Enough fuel tank flow for my outboard ?

[calvinator]

Hi all -

I have a Mercury 1500 on my pontoon boat. Still working out some idle issues, but all good so far.

I am re-using some good 'ol 6 gallon metal OMC gas can and gas can connections, like in the following picture.



Between gas can and motor I have a clear fuel filter. When motor is running, there is just a trickle of fuel going through the filter. I'm not having any problems running the boat, but before I get to far, I wanted to ask if these gas cans & old style OMC connector can support my thirsty 150HP motor. I don't know if these gas cans and this type of connector were designed for smaller motors ?

THANKS

 

[Texasmark]

The normal fuel line for that engine is 3/8". That's a long way from those two little holes in that OMC connector. It may run just fine on muffs or idling in N, but when you call on the ponies, you call on the BTUs and I seriously doubt those fittings will send you an adequate supply. Like you said; made for a smaller motor. I had a fitting like that on my 1957 18 HP Fastwin.

My 2c,
Mark

 

[Chris1956]

I agree with Mark. Also the fuel pump on that 1500 can be marginal. If it were me, I would get an aftermarket fuel tank, and direct connect the fuel line, bypassing the quick connects. Obviously you will want a larger fuel tank to do that.

 

[calvinator]

Thanks for the feedback -- makes sense my 'ol fuel tanks are setup for a smaller motor.

I think I am going to buy the SeaSense SecureStack fuel tanks from iBoats. Neat setup -- (2) 6 gal tanks that you can stack on top of each other. There is also a fuel line setup to draw fuel from both tanks (12 gal). I can sell my old tanks too!