jaredmahone wrote:
The fuel line connected to the fuel pump between the carb used to have a proprietary hose clamp but I had to cut it off when I replaced the fuel pump and put an after market clamp that uses screw and it won’t fit down around the fuel pump like the old one. Is it possible I’m getting an air leak there? Could that really be it?
The section between the fuel pump and the carb is under pressure, not suction. So if the hose clamp and fuel line was not sealing you would be leaking gasoline instead of sucking air.
The opposite can happen between the fuel pump and the gas tank. That is under suction. So a leak will suck air.
I dont think your issue is gas/carb related. Which sucks because its an easy fix. To rule out your fuel pump, fuel filter, fuel line, it helps to get a water bottle can cut off the bottom. Then drill a hole in the cap slightly smaller than your fuel line. Use that setup to gravity feed gas into your carb. Its a quick way to help troubleshoot a genny or ATV or lawn mower. The one pictured here usually has a much longer fuel line with an inline filter. I borrowed the filter for a motorcycle and keep forgetting to order more.
In terms of your prime button mine sounds the same. It gets quiet once the carb is filled. Does make bubbling sounds. Look at your carb and on the bottom is usually a drain screw. You can pop that open to drain the carb when not in use. Its also a good way to determine if your fuel pump is priming and working decent. Lets say the genny is running rough and dies on you. One trick is to get a small container or a rag and pop open the carb drain. You should see a good 3-4 tablespoons of gasonline come out of the float bowl. If very little gas comes out, that means its a good chance the genny died because of lack of gas. Could be clogged filters, bad pump, out of gas in the tank. Its a quick way to start diving into the problem.
If your genny has breakers on it try turning them off. See how it runs when its not under any load.
