plumbing kicker to main tank

Fish mojo · 02-10-2004, 03:54 PM

I recently picked up a 4 stroke kicker. I'm trying to tee into the main 3/8" fuel line so I don't need the annoying small tank.
I cut in the Tee downstream of my water separator and hooked up a 6 foot hose with a bulb. Can't seem to get the fuel bulb to pump up. Am I doing something wrong? any ideas?

Herring Impaired · 02-10-2004, 04:21 PM

Is the fuel bulb upside down?

Is there a valve somewhere that is shut?

Is the bulb known to be good?

Is there fuel in the tank?

Is the fuel hose hooked up to the kicker?

freespool · 02-10-2004, 04:25 PM

Fish mojo,my kicker is plumbed into the top of my water seperator. It may just be a plug in the top of your seperator,in which case you'll need the proper fitting to screw into the seperator. Have you asked the boat doctor?

salmon hugger

Fish mojo · 02-10-2004, 05:31 PM

Leroy,
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes.

Does there need a check valve to keep from sucking air down stream to the main. Main motor is a 4.3 Chev.

love2fish · 02-10-2004, 05:35 PM

Mine is hooked up like freespools, there are 2 outlets in the fuel seperator. I don't know if that will make a difference.

love2fish

Steelerdan · 02-10-2004, 06:10 PM

Not sure about the fuel seperator, but I had to install a ( I hope this is right) a **** valve to mine. When I tee'd off on the main tank it would suck the gas out of the big mortor and then start suck air through the caberator and then stall out and I couldn't get it started again

Pitch Pocket · 02-10-2004, 06:28 PM

My kicker is plumbed directly to the port tank avoiding the fuel lines to the main motor. If you plumb to the main fuel line, you can suck fuel from the main engine rather than the tank. SeaSport will not plumb a kicker to the main motor fuel line.

(Like Steelerdan said)

[ 02-10-2004, 07:30 PM: Message edited by: Pitch Pocket ]

Time Off · 02-10-2004, 06:36 PM

YES on the one way check valve. Make sure you install it with the flow towards the kicker. The check valve keeps the main engine from sucking the gas out of the kicker.

Also make sure the bulb is point the right way.

Lund · 02-10-2004, 06:38 PM

most water seperators have two outlets designed for both motors. They have arrows that indicate fuel flow direction. Just hook up a seperate line from the seperator for your kicker and it will work fine.

Fish mojo · 02-10-2004, 06:40 PM

Well, it was a bad bulb. Thanks Leroy. I'll see about getting a check valve.

Phil Layer · 02-11-2004, 06:03 AM

Fish Mojo,

Been there, done that.

You're asking for problems when you start teeing off of the fuel line and using check valves. I tried a dozen times to make that work on mine with no luck. Any air leak and it weird things start happening.

Finally, I did the fuel seperator attachment and it works like a champ.

Good luck!

Herring Impaired · 02-11-2004, 07:10 AM

When I bought my North River, they have the kicker plumbed into the seperator with a valve on a seperate line. They told me when I picked it up that I would want to run the big motor with this valve shut, if I went any distance.

slabhunter · 02-11-2004, 09:34 AM

Take a look for another tap from the tank. Run from there to a second fuel filter to the kicker. That will eliminate the potential air leak problems.

WheresMyBobber · 02-11-2004, 11:29 PM

The fitting that my fuel/water separator screws into has two discharge ports. I use one for the big motor and the other for my kicker. I've never had any problems with one motor sucking fuel from the other, and I can run both motors at the same time with no problem. If you don't have this type of fitting for your separator, I'm sure you could pick one up pretty easily.