I took my boat out on Thursday and on the return, the starboard engine died (naturally, right as I was approaching the dock :-(. Once on the lift, I managed to get it started but it ran like sheet. I had to chock the engine to get it started and then it would die in a few seconds. I suspected fuel issue but because the tanks, hoses, lines are all new, did not suspect anything serious. I checked the racor and it had a little water, about 1/4", but it also had some wood (yeah, wood) debris in the small holes around the filter. I replaced that with a standard filter and re-tried. Still no go. The primer bulb was very hard. Much harder than the other one.<br /><br />The next day, after thinking about it, I thought it even more likely that it was a fuel delivery issue. I removed the hose that leads from the fuel filter on the engine to the fuel pump and squeezed the bulb. Fuel came flying out. I reattached that hose and removed the hose that leads to the fuel pump. Fuel came out again. I reattached that hose. To be thorough, I checked the compression and concurrently the spark. When I bumped the engine, it wanted to catch. The compression was okay, 117 - 135, I think, and the spark was fine. Tried it again and it fired right up.<br /><br />After thinking about it, I remember that I kept the Racor on a rotten board in the shed. That might explain where the wood in the Racor came from (although I would certainly have kept in the filter).<br /><br />It appears that there was some obstruction that was causing fuel deprivation. Other than replacing the Racor and checking the filter on the engine, which looks clean, is there anything else I should do?
