Water in fuel and degraded fuel line

[JimRib]

Hi All, thought I would post this for others to see the issue I’ve just had, took the rib out over Easter and got a water in the fuel alarm come up on the mercury smartcraft & vessel view, so drained the filters out and then tried again only to have fuel starvation issues, checked the hose for blockages and found yellow bits inside. Got the boat home and today I’ve drained the internal tank through a new separator filter and pump I rigged up, then filtered it again flushed more fuel through the internal tank to get any rubbish or water out before putting all the good filtered fuel back in, filled up the remainder of the tank with fresh, kept all the bad stuff for the bonfire.
I rigged up a fuel & water separator with a 12v fuel pump to pump the tank out, photo below ! Worked really well as you could watch any water collect in the clear bowl, stop the pump and drain off.
The old quicksilver fuel line had broken down inside, so changed the full run from tank to transom filter and from transom filter to the engine adding a new primer bulb as well. Replaced the transom filter and also the engine one, primed the fuel system ran it up and all ok, took it out and had about a 30min run with no issues.

[mick]

Had similar issues with my fuel lines so replaced the lot then polished the fuel

[Pikey Dave]

Afaik, Quicksilver fuel lines are renowned for breaking down thus.

[stevewaters]

One word: ETHANOL!

I always use a high octane fuel (eg Esso Synergy, there are others....) with a minimum Ethanol content.
Never over winter with fuel in any pipes filters or tanks. Not only does Ethanol eat or degrade anything rubber but it attracts water and causes deposits and rust which will block lines, filters and wears out pumps.

[Fenlander]

As everyone says these Quicksilver fuel lines do this with age. They are actually my favourite fuel line type but best on a new ob or replace if a 15yr old ob you’ve just bought.

[neil.mccrirrick]

Just had that exact issue. Thought it was gunk in the carb and or fuel pump. All was clean then checked the line and bulb and that was failing return valve was passing

Love it when you don’t start with the simple things first lol

[telecast]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Afaik, Quicksilver fuel lines are renowned for breaking down thus.

Hi Dave agree on that - what is the recommended fuel line ?

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by telecast

Hi Dave agree on that - what is the recommended fuel line ?

I’ve always used Parker hose. Industrial rather than marine. They do fuel hose in various sizes. Price doesn’t carry the “marine” premium. Use correct sized stainless Oetiker clips.

[GARYSHORT]

This is a known issue for any fuel line that has an internal plastic liner. All related to Ethanol in fuel It degrades the plastic. I only use automotive high quality rubber fuel line without an internal liner. You should replace the squeeze bulb and fuel line whenever it gets hard/stiff or loses flexibility. One additional culprit is degradation due to UV rays.