I would appreciate advice on the proper way to hook a 4 stroke kicker engine to the main fuel tank on my Outrage
I was spinning off my gasoline-water fuel separating filter and noticed a brass plug on a unused port on the outflow side of the housing. Is it as simple as taking out that brass plug and screwing in the correct fitting that the hose from my auxiliary would just connect on to?
Thanks for any input
Sterling
Onlyawhaler
Auxiliary Engine Fuel From Main Fuel Tank
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Onlyawhaler005
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2016 4:43 pm
Re: Connecting a kicker motor to main tank
Sterling: I believe there is concern with a simple fuel system in which the output of a single supply line feeds two engines, in particular circumstances. If both engines are running, both will draw fuel into their fuel systems from the tank. If only one engine is running, that engine could draw fuel from the fuel system of the non-running engine. If the non-running engine has a fuel system that is vented to the atmosphere, it might be possible to draw air into the fuel system of the running engine.
It might be hard to predict what will happen without knowing more about the fuel systems of the two engines, and then actually trying it.
One way to protect against the running engine drawing fuel from the non-running engine is to put a manual control valve in the line to the non-running engine and close it off from the supply side of the fuel system.
In theory, if there is a primer bulb in the fuel hose to each engine between the common point of the supply side and the engines, the check valves in the primer bulb should prevent fuel from being drawn out of the engine. Primer bulb check valves work best if the primer bulb is oriented so the direction of fuel flow toward the engine is pointing skyward; in that orientation gravity helps to keep the primer bulbs closed.
On my boat with twin engines, both engines were fed from a common supply point, just as you mentioned from two outlets of the fuel-water separating filter manifold. There was a primer bulb with two check valves in the fuel hose to each engine downstream of that common point. I often ran for long periods with just one engine operating. I never noticed a problem with fuel being drawn out of the non-running engine.
It might be hard to predict what will happen without knowing more about the fuel systems of the two engines, and then actually trying it.
One way to protect against the running engine drawing fuel from the non-running engine is to put a manual control valve in the line to the non-running engine and close it off from the supply side of the fuel system.
In theory, if there is a primer bulb in the fuel hose to each engine between the common point of the supply side and the engines, the check valves in the primer bulb should prevent fuel from being drawn out of the engine. Primer bulb check valves work best if the primer bulb is oriented so the direction of fuel flow toward the engine is pointing skyward; in that orientation gravity helps to keep the primer bulbs closed.
On my boat with twin engines, both engines were fed from a common supply point, just as you mentioned from two outlets of the fuel-water separating filter manifold. There was a primer bulb with two check valves in the fuel hose to each engine downstream of that common point. I often ran for long periods with just one engine operating. I never noticed a problem with fuel being drawn out of the non-running engine.