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Does Two-Stroke Outboards Have Fuel Filters? Yes. Most two-stroke outboards come in premixed tank designs, enabling its premixed fuel to go through the filter system before reaching the carburetor. Some two-stroke outboards are in tanks with separate fuel and oil, meaning the oil will not go through a filter before passing the engine. The engine has fuel filters preventing fuel contamination with dirt and sediment. Because your model boat includes everything you need to run it, you may wonder if there is a need to replace or service the engine. As long as you have oil in the system, it ensures the reliability and longevity of your motor. There are two basic filter types: Mechanical and electronic. Mechanical filters are physical filters. They physically filter out the contaminants. Electronic filters use computer chips or electrical sensors to detect when something is wrong and will trigger a warning to the operator to clean out the filter. One good reason that you should service the fuel filter is if you have the engine run out of fuel. The lack of fuel can clog up the filter and even cause damage to the carburetor. If this happens, it might be hard to start, and you may have difficulty increasing speed. Fuel filters are among the most important filters in your boat. You can experience poor performance and even stall out if one is not working properly. Although fuel filters are not expensive on their own, they’re usually a very expensive part of engine repair if they’re not replaced on time because you might need to start over from scratch. Having a spare or two on hand will help ensure you have access to some when the next time comes and make staying on top of regularly scheduled maintenance easier. Do Boats Have Fuel Filters? Yes. Most boats have two fuel filters installed, and one is always the fuel strainer, which sits in a groove at the fuel tank’s bottom. You can find the other filter in carburetors which I call “air cleaners.” They help remove dirt from both your carburetor and your engine. You must periodically clean these filters to keep them running efficiently. If you’re craving a puzzle, you could find any DIY fuel filter cleaning methods online or even blame your boat’s strange issues on dirty screens. You should clean your fuel filters regularly. Failure to do so results in: 1. Sluggish or inconsistent performance. If your boat doesn’t feel like it’s going as fast as it used to or takes longer to start, you may have an issue with the fuel filter. 3. Something’s shooting out of the tailpipe. That’s not just your imagination; that’s smoke, which usually means there are problems with fuel delivery, ignition, or compression. 4. Increased oil consumption. If you find yourself ordering more oil than usual, maybe your engine is burning up oil because of a clogged fuel filter or dirty air filter. 5. Poor engine operation overall. This is another good sign of a clogged fuel filter if you’re experiencing poor performance, especially with the transmission or brakes. In my experience, I have found that no matter how clean your engine is or how bad you want to clean it, there’s always one little thing that ends up causing it to go bad. So make sure you do whatever you can to get the fuel filters on your boat cleaned at least once a year. Where Is The Fuel Filter On A Boat Motor? The fuel filter boasts location on the side of the engine, near where it’s attached to the boat. It can be tricky since there are other engine parts around it and little space for you to maneuver. But don’t worry; this is a step-by-step breakdown, so you don’t get lost. Take off your gloves and safety gear. Put these items in a safe place where they won’t fall. Find the filter. It should be near the motor. Look for a black plastic piece that is 3 inches in diameter with a lid. Locate the screws on the bottom of the filter. There should be two Phillips-head screws, one on each side. Use your screwdriver to unscrew these screws, but be sure not to drop them. Leave them right there where they are. You might have to use a pair of pliers if your fingers are too cold or slippery. Pull the lid off the filter, get a rag, and wipe all the grease off your screwdriver. Also, clean out any extra grease from around the filter. Wipe off the exposed part of the motor, especially where you will screw in the new filter (on top). Put on your gloves and safety gear again. Hold the new filter and note where the screw holes are. Put the filter in place, then screw it with the two screws. Then, put on your safety gear again. Re-attach the lid and give the new filter a good wipe. What Does A Fuel Filter Do On A Boat? Fuel filters separate water, among other contaminants, from your fuel before entering your boat’s engines. They are usually near the fuel tank and catch particles that your boat’s engines burn. Fuel filters, however, do not remove all contaminants from the fuel. A pre-filter or a charcoal canister catches larger particles and does most water separation. They need regular maintenance to keep them efficient. The fuel filter removes any contaminants from the gas as it passes from the tank into your engine. It prevents damage by dirt, rust, sand, water, and other particles from entering the combustion chamber of your engine. Some fuel filters have a system that keeps moisture from re-circulating your tank. This can help prevent corrosion. To check your clearances, look for the maximum dimensions listed on your boat’s fuel filter. It will have to match up with the tank inlet for your boat’s engine. You can find this on the owner’s manual or under a sticker on your dashboard. For example, if you have an in-line fuel filter 6 inches long and 4 inches wide, your clearance will be 4 inches by 6 inches. Generally, the larger the fuel filter is, the longer it can be. How Do You Change A Fuel Filter On A Boat? Changing a fuel filter on a boat is tricky, especially in the dark. You don’t want to start over next week because you spilled fluid on the floor or touched a wire that turned on a 2,000-volt battery. Follow these steps for easy and safe fuel filter replacement on any gas, diesel engine, or watercraft. Step 1 Loosen the hose clamp on the fuel line at the filter. Take caution that the hose has not kinked and can easily come off the fuel line. Tighten it after loosening it, so you don’t have a fuel leak. Step 2 Peel the rubber sheathing around the end of the filter housing and then pull it off to expose the screen on top. Make sure your fuel filter housing is compatible with the size of the filter you have. Step 3 Slide the new fuel filter into place. Be cautious not to pinch or scratch the filter as it slides in. Loosen the hose clamp again and tighten it securely. Start your boat, run for a bit, and check to see if there are any leaks. Reapply some hose clamping if necessary. Step 4 When you’re done, clean up your workspace and turn off all of your equipment. Check for obstructions or debris in the engine, and make sure you clamp your hose tightly. Why Does My Boat Sputter When I Accelerate? Below are the most common causes of sputtering when accelerating and how to fix them. Too much advance - If your boat is sputtering when accelerating, you probably have too much advance. This can make the engine run “lean,” which causes the electric fuel pump to over fuel the engine by adding fuel during acceleration. Always start with a 30-40% throttle before allowing your boat to accelerate. A faulty accelerator pump could also cause it due to worn seals or cables. To test this, disconnect the accelerator cable and turn the ignition on with the throttle cable disconnected (to avoid flooding). If the boat accelerates, the accelerator pump is at fault. If there is no acceleration when the throttle gets released, it could be a poor throttle cable. Incorrect fuel/fire retardant ratio - Your engine may also run lean because of an incorrect fuel/fire retardant ratio. The most common reason is using too much water-based fire retardant (usually a mixture of methanol and ethylene glycol) while running unleaded or low octane gasoline. To test this, disconnect the accelerator cable and turn the ignition on with the throttle cable disconnected. If your boat accelerates, the correct mixture of gasoline and engine fire retardant is in your fuel tank. Plug wires - New spark plug wires may cause sputtering when accelerating because they are not thick enough to withstand the heat that ignites them. Replace them with thicker, insulated wires to prevent these problems. It could also be because they are faulty and not working properly. Oil is too low - If your engine sputters when accelerating, your oil may be too low. This can cause excessive wear on plug wires, spark plugs, and bearings. Check the oil level regularly - especially if you have done any modifications to the boat (new stuffing boxes, new outboard motor, etc.). Is A Fuel Water Separator The Same As A Fuel Filter? No. A fuel water separator, such as the in-line engine water separator, effectively filters all the waste and impurities out of fuel for a boat. Fuel filters remove dirt and contaminants from gas, diesel, or ethanol. Many people incorrectly confuse the two devices. A fuel filter stops dirt particles from clogging up an engine’s intake system. In contrast, a fuel water separator separates all usable liquid components into a separate compartment. The fluid then gets stored in a fuel tank or another vehicle later. Filters primarily stop water from getting into an engine’s intake system. Several fuel filters can help remove water and other waste from the gas coming into the engine. The simplest type of fuel filter relies on its physical size and design to catch the impurities. The one-micron fuel filter is a specific filter that only allows a single micron of material to pass through the system. If the material filtered is smaller than the openings of the filter, this will successfully keep it out of the engine’s intake system. Another fuel filter utilizes cotton mesh to stop any impurities from passing through, including water. You can use this fuel filter with a water separator and several other filters for maximum efficiency. Lastly, fuel filters utilize a chemical additive to help separate the water and other impurities from the gas. Adding chemicals such as potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide can successfully separate any impurities in the fuel. You can add a special antibacterial additive to help keep the generator free from debris that might damage it. A fuel water separator will typically have much greater capabilities than a simple filter, allowing it to provide several types of filters with one device. Why Should A Boat’s Gas Tank Never Be Full? Regarding boat fuel tanks, it’s important never to fill them beyond 90%. This leaves room for gas to expand and avoids the potential for overflow. Failure to obey this guideline, you could be ashing into the air while filling their tank and have a gas leak. This is dangerous for you and any unsuspecting people around and close to your boat. You should empty gas tanks, not refill them. The reason is that filling your gas tank to the brim increases the pressure inside. This can cause the gas tank gasket to fail and leak gas out of a tiny little crack, which is easy enough to repair. However, if that same crack opened up and filled with the added pressure of a full tank, it could have caused catastrophic failure. Tanks come from thin metal and will eventually rust out. Thus, you must take excellent care of your fuel tank by ensuring it's never full, especially when storing a boat over the winter. Proper fuel storage should be in a cool, dry place. One can achieve this with a rectangular storage tank that allows gas to move around freely and evaporate any moisture. An internal device (drip bowls) helps dry the tank during storage. Why Is My Boat Motor Not Gassy? Your boat motor is not gassy because the fuel lines in your marine engine have gotten kinky or have pinched, you have not set your carburetor, your fuel filter has clogged, or the gas caps are missing. Check all fuel lines and attachments for kinks and ensure everything is secure. This is a good way to get a quick fix to a minor problem by using Fuel Injector Cleaner. If neither work, you may look at an expensive repair job. Because of the unfortunate truth of boat motors, sometimes this is unavoidable. Sadly the boat motors rarely run properly without maintenance. Without regular servicing, fuel injectors will become clogged, preventing your engine from getting the right amount of gas into it. It is sometimes necessary to take your motor in for repair. Even though it may sound like a minor matter to take your motor in for simple oil or service, it may be why your engine has been acting up. Even if your boat motor is out of warranty, it may still be worth your while to take it in for servicing, whether the manufacturer recommends it or not. Failing a bit on your boat motor won’t kill your engine, but a failing motor may cost you a lot of repairs. It’s always smart to have your boat motor checked out by a professional mechanic at least once yearly to ensure it's running right and ready for summer cruises. Why Are Marine Engines Carburetted? Marine engines boast carburation because they provide a smooth, consistent flow of fuel and air fully loaded with power. But marine engines aren’t like other types of gas-powered cars. They run at high RPMs and require fuel injection into each cylinder in a different engine but get adjusted accordingly for optimal performance. For this to be possible, the carburetor relies on two pieces: A needle and a float that controls how much air gets mixed with the fuel. The throttle controls the needle and determines how much fuel reaches the cylinder, which controls the burn of the fuel-air mixture. The float allows the carburetor to regulate fuel mix using a control valve. An adjustable diaphragm or “diaphragm valve,” regulating how much air gets mixed with the fuel, controls the float. The needle gets fully exposed when the throttle is wide open, giving the most fuel flow. Conversely, when the throttle closes completely, it covers up the needle and only lets a small amount of fuel out of the float chamber. In addition, other components go into a carburetor like choke plates/heat riser, air filter, metering rods, and more. Is A 5.0 Mercruiser Fuel Injected? Yes. It's the first 5.0-liter engine with this technology, making it fuel-injected for higher performance and lower emissions and one of the most technologically advanced in its class. That’s why you must look at what’s under the hood before making your next purchase. The new 5.0-liter MerCruiser power train features many innovations I have never seen in boats of this size. From the E4S engine control system to the AutoStick transmission and the new MP8 sterndrive, you get a boat that looks as good as it runs. E4S Engine Control System: The E4S system is user-friendly and interactive–allowing you to control your boat more easily than ever before. You can cruise more precisely with features like fingertip throttle and shift control. This cutting-edge system monitors engine performance and responds to your boating environment’s changing conditions. It automatically adjusts, thus giving you more power when you need it. And with fewer moving parts and lower emissions, you get a boat that’s safer and more reliable than ever before. 5.0-liter MP8 Sterndrive: The MP8 is the new standard for sport boats–lightweight and powerful enough for big water, and with its low profile, it’s more maneuverable than ever before. Its top end generates an aggressive maximum of 220 horsepower, making it a performance-proven engine for the big blue water. It provides more power to the boat than ever, with increased handling and reduced energy consumption, making it far cleaner than diesel or fuel-injected engines of this size. Does A Four-Stroke Outboard Need A Primer Bulb? No. Most of the newer fuel-injected engines don’t need them anymore. If you are having trouble starting your 4-stroke outboard, you may try to prime the air mixture using a primer bulb. I can tell you that while they exist, I mostly use them in older engines. The three pieces of the air system are the breather, tank, and air filter. The breather directly connects to the engine and pulls out all the crap that was previously in that area. With new fuel injection systems, an intake manifold will suck most of this crap out, so I am not using a halt now. If you want to put a piece of tubing on your intake manifold, there is no need. You can mount the air filter externally or internally. The external air filter is what I see on older 4-stroke outboards, as it holds the air filters. This is where you will find your primer bulb connected. The newer fuel injection systems will have an internal air filter. The best way to describe the older ones is they are a canister with a filter. You can have this mounted externally or internally. Using a honey well adapter, I have seen them mounted externally to the intake manifold and directly over the carburetor. Does An EFI Outboard Need A Battery? Yes. Most EFI systems need a battery to operate correctly. The battery powers the fuel pump and other electrical circuits in the boat, such as fish finders and depth sounders. It’s enough to say that a battery plays an integral part in the operation of your EFI system, and you should properly maintain them. If your EFI system has been in storage, charge the battery ahead of time before attempting to start the engine. The battery is always a big concern with outboards and EFI systems because the two cannot be compatible. Even worse, outboard manufacturers (and their dealers) are notoriously mixing and matching parts. I’ve spoken with several people who tried to use a different battery than what came with their outboard, only to have problems. The reason is that while EFI systems are standard, they are not consistent. Different outboard manufacturers often use different parts in their EFI systems and frequently supply different (and incompatible) parts, even on the same model. For example, two different outboards of the same model might require very different batteries depending on the year and make. So don’t take any chances with your battery. Stick to what came with your engine, and don’t go for a cheap after-market battery. Can You Switch Batteries While The Boat Is Running? Yes! Using an inverter, you can plug your car battery charger into the boat’s 12-volt battery. Plug the charger into a GFCI outlet, and now you have 110 volts of power to use for your electronics. When you need more than 110 volts than what is available from the boat’s battery, it will be time to use that car battery. This is great for charging batteries for your electronics or for powering electronics or appliances that require a great deal of power. Just remember not to overload the inverter; that will surely cause it to fail. Make sure you have a quality battery charger/inverter and know how to charge your boat’s battery. When the boat runs, the alternator charges the battery. If you are using solar panels or wind generators for charging, disconnect the boat battery from the boat’s system. There are several stories about people who have had problems with this setup, and many times, it's because they didn’t know what their charging source was or if their charge source was in good working order. If you are using a house battery, make sure it is a marine starting battery and not an automobile starting battery. These are for harder charging, and if you use them in your boat, it could cause damage to the boat or batteries in your system. I recommend getting two of these: one to charge the house system and one to charge the boat’s 12-volt. This will lighten your load considerably and reduce stress on a single power source that may not be reliable enough to power all your needs. Conclusion Fuel filters are cheap and easy to use, but they are not practical for outboards or EFI systems. They are okay for a few hours if you plan to go fishing for a day or two, but you’ll constantly have to let the motor run with the filter in there. The last thing to do is turn on your boat and ensure the filter is clean before using it.

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