Nothing beats the fun of having a responsive boat anytime you go boating.
To achieve this, the fuel pump of your boat must function well.
That is why you should be able to detect the symptoms of a bad fuel pump on boat outboard motor early.
The signs of a bad fuel pump on boat outboard motor includes boat not starting, boat shutting down when accelerated, high fuel consumption.
A fuel pump plays a vital role of supplying fuel to the boat engine from the fuel tank.
To help the boat perform well, it controls the quantity and pressure at which it feeds the boat engine with fuel.
But when it develops a fault, it destroys the optimum performance of the boat.
That is why it is very important to detect the symptoms of a bad outboard motor fuel pump.
Symptoms Of Bad Fuel Pump On Boat Outboard Motor
You do not have to kill your fun moments with a bad boat fuel pump.
Always watch out for the signs early.
1) Engine Not Starting
Before an engine starts, there has to be fuel in the engine.
Not just that, it must be released in the right quantity and pressure.
This is a function that is performed by the fuel pump of the boat.
But when the fuel pump of the boat is bad, it becomes difficult to supply the engine optimally with fuel.
Due to this, the boat operator experiences problems like an engine that will not start.
This can be a very disappointing experience when it occurs.
2) High Fuel Consumption
One of thesymptoms of a bad fuel pump on boat engine is low mileage from boat.
Normally when your fuel pump is working well, your engine will consume fuel optimally.
This will help the boat engine have a good mileage when operated.
But when the fuel pump of the boat is bad, it will lead to the inappropriate release of fuel into the boat engine.
When this occurs, it leads to the wastage of fuel that would have been used to drive across a longer distance.
Due to this, the mileage of the boat will be reduced leading to wastage of fuel.
3) Boat Jerking
How do you feel when you drive your boat and do not experience any uneven vibration from the engine?
It is always good and fun in my own experience.
One of the reasons you experience a smooth ride with your boat has to do with the soundness of your fuel pump.
When the fuel pump is good, it will supply fuel as the engine needs.
Not just in supplying the fuel, it will supply at the right pressure.
With this, the engine of the boat gets to perform without being over fed or underfed with fuel.
Due to this, the engine effortlessly maintains a steady performance.
But when the fuel pump of your boat is bad, this will not happen.
What you will experience will be an unbalanced performance from your boat engine.
Due to this, the boat will be jerking.
This is always a very uncomfortable experience when it happens.
4) Engine Shuts Down When Accelerated
A lot of times, you will want to speed your boat while being within the allowed speed limit.
This is always done by accelerating the boat more.
Due to this , the speed of the boat will increase and your boat will go faster.
At this point, the engine will burn more fuel than when it was moving at a slow speed.
But to achieve this, the fuel pump in your boat has to be working well.
If not, you will have issues when you try to accelerate higher.
One of the issues that you will face is that your boat will shut down as you increase the speed more.
This is due to the poor working condition of the fuel pump of your boat.
When the engine increases in speed, it burns more fuel which is supplied at a controlled pressure by the fuel pump.
But if the fuel pump is bad, it will supply less fuel.
Due to this, the engine will run out of adequate fuel to cope up with the load from the acceleration.
Due to this, the engine of the boat will shutdown.
It is one of the worst symptoms of a bad fuel pump on boat.
This is because it could cause the boat engine to off in the middle of the ocean where you do not find other boats to help.
5) Loud Noise From Fuel Tank
It is always good to observe your boat when you turn on the ignition.
At such point, one of the things you should pay attention to is the type of sound that comes out from the boat.
If the sound from the boat fuel pump is very high, then a fuel pump failure could be very close.
It could be that the fuel pump capacity is too low for the engine of the boat.
Due to this, it causes the fuel pump to work harder than it should in order to supply the engine with fuel.
This is always manifested in a loud noise from the fuel pump.
6) Loss Of Engine Power Under Load
It is always a good practice to make sure that you follow the load capacity of your boat.
This is always found on the capacity plate of your boat.
From here, you will know of the highest magnitude of load you should carry on your boat.
But sometimes you can carry less than the capacity of the boat and still have issues with the optimum movement of the boat.
This is always as a result of a bad fuel pump of the boat.
When you accelerate the boat higher, it is a load created to the engine.
If the engine cannot keep up to the speed request, it loses power.
This is because for the boat to efficiently perform at that speed, it will need more fuel in the engine.
If the fuel pump of the boat is bad, this will not be possible.
As a result of this, the boat engine loses power because it cannot perform to the required load input.
7) High Engine Temperature
Other signs of a bad fuel pump on outboard motor is that the temperature will rise higher.
When you are making use of your boat, the temperature of the boat will increase.
This is due to the action that is going on in the engine of the boat.
But this will be within the allowed temperature limit of the boat engine.
When the fuel supply is not sufficient enough, it causes a strain on the engine as it tries to keep up with the speed.
Due to this, it will develop more heat which is not good.
This can damage the cylinder in the engine and other vital parts of the boat engine.
8) Engine Backfiring
Backfiring is a common problem that shows up as one of the symptoms of a bad fuel pump on boat outboard motor.
For an engine to function and run smoothly, it must keep receiving the right amount of fuel consistently.
This right release of fuel is done by the fuel pump of the boat.
But when the fuel pump is bad, it will not be able to release the fuel at the right quantity.
Sometimes it could be releasing fuel in a lesser quantity which will lead the boat to jerk or shut down.
In other cases, a faulty boat fuel pump will release excess fuel into the boat engine.
These irregular and unbalanced release of fuel into the boat engine will lead to backfiring of the boat engine.
What To Do When You See Signs Of Bad Fuel Pump On Boat Outdoor Motor
There are some parts on the boat that can be repaired when they develop fault.
But there are some of the parts that should be changed when they show signs of being damaged.
Managing them will only reduce the efficiency of the boat.
Just like in the case of the fuel pump, it reduces the efficiency of the boat engine when it is bad.
So when you discover that your boat fuel pump is bad, you have to make sure that you change it.
When changing it, make sure that you use a good one.
This will help the engine run well.
Also, you will enjoy your boating experience more when you use a good fuel pump that can supply the right volume of fuel to the engine.
Conclusion
Having a routine check on your boat is always very important.
It in such a time that you discover some of the faults that your boat has.
With that, you will see the symptoms of a bad fuel pump on boat outboard motor before it gets worse.
Further Reading