I’ve been having some issues lately with gas getting to my kicker. I can troll for 5-10 minutes at lower speeds, then it starts to die until I prime the bulb, which gives me another 5-10 minutes. Obviously not right or workable when trying to fish. Doesn’t seem to be an issue at half throttle or full throttle, only at lower speeds.
I haven’t done anything with it yet, suggestions?
Joel
Is it the primer bulb itself? I had one go bad and it reacted the same way.
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Is it the primer bulb itself? I had one go bad and it reacted the same way.
Same here
Could be, though I replaced it two years ago, which is why I haven’t replaced it already. Maybe I should anyway? Cheap enough?
Joel
x2 
Earlier this year I had a fuel line inside the kicker motor crack and starved both the Main and Kicker motor. Happened after I got about 4000 yards from the ramp and there we sat 
I am thinking bulb.. 
replace the primer bulb, check all the connections, there is an air leak somewhere.
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Is it the primer bulb itself? I had one go bad and it reacted the same way.
Yep! 
That’s wierd. My kicker was starved for gas last night. Come to think of it so was my main…. 
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That’s wierd. My kicker was starved for gas last night. Come to think of it so was my main….
That is a problem with the bulb, the one on your shoulders for not checking the gas 
Thanks all for the advice. I’m leaning towards air-leak. attachment to motor is secured by two zip ties…..one of which broke. Seemed like overkill, but maybe not.
Joel
WHAT KIND AND YEAR OF KICKER MOTOR DO YOU HAVE..I HAD ONE THAT WOULD RUN GREAT A FEW MINUTES THEN DIE. IT WAS THE EXHAUST TUBE CLOGED / PLUGGED.
Hey Joel,
I think you have both Mercs, did you try to interchange the gas hoses when this problem occured? My big Merc and 4 stroke have the same hose attachments, and I had this same problem some years ago. I swapped hoses and determined there wasn’t a motor problem. However, my boat has two seperate tanks.
I agree with these guys, it sounds like a faulty bulb.
Good luck
99Evinrude 15hp 4stroke.
Joel
you may be seeing the early signs of a weak fuel pump. If the pump isn’t strong enough to keep the line filled (remember, it “sucks” the fuel in, not pushes it) the ball will keep getting soft on you.
HRG
Just a quick question. Is your kicker motor gas line hooked up to a “T” into the main engine gas line? If it is this could be the culprit. The main motor and kicker should not be hooked together unless they have a shutoff valve to shut one line off when the other is in use. Some of the main gas tanks do not have two fittings on them to hook up an extra line.
I’m having the exact same issues with the same motor, 2001 Evinrude 4-stroke 15hp. rebuilt the fuel pump last fall, and replaced the hose with the bulb… no luck yet, ordered a new complete fuel pump, just to be sure there isn’t a component that failed inside the original. See what happens…
Been watching this thread with great intereset, as my main motor (150 carburated VMax) started acting up a couple weeks back. Seems to be a fuel problem; erratic power losses,starving for fuel, then dies; primer bulb is empty…..pump it up, get it running, runs ok for a while, and then happens again. Cycles are more frequent now than two weeks ago, when I first noticed the problem. Replaced the primer bulb this morning, and still had the problem on an afternoon outing. No obvious fuel line leaks in the engine compartment. Going to check all of the fuel lines more thoroughly tomorrow, including the kicker. A buddy suggested also checking the intake filter and line in the gas tank, as they can get plugged with impurities. The fuel lines for the vmax and kicker come from a fuel/water separator….one main fuelline from the tank goes into the separator, and two come out to feed the motors. Has worked fine like that for 5 years, so I don’t think that this method of splitting the fuel lines is the culprit. Back to the drawing board tomorrow, and will post eventual solution. My thought right now is that it’s the fuel pump, but going to check the other stuff first.
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replace the primer bulb, check all the connections, there is an air leak somewhere.
X2
It might be wise to check the pickup line in the tank. I am guessing you have a onboard tank? I have seen the screens plug up and also have seen the lines themselves get rotten and come loose and fall off the fitting. The ethenal in gas will rott most fuel lines on the market. Another thing to look at is the vent hose. If the vent hose has a kink in it or has gas in it from sagging and filling up when you top the tank off, this will also cause the same problem like you are having.
Stopped over at my mechanics shop this afternoon, after checking out everything I could think of. He removed the cowling, pumped the heck out of the bulb, which was empty just 30 minutes after I had run the motor in the driveway, and no gas leaking from the carbs as he pumped. It was leaking out down in the lower unit area. Removed both of the fuel pumps, one at a time, leaving the fuel lines connected, and pumped the bulb again. One was spewing gas from the rear….diaphragm shot. The other seemed fine. Ordered a new fuel pump to get going, and will keep the old one to put in a kit this winter, getting ready for the next one to go (10 year old motor). Seems that we found the problem….will report when she’s back in the water, purring…
I’m happy to report that it was a fuel pump problem. The broken diaphragm was spewing gas into the engine. Replaced the pump rather than messing around with the kits, and it worked great 
. But if you want a chuckle at my expense, take a look at the Lake MI thread under a post started by Andy Johnson…..the motor running well was the good news.
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