Snowyandsalty

Another suggestion, a little more involved, but you could have also fitted an electric fuel switch like what is used in 4wd dual tank systems. Just put the switching solenoid before the filter so what ever tank you draw from always goes through the filter. Then run a switch to change it over from the helm or somewhere convenient. Don’t have to worry about ball valves then. Bit more expensive, and fiddly to set up is the draw back I guess.. Just a suggestion if anyone ever does something like this in the future. Corey.

Hey there. This prime start system is quite well known for getting blocked and not working. The bottom or middle carby (can’t remember which one sorry) will have a priming set up that will most probably need to be stripped and cleaned. It’s behind the oil tank. The little red lever is the manual override for the system and is supposed to be there in case the electric solenoid fails. To get to it you will have to remove the air intake setup, it’s mounting plate which is held on by the nuts that keep the carby’s in place etc and pull the carby off. Check the diaphragm of the primer for any tears and carefully strip it down and clean it out with carby cleaner. You will need to use some compressed air to blow out the holes that all the fuel passes through. I did this on my 70hp recently and got away with using the little cans of compressed air used to clean computer keyboards. They are available from office works. While you have it apart, check the solenoid works by hooking up 12v and seeing if the little pin moves in. Or you can check the ohm reading of the solenoid if you have a multimeter. I suggest buying a service manual off eBay, and take photos at each step for you to refer back to. After cleaning out mine when I experienced the same problem as you, it now starts within 10seconds everytime if you are in the shire, I could swing past and give you a hand sometime if you like. hope this helps Corey.