Primer Ball lose of pressure

[Lucrestyle]

When priming the ball on my 1993 rude 120, the ball will get hard and then a couple sqeezes later it will go soft again? what would cause this?

 

[Walker]

Re: Primer Ball lose of pressure

Bad valve in bulb or air in the fuel line.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Primer Ball lose of pressure

bad check value in the bulb. or the needle float values in the carb are stuck, and the pressure is opening them, letting gas in. goes it get hard again after doing this.. if not check valve. replace the bulb.

 

[Lucrestyle]

Re: Primer Ball lose of pressure

brand new bulb had it less than 2 months, how would I check if the valve was working properly? could it be a small air leak between hose and bulb housing?

 

[ob]

Re: Primer Ball lose of pressure

A few things could be causing your symptom.Fuel line leak between bulb and carb inlets,leaky needle valve/s in one or more carb,air leak up stream of primer bulb,defective primer bulb,cracked or leaky pick up tube in fuel tank,etc..

 

[Lucrestyle]

Re: Primer Ball lose of pressure

I should mention that this problem started to happen only after i disconnected the hose to run seafoam through the engine from an aux tank. I guess I will try reconnecting the hoses to rule out any air leaks.

 

[ob]

Re: Primer Ball lose of pressure

I should mention that this problem started to happen only after i disconnected the hose to run seafoam through the engine from an aux tank. I guess I will try reconnecting the hoses to rule out any air leaks.

Good idea.Insure that the fuel tank vent is clear and venting as well.

 

[F_R]

Re: Primer Ball lose of pressure

Exactly why are you concerned about this? Consider what is going on inside that bulb: When you squeeze it, you are pumping gas to the the carburetors. Once the carburetor bowls are full, the float valves shut off the flow from the primer bulb. That is when it gets firm, because there is nowhere for the fuel to go.

Then, since the carbs are full you can start the motor. From that time on, the fuel pump on the motor starts sucking gas from the tank. Since there is now a suction condition inside the squeeze bulb, it will no longer be hard. However, trying to override the fuel pump by squeezing the bulb will momemtarilly make it hard again, but only till conditions change from pressure to suction as the motor runs and consumes the fuel from the carbs.

Is this what is going on with your motor or are you telling us something different is happening?

 

[ob]

Re: Primer Ball lose of pressure

Exactly why are you concerned about this? Consider what is going on inside that bulb: When you squeeze it, you are pumping gas to the the carburetors. Once the carburetor bowls are full, the float valves shut off the flow from the primer bulb. That is when it gets firm, because there is nowhere for the fuel to go.

Then, since the carbs are full you can start the motor. From that time on, the fuel pump on the motor starts sucking gas from the tank. Since there is now a suction condition inside the squeeze bulb, it will no longer be hard. However, trying to override the fuel pump by squeezing the bulb will momemtarilly make it hard again, but only till conditions change from pressure to suction as the motor runs and consumes the fuel from the carbs.

Is this what is going on with your motor or are you telling us something different is happening?

I was under the impression that the engine wasn't running when the symptom occured.Now I'm not sure.:redface:

 

[Lucrestyle]

Re: Primer Ball lose of pressure

the engine is NOT running when this problem occurs. to clarify.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Primer Ball lose of pressure

bad check value in the bulb. or the needle float values in the carb are stuck, and the pressure is opening them, letting gas in. goes it get hard again after doing this.. if not check valve. replace the bulb.

that was my understanding when i posted this.

 

[Lucrestyle]

Re: Primer Ball lose of pressure

"does it get hard after doing this"

when you prime it, motor off of course. the ball will get semi hard in 5 pumps, if you sqeeze one more time it deflates, you can continue pumping to make it semi hard but it will not stay hard.

and no i don't think a good dose of viagra will fix this problem lol

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Primer Ball lose of pressure

I'm with Frank. I don't understand the problem either. When I start my motor, I pump the primer bulb until firm, then turn the key to start. If you're not starting the motor, why are you continuing to squeeze the primer bulb?

After the engine starts, I don't really care what the primer bulb feels like, as long as the engine runs.

 

[Lucrestyle]

Re: Primer Ball lose of pressure

the primer ball does not stay firm. you are supposed to prime the ball until hard or firm. ( that is the correct method and purpose of the device) my problem is the ball does not stay firm, it gets to semi-hard ( more soft than hard) i'd say 60% of hard. then looses pressure and returns to 0% hardness. squeeze a couple more times and it returns to around 60% and looses pressure. I am going to replace the bulb tonight and see if it fixes the problem.

 

[klicknative]

Re: Primer Ball lose of pressure

If you have a portable tank, check the quick disconnect at the tank. I just had to replace mine, the "O" ring in the connector failed.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Primer Ball lose of pressure

But you haven't answered the question why you continue to squeeze the bulb after it initially firms up. Start the engine and drive away. It is perfectly normal for the bulb to go soft (but not sucked flat) after the engine starts. If the primer bulb is laying sideways it is also possible for any pressure to bleed off. Ideally, the bulb should be positioned vertically. But once the engine is running it doesn't matter.

 

[Lucrestyle]

Re: Primer Ball lose of pressure

it does not get firm, it start to gain pressure and then looses it all. I cannot get the primer ball to --> firm.

 

[clemsonfor]

Re: Primer Ball lose of pressure

have you tried to start the motor at that 60% firm state, that may be all the pressure that you need. If you can start the motor i am with the other guys on don't worry about it.

Another thought i just had is that the needle valves or float is stuck up and not letting any fuel into the carb and the pressure is bleeding off. This would only be of concern if you can't start it and not getting any fuel to the plugs.

-nate

 

[Lucrestyle]

Re: Primer Ball lose of pressure

yes i can start the engine at 60% firm, it just takes alot more cranks to get it to fire up, once its warmed up and running it runs fine, starts first turn over every time. like i said i am going to replace the primer ball tonight, see if that makes if a difference if it doesn't then i will have to clean them carbs!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Primer Ball lose of pressure

Before you start just throwing parts at this why not do some "real" diagnostics. Using a pliers, vice grips or carpenters clamp, pinch the fuel line between the bulb and the engine. Now squeeze the bulb while holding it vertical. If it now firms up, you have isoltated the problem to the carbs. The inlet needles are not sealing, or you are squeezing the bulb too hard and actually "forcing" fuel past them.