I installed a water separator in my boat and after install i couldn't be on the water for 20 seconds without having to prime it. I bypassed the water separator and it still did it. I cleaned the carb and the jets ect. And i still cant drive without having to prime it very often. Im thinking that the water separator put a strain on my fuel pump and trashed it. Should i go with a new oem pump or get an electric pump? Im guessing no more than 5psi for the electric.
This is on a 18 vanguard


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You need to find the air leak in your fuel system. Small filter barbs and larger ID fuel hose is a big culprit to fuel leaks. all these motors need is 1/4" -5/16" fuel line max

I agree, air leak somewhere.

When i took it out to test after cleaning the carb, the motor killed when trying to take off and it wouldn't start back up(i thought it was flooded because the small fuel filter was full of gas) choked it and it still wouldn't crank. I finally tried to prime it and i could hear the gas fill in the carb. Thats why i was thinking a fuel pump issue. Ill tear it down today and check all the fittings. I do have a quick connect on my gas tank but i always had it.


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Many threads on this.

1/4 is plenty.
You should never "need" an epump even with modded motors (unless you run a Kawi-and then only on top end).
Epump's are good to have, and will be a huge help when there is a problem.

If you need an epump, then you have another problem (most likely air leak somewhere) somewhere else.

They are a band aid to the symptom, not a fix for the problem.

Yes, I have one. Never needed it on my briggs EXCEPT when I had an air leak around my fuel filter. Flipped it on and ran fine. Fixed problem and then turned it off. Ran fine.

And I "never had a problem with it before" until I had a problem with it.

That is the most common thing that I hear people say- "I never had a problem with it before"

Obviously, you didn't have a problem till you had a problem. That fact that it wasn't a problem before does not mean it is not a problem now. Stuff happens. Things break, come loose, vibrate apart, etc, etc, etc.

These boats and motors take an enormous amount of abuse even when "babied'. The Vibration of the motor alone will shake bolts, fittings, and everything else loose/apart. Not to mention banging down the road. Just recently had a trailer vibration that created all kinds of havoc for me on both my trailer and my boat. Took me a minute to figure out what the hell was going on. Turned out to be two "out of round" tires. The belts had slipped inside. One was really bad.

Good luck.

Thanks for the advice, i got a new fuel pump and all my plumbing has been 5/16th. Wont know how it will do until this huge ass storm passes


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Put your tank in the back of the boat, run a temporary fuel line directly from your factory pump into the tank itself, and take it for a ride to rule out your pump or carb.

I think 5/16 is a little big for a 18hp. You may be able to get away with it but 1/4" would be better. That's what Godevil always recommended.

Update, (you het what you pay for): I just got around to running the engine with the same result. I set the valves and cleaned the carb. Motor still ran like shit under a load. I decided to take the cheap primer bulb off and run it without one and it fixed the problem. The bulb was restricting the fuel flow and the pump could not pull the fuel through.


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