Primer Bulb Won't Prime

[Darth Sidious]

I have an Eskimo Shark 71cc power auger. I was trying to fire it up tonight for the first time this year, and noticed the primer bulb and fuel line would not suck up gas. I checked for a leak in the fuel line. Nothing. Couldn't find a hole in the primer bulb either. It just won't prime or suck up any fuel from the tank. Clogged fuel line? Bad bulb? Or something else. I ran Stabil through it this spring and then dumped the gas out and it was fine. What gives?

[Darth Sidious]

No fuel gets into the primer bulb.

[Open-Handed Fish Slap]

I'd replace the fuel lines, chances are you have a leak somewhere, maybe not a crack or noticeable deterioration but at least a gap around a nipple or something.  After you do that, throw away your gas, seriously.  Never use gas with ethanol again.  Always buy engineered gas, if you don't have ethanol free stations where you live, for 2 stroke equipment.  Yes it is more expensive but it's not like you're using 100 gallons a season, and you will never have a problem like this again.

[lefty2053]

SO did you store it with no gas in it? I've been hearing storing these without any gas dry's out everything. Gaskets and such. Cracked Gasket = Air.

[Raquettedacker]

You said you emptied the gas out in the spring but did you start it and run it dry?
 

[Open-Handed Fish Slap]

SO did you store it with no gas in it? I've been hearing storing these without any gas dry's out everything. Gaskets and such. Cracked Gasket = Air.

It's the ethanol that dries everything, if you use something like Trufuel, you can store it with or without fuel and you wont have that problem

[Darth Sidious]

Update:  It will prime and I got it running. Fuel runs through the fuel line,  but the bulb only primes about 1/2 full. Also, the attachment where the fuel line hooks to the tank has a slight leak. Is this the problem?

[Open-Handed Fish Slap]

Could be, run some seafoam through it incase you have any clogs.  Also make sure, however your tank vents that it is clear.

[tbern]

If the " attachment " that goes into the fuel tank is threaded into the tank, you could remove it and put some gasket cement that is approved for fuel on the threads and reinstall it. Might stop your gas leak there.

[Darth Sidious]

Took it into a smal engine repair shop. The phalange that allows the primer bulb to have pressure is not working, so that has to be replaces, if not the entire carburator.

[Chris338378]

Ethanol strikes again.  While it's there I'd have him change the gas lines to the ethanol resistant lines.  I run Seafoam and Starttron in mine and it helps stop the ethanol damage.

[Open-Handed Fish Slap]

Could just have a little residue creating a gap and not allowing to seal,  i' d run seafoam before paying for anything

[Lsranger406]

Im a small engine tech and can tell you first hand new gas is HORRIBLE in everything. If you drained the tank and ran everything dry the diaphragms in the carb have gotten hard and are not allowing the carb to work as it should. The diaphragm pulses causing fuel to be sucked into the carb. If they get hard they don't allow this function. Ive got a 25 year old jiffy that has never had a carb kit or a rebuild. I personally run Castrol 2 stroke oil and high octane gas without the ethanol. Around Montana we have a lot of non ethanol gas pumps for off road use. At end of the season run a bit of stabil in your fuel and run your auger for five to ten minutes to make sure it gets in the carb. I also leave a small amount of fuel in the tank. Beginning of the next season I dump the old fuel and start fresh. Never had an issue. Literally never.

[esox_xtm]

It's the ethanol that dries everything, if you use something like Trufuel, you can store it with or without fuel and you wont have that problem

Meh. If it's wet (with anything) it can't dry. NEVER store any motor with no fuel in the system. That's harder on it than the crappiest fuel on the planet. Keep it full, dump it and fill with fresh if you have to but don't store it dry. Not even for a few weeks. I've worked on chainsaws, weedwhackers and augers left dry and they all exhibit the same symptoms: start, run, but won't go full throttle. If you run "1/2 choke" they work so it's a fuel delivery thing. Ethanol can be "dry-ing" but nothing dries more than (bone) DRY.

I'm battling one right now that I bought @ auction. It popped off 2nd pull and ran like gangbusters except it was puking gas all over the place. I emptied it out and it sat for oh, 3 months until I could replace the little plastic connector. It fired right back up but now it won't go to full throttle. I'm waiting on Seafoam to do it's work but it's been persistently sluggish. I'm wondering if a "bit of something" wound up in the fuel system when I disconnected/reconnected fuel line and connector. I may have to go in and blow it out.

If ethanol is evil why doesn't anyone think anything of pouring HEET into a gas tank. Huh?

I know. Flame on... I'll buy the popcorn (again).

[CowDawg]

I have an Eskimo Shark 71cc power auger. I was trying to fire it up tonight for the first time this year, and noticed the primer bulb and fuel line would not suck up gas. I checked for a leak in the fuel line. Nothing. Couldn't find a hole in the primer bulb either. It just won't prime or suck up any fuel from the tank. Clogged fuel line? Bad bulb? Or something else. I ran Stabil through it this spring and then dumped the gas out and it was fine. What gives?

DS...  I have the exact same auger and this is the 3rd. season.  Love the auger!!

1st. season brand new:  auger ran like a dream.  no issues at all. End of season I stored it with a 1/4 tank of treated gas.

2nd. season: Took the auger out of storage in October and as I tried to prime and start, I noticed lots of gas leaking out of the tank. Gas was literally coming out of the rubber gasket that the gas line goes through and is plugged into the side of the gas tank.  Called Eskimo and told them the problem.. 

Their response:  Always store their augers with a Full gas tank as this keeps all the seals and rubber gaskets wet so they don't dry out and shrink and become damaged.
They also replaced all the gas lines, primer bulb and the rubber gasket on the gas tank. free of charge within a few days.  They mailed the components to me and I replaced them.

Ran the auger for the 2nd. season without any issues at all.  Stored with treated gas again and a full gas tank.

3rd. season:  Again took the auger out of storage in October. Checked for leaks, broken hoses and all was well...  Primed the bulb a couple times, set the choke and set the engine compression button and the auger fired up on the very first pull!
FANTASTIC!!

I use regular octane gas with the proper gas/oil ratio and also mix in a couple ounces of Seafoam and Startron into the gas container.. 

[Open-Handed Fish Slap]

It just seems like a lot of work that everyone is talking about, between hunting down the best non-ethanol gas, then going to buy 2-stroke oil, then making the right mixture, then buying stabilizer, then buying Startron, worrying about fluid levels and how you store everything, draining, filling, and after all of that, hoping that what you did was right next season when you pull that string. 
This is the honest truth, I've put nothing but Trufuel in all my two stroke equipment for the past 6 or 7 years, chainsaws, leaf blower, weed whacker, auger, etc.  I don't pay attention to storage, I don't pay attention to whether or not it is full, empty, etc.  The best part is I can leave a can of that stuff rolling around in the bed of my truck or my sled without issue.  Every single time I start up any of that equipment it's as reliable and strong as the day I bought it.  Some things like my chainsaw I may only run once or twice a year and it doesn't matter.  I have not put a penny or a minute of my time into maintenance on any of that stuff which to me is worth more than the couple extra bucks for the Trufuel.  When you put it into perspective though between buying all the other stuff that does the same job it's probably not much of a cost difference. 
I find that augers are very sensitive for some reason.  I used regular fuel in mine the first year I owned it and the next season everything was trashed.  The gas lines corroded, the tank actually cracked, it was a mess.  Seafoam is a miracle worker.  I patched the tank, replace the visible lines and just ran some of that through it and it brought the auger back to life.  I pour at least a bottle in my gas tank on my boat every season, I put it in my mower, pretty much anything I use regular gas in.  I just don't have the time or patience to be messing with all this stuff so I try to make it as maintenance free as possible. 

[esox_xtm]

@ OHFS: You must have more money than time to pay $23 a gallon for fuel. Convenient? OK. Special? Nah...

Other curiosities:

Augers not "especially sensitive". Just another motor. Period.

How does plastic gas line corrode?

Cracked tank is not likely anything to do with gas. You actually fixed that tank? We'd all like to know how you did that. Everything I've read here or tried has been less than reliable.

Don't like to hunt down stabilizer or Startron (one just a brand name stabilizer) yet pour SeaFoam in everything you own. Sure, SeaFoam is awesome but now you've complicated what you said you simplified.

It just seems like a lot of work that everyone is talking about, between hunting down the best non-ethanol gas,
Never worry about it. Buy gas down the street and use it. No issues. Not premium, not non-oxy. EZPZ

then going to buy 2-stroke oil, then making the right mixture,
Not a burden, special trip or rocket science. Mix it all 32:1 (I know augers spec 24:1) so I can use it in everthing I own. 'Bout 4 oz./gal.

then buying stabilizer, then buying Startron,
I only buy and use two products: Stabil360 Marine and SeaFoam. Both do slightly different jobs and do them very well. My boat has a 30 gallon tank and it always gets the Stabil and a few times a year a dose of SeaFoam. Let's see: 30 x $23 = $690 to fill with Trufuel. Not.

worrying about fluid levels and how you store everything, draining, filling, and after all of that, hoping that what you did was right next season when you pull that string. 

What fluid level are we worrying about? Check your gas tank: empty or full? That's not a worry unless you don't check it and you run out. If I choose to pour out the "storage gas" it just goes into the tractor and gets burned up anyway. Hope it works? Never had an issue that wasn't related to leaving something dry for an extended period of time.

$23.00 a gallon. What a bargain... 

NOTE: TruFuel cost based on the Home Depot 6 pack price for the unmixed product. I do like the idea of quart sized cans for transport on the ice but I rarely use that much gas in a day. Now that I bit on a K-drill/MKE mud mixer combo that has become moot.

[Open-Handed Fish Slap]

I do have more money than time... hahaha

Obviously I wouldn't fill a boat with it, it doesn't make financial sense, I'm saying stuff that I only use a few quarts in every year

The small engine mechanic says he uses only non-ethanol, so for some of us that would require hunting down a supplier, not to mention about $23 worth of gas to get there

Seafoam complicated things? On the contrary, It's very simple, just pour some in the tank.  And not everything I own, Just stuff I'm putting regular gas in.

Corrosion was the wrong word, I meant that they got some dry rot issues around the connections and didn't form good seals.

I'm sure an auger is no different than any other piece of equipment but I just couldn't believe how quickly mine fell apart.   Augers may sometimes never leave the freezing bed of a truck and they are used in more temperature extremes, which probably promotes more condensation issues with regular gas. So I suppose more vulnerable instead of sensitive.

Maybe the fuel did or didn't lead to the split in the tank, I just used some marine epoxy stuff, I can't remember brand.  Actually noticed a little seepage at the end of last season, so it held up for years.  I will probably just hit it again or plastic weld it quick before this season starts for me. The one replacement tank I found a couple years ago was 1/4 price of the auger, at that cost I would have just thrown out the auger and bought a new one.

The cans are nice, you can store them wherever you want, for pretty much as long as you want and don't have to worry about the stuff inside quickly degrading like normal fuel.  Keep some in the barn, some in the garage, some in your truck, as you can see I'm all about convenience, lol

Not sure why you seemed to take such a personal attack on me because I like to spend more to worry less, just giving the op something to think about

Good luck with whatever you decide to do Darth

"Ain't nobody got time for that"

[esox_xtm]

Not really a "personal" attack OHFS, it's just that so much of what you wrote was either sensationalized (trashed with one year of regular gas), over-sold (TruFuel, SeaFoam are miracles though SeaFoam might be close), over-complicated (have to hunt, measure, empty, fill and worry) or just didn't make sense (the corrosion thing) to me.

I hear so much of this and really none of it lines up with any of my experience in over 30 years of using RF gas. It's not hard to take care of your stuff, not difficult at all. In fact I tend to be a non-OCD mini-maintenance guy. Nope, I'm not a professional small engine mechanic but I've had and taken care of enough over the years, from tune-ups and general seasonal/use maintenance to complete rebuilds, without their help so it seems like I'm doing something right.

Really it's this simple: Use fresh gas and the quality oil and additive of your choice. Use the gas and replace it when it's gone. If you're not using it in 90 days or less, pour it into a bigger motor (lawn mower, snow blower, tractor) and burn it up right away or just go start a fire with it. Ain't hard to keep track. Never store any motor dry.

No hunting, no messing, no worries.

I apologize if you felt attacked, that was not my intention. "Darth", that was funny...