Replacing Fuel Lines

[Old Scaley]

Hi all, got to the ramp yesterday and doing final checks in the rigging area I noticed that the fuel line was split between the outboard connection and the primer bulb.  Probably got pinched in the outboard mounting hardware when I was raising or lowering the motor.  Managed a temporary repair with some electrical tape so could still have a day on the water.

Obviously I need to fix this properly, but I was thinking of replacing the whole fuel line and fittings, given the gear is now 9 years old. The tinnie has the tank in a forward hatch and the fuel line runs under the floor. Anyone replaced this before? I thought I should be able to do it if I cable tie the old connector at the tank end to the new connector for the outboard and and then pull the old line out from the outboard end. This would save me having to lift the floor, but not sure if the cavity is clear enough to allow the connectors and the primer bulb through.

Boat is a 4.35 Sea Jay Territory with a 40 yammie 2 stroke.  Any advice welcome.  Cheers, Steve.

[aussie123]

You propably won't pull the conectors through and definitely not the bulb either.

Buy a length of fuel line the entire length from tank to motor.

Cut off the tank fitting and zip tie the end of the old line to the new one and pull the lines through.

Then add you primer bulb near the motor and put the tank and motor fittings on

It will be an easy job providing there is no tight bends under the floor although there is that chance the floor will need to be lifted.

[Old Scaley]

Thanks heaps, Lance. Helpful as ever.  

[Luc53]

Did mine exactly the same way when I moved my tank to one of the front hatches.

[Old Scaley]

Quick update.

This morning I went and got all the bits I needed to replace the whole fuel line from tank to outboard, plus a fuel filter/water separator (haven't had one til now).  Should have taken a sample with me cos I had to choose 6mm or 8mm. A bit of discussion with the salesman and I chose 8mm. Got home and of course the existing line was 8mm. Called  Lance @aussie123 for some advice, then checked with the yammy dealer. All good, 6mm is ok.

Next step was to cable tie the 2 ends together so I could pull the old line out and put the new line in.  Again, something I should have checked first was how free the line is. Couldn't budge it. A bit of feeling around and it seems like the floatation foam was added after the fuel line and the line is encased in the foam. It would be a big job to pull up the floor and I couldn't be sure what I would need to do with the floatation foam.

Not to worry, it was only preventative maintenance anyway so decided not to do it after all. The new fuel filter will hopefully take care of any degraded bits that might come through and it is very heavy material so should last a few more years.  A couple of things I learned today: check everything before you buy new stuff; 6mm or 8mm are OK on the smaller outboards but you would be better with 8mm foe anything over 90 hp; the universal fittings don't fit as well as the genuine products. 

Hope this helps someone else sometime. Thanks Lance for being available for a quick call.