Changing water separator

[Pirate Lady]

Do I need to fill with fresh gas?
When changing oil filter I fill with oil prior to installing.
Do I need do the same with this?

 

[scoflaw]

I do, it can be a problem if you don't

 

[Stee6043]

I've never pre-filled my filters. Never an issue. I've had a motor stall a minute or two upon restart after installation but it always starts right back up, zero issues.

 

[Fill Ess]

I do but I don't think it's required. Then again I have electric fuel pumps so that helps.

 

[Pirate Lady]

Thx.

 

[KevinC]

If not a big deal I would pre-fill. When I had my outboards they would not prime through the separator so I have always pre-filled.

-Kevin

 

[mrsrobinson]

Never prefilled mine when I had a a gas boat

 

[Pirate Lady]

My thought was that a carburetor engine would need to pump and crank a lot filling the filter before starting. I just know my damn luck, will fill with gas then drop it in the bilge.

 

[Stee6043]

My thought was that a carburetor engine would need to pump and crank a lot filling the filter before starting. I just know my damn luck, will fill with gas then drop it in the bilge.

This is why I don't do it. I try to limit my chances of making a big mess whenever possible.

I've got FI 7.4's but my fuel pumps are mechanical. No issues not pre-filling...

 

[Pirate Lady]

Convinced me thanks.

 

[Pirate Lady]

On a side note. My choke stove is not fully closing throttle plate making hard cold starts. Today I go local marine shop, Merc discontinued. The guy does some keyboard clicking, gives me the number of a place in Kansas says “call them”.
So I do, they still have 4 in stock, be here Friday. That is good customer service even though he didn’t make a dime. Will flip him a 20 this weekend for the tip.

 

[KevinC]

Does anyone know if the fuel pumps on our engines are considered self-prim

Convinced me thanks.

I would just want to verify that the pump is self priming and can run dry during the the priming. You would not want to burn out the pump.

-Kevin

 

[Pirate Lady]

I have one of those old fashioned mechanical pumps that run off the camshaft. Not much hi tech on this boat.

 

[mrsrobinson]

I had fuel injected 7.4's in my Regal 3780, carbureted 7.4's in my 95 330DA, I never prefilled the fuel water separators and had no issues. I bought a lot of those white fluid absorbent pads for the 380, plan to use them for things just like this so I don't spill in the bilge.

 

[Pirate Lady]

No fill it will be, thanks all. Oh Ps. Amazon was $18 for the filter. i went local place today. $10. Don’t just assume that Amazon is always cheaper. i learned a lesson today.

 

[KevinC]

No fill it will be, thanks all. Oh Ps. Amazon was $18 for the filter. i went local place today. $10. Don’t just assume that Amazon is always cheaper. i learned a lesson today.

Walmart may even have them....

-Kevin

 

[Skuza]

I shut off the fuel valves, unscrew the filters and drop them into a bag. I then screw on the new ones, open the valve then cycle the fuel pump a bunch of times without actually starting the motors. When I do start them they run for a few then stall out. I then cycle the pump a bunch more times until it will stay running. I think prefilling them would cut down on the stalling. Plus I'm probably not doing the pumps any favors running them dry. They are fully electronic.

 

[Thisisit]

On a side note. My choke stove is not fully closing throttle plate making hard cold starts. Today I go local marine shop, Merc discontinued. The guy does some keyboard clicking, gives me the number of a place in Kansas says “call them”.
So I do, they still have 4 in stock, be here Friday. That is good customer service even though he didn’t make a dime. Will flip him a 20 this weekend for the tip.

I disconnected and removed the choke plates and related linkages from my last two gassers. I got tired of watching unburned fuel floating around the back of the boat while waiting for the chokes to open up. Just a couple of extra pumps on the throttle levers before cranking and then feather them into a nice medium/high idle. IMHO, chokes are not really needed in the summer as long as you figure out how your engines will start and idle without them.

As for your filters, I'm with the others... never filled them on the gas engines. Never a problem.

 

[techmitch]

I disconnected and removed the choke plates and related linkages from my last two gassers. I got tired of watching unburned fuel floating around the back of the boat while waiting for the chokes to open up. Just a couple of extra pumps on the throttle levers before cranking and then feather them into a nice medium/high idle. IMHO, chokes are not really needed in the summer as long as you figure out how your engines will start and idle without them.

As for your filters, I'm with the others... never filled them on the gas engines. Never a problem.

"IMHO, chokes are not really needed in the summer"
I beg to differ, and, I don't care if you are in Florida in august or Alaska in January. If the choke is working correctly, there shouldn't be incomplete combustion at any given time or temperature, be it ambient or static.

#it doesn't work and I can't fix it, so, I'll just remove it and overwork other components to compensate.
Makes good sense to me.

 

[Thisisit]

"IMHO, chokes are not really needed in the summer"
I beg to differ, and, I don't care if you are in Florida in august or Alaska in January. If the choke is working correctly, there shouldn't be incomplete combustion at any given time or temperature, be it ambient or static.

#it doesn't work and I can't fix it, so, I'll just remove it and overwork other components to compensate.
Makes good sense to me.