where it is located. I can remove the electrical fuel level side and look around.

[SEAHORSE]

Do you have grey fuel lines by chance, either made by Mercury or Sierra?

[vegasroll]

No just NAPA standard 3/8" fuel lines

[noelm]

If it is OK on one of the tanks, it sounds kind of obvious that there is a vent problem or restriction in the other tank, a primer bulb will be no good on both thanks, not good on one, but go flat on the other, also make sure it is the right way round (simple mistake).

[SEAHORSE]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by vegasroll &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">No just NAPA standard 3/8" fuel lines</td></tr></table>

It's best to have Coast Guard approved type A fuel lines for safety and for limited permeation through the rubber, plus they will be ethanol rated. Type A lines are fire resistant and required for new boat installations for certification by NMMA or ABYC organizations.

[vegasroll]

Just put on an evinrude bulb. test ran all tanks, bulbs gets sofe over time running on idel and half throttle and full throttle. Have to squeeze in order to fill bulb. What does this mean now? bad VRo?

[dhagemei]

could you explain more in depth about removing intakes and removing screens? Do you mean pick up tubes/ Are they aluminum rod all the way ? Are they flexible plastic. The one you cannot access, you need to be able to remove it and inspect it on a bench. Keep this in mind- boat manufacturers and tank builders have no idea of the fuel volume requirements of each brand of engines on the market. Hope this helps you.

[vegasroll]

The intake tubes on the back 2 aluminum tanks i cannot access. The Aux tank is flexable tubing, and I removed the screen from the bottom of the pickup tube. I simply cannot access the pickup tubes from the back 2 tanks, but I blew each one with a pressure hose as well as the vent tubes. Fuel came out of the vent tubes as well as the pickup tubes. No blockages. thank you for responding.

[noelm]

just forget the VRO for a bit, you seem to be in a trance that it is faulty, if the bulb is going flat, there is a thousand times more chance of the problem being on the tank side rather than the pump/motor side.

[vegasroll]

OK. Aux tank under seat has givien me problem since I bought the boat 2 years ago. before I had the other tanks go out, I would switch the 3 way valve to aux and after a min the boat wouold surge forward in an up and down motion. I removed screen in the pickup tube, replaced the whole electrical systems that dictates fuel level. I put an air hose into the tank and put a rag around it to seal it. Fuel came out of the vent line, as well as the main fuel line. Put everything back together with a new fuel line 3/8" corrisve resistance. Put a new evinrude bulb 3/8", and Test run today. Pumped bulb until tight, after 1-2 minutes engines shuts off, and have to manually squeeze bulb to get it going again.

[dhagemei]

At this stage isolate boat fuel system with a temp. portable tank and test run motor. Then give us results. Blowing back thru line is not a cure all like a visual inspection. Give us a picture why cannot access the other tank sending unit.

[SEAHORSE]

The only thing left is to troubleshoot with a clear fuel line and a t'eed in vacuum gauge as explained in the service manual.

[vegasroll]

I have a 1984 Ranger 392V and the back 2 tanks can be moved, but I can only unthread the intake pipes but can only reove them up 5 inches because it hits the deck.

[vegasroll]

Thanks Seahorse. I got a quote for a Vac test from the local mechanics boatshop and they want $120 to perform it. Is this fair?