fuel line kinking

big shooter

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Twice in the month I have had the boat the fuel line has kinked just aft of the priming bulb. It appears the bulb slides aft and eventually kinks the line. The engine dies. The first time was late at night and I limped back to the dock and found the problem the next day. The second time I knew what it was and was able to fix it immediately.

I will have the dealer try to fix it this winter and for now I am going to cut a piece of garden hose to fit over the fuel line. But has anybody else experienced this? I am wondering if there is supposed to be a clip holding the fuel line? But I don't see anything missing.
 
How old is the line? Possibly deteriorated and not holding its shape anymore?

Line maybe too taught and not enough slack causing it to kink? Or if you have plenty of line how about some zip ties to hold it where you want it to stay?

Or try cutting a couple inches off that end and get some fresh line basically at that connection. If all else fails you could wrap a coil spring around the line to give it added support. Thats all I got off the top of my head.
 
It is a brand new boat, so fuel line should be good.
Here are pictures of what is happening. I don't see anywhere that a clip should be, but I can't imagine I am the only one having this problem unless they put the wrong length fuel line.
 

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I think I'd try cutting the line a bit shorter on the other side of the bulb.
 
good idea. I think I will let the dealer do it this winter. I'll try to zip tie it for now
I think this is a good idea. Do something reversible so there is no chance of them voiding warranty on that issue because you cut a line. Also, keep pictures in case there are any concerns “you” did something to it.

In the off season, this should be a quick fix for them. Just looks like either the line was cut to the wrong length, or they rigged that line up awkwardly and improperly.

On a slightly similar note, my water/fuel separator was part of the dealership rigging of my boat in 2017. The dealership did it poorly in two ways:

(1) They mounted the separator and sensor in a spot that boxes it in and doesn’t allow you to just unscrew the sensor to check or replace it (which runs against how the thing is engineered to be used).

(2) They rigaged my fuel line to it the opposite of your file line issue…mine was way too tight. After my first year it pulled apart my entire sensor due to motor vibration and the lines being too tight without an slack in them.

The dealership had to replace and repair at their cost due to their poor rigging and resulting damage. Thus, maybe this is a dealership rigging issue more than a Bennington issue. Not sure, but a possibility.
 
That downstream kinked section looks different than the upstream length. Looks "cheap" and much smaller wall thickness. The upstream appears to have a Yamaha part number on it (0671), the other not so much. Maybe pull the ends and compare?

With supply chains disrupted it would not surprise me if the marina/dealer threw some lesser-quality line in there. Good heavy-duty lines should not kink easily IMO.

Also there should be sufficient fuel hose length so that trimming and lateral engine movement doesn't force any one section to bend that much.
 
It is a brand new boat, so fuel line should be good.
Here are pictures of what is happening. I don't see anywhere that a clip should be, but I can't imagine I am the only one having this problem unless they put the wrong length fuel line.
I looked at my fuel line over the weekend mine hose looks a lot more durable than yours does and there is no way mine would kink. It almost seems like your does not have a good marine fuel hose on it. Compare to another boat when you get a chance.
 
That downstream kinked section looks different than the upstream length. Looks "cheap" and much smaller wall thickness. The upstream appears to have a Yamaha part number on it (0671), the other not so much. Maybe pull the ends and compare?

With supply chains disrupted it would not surprise me if the marina/dealer threw some lesser-quality line in there. Good heavy-duty lines should not kink easily IMO.

Also there should be sufficient fuel hose length so that trimming and lateral engine movement doesn't force any one section to bend that much.
I looked at my fuel line over the weekend mine hose looks a lot more durable than yours does and there is no way mine would kink. It almost seems like your does not have a good marine fuel hose on it. Compare to another boat when you get a chance.
Excellent information, thank you. I will talk to the service department. I guess this is the problem with the marina doing the engine rather than Bennington.
 
Excellent information, thank you. I will talk to the service department. I guess this is the problem with the marina doing the engine rather than Bennington.

The pandemic has really exposed a lot of dealers to what kind of operation they run. Do they treat people ethically? Are they properly staffed? Do they have competent techs that are trained and don't take shortcuts?

With the perfect storm of record boat purchases and shortages, a lot of people are having bad experiences out there from delivery to warranty to service. This isn't isolated to any brand, it's just what it is. I'm convinced that when it comes to boats (vs cars or other purchases) finding a reputable, honest dealer/marina is worth their price in gold. Getting stuck on the water is much worse than side of the road.
 
The pandemic has really exposed a lot of dealers to what kind of operation they run. Do they treat people ethically? Are they properly staffed? Do they have competent techs that are trained and don't take shortcuts?

With the perfect storm of record boat purchases and shortages, a lot of people are having bad experiences out there from delivery to warranty to service. This isn't isolated to any brand, it's just what it is. I'm convinced that when it comes to boats (vs cars or other purchases) finding a reputable, honest dealer/marina is worth their price in gold. Getting stuck on the water is much worse than side of the road.
I think you are spot on right here. Spot on!
 
I would agree with everyone else. That does not look like marine grade fuel line on the other side of the bulb.
In all my boats, the bulb is really supposed to be mounted vertically which is how my dealer mounted mine in the in the transom well

From The Hull Truth and some other forums, here is the following excerpt.
In the ideal world, you should keep the bulb in that vertical position all the time.

The check balls use gravity in its favor when its vertically mounted. Obviously, its the kinked line causing this issue, but vertical mounting is best. I'll try to get a picture of mine this weekend


 
Well the dealer said they fixed it this winter but it still happens anytime the weather is hot. I contacted Bennington, we will see if that gets a response. I guess I will zip tie a wire to the hose to keep it straight. That is something I would do with my 30 year old boat, why not on my 1 year old boat!
 
Well the dealer said they fixed it this winter but it still happens anytime the weather is hot. I contacted Bennington, we will see if that gets a response. I guess I will zip tie a wire to the hose to keep it straight. That is something I would do with my 30 year old boat, why not on my 1 year old boat!

I have to believe this is an issue with rigging by the dealer, not Bennington, otherwise there would be many more issues like this out there. But the tech/engineering support with Bennington has been fantastic for me in the past, so hopefully they're able to help you.
 
I have to believe this is an issue with rigging by the dealer, not Bennington, otherwise there would be many more issues like this out there. But the tech/engineering support with Bennington has been fantastic for me in the past, so hopefully they're able to help you.
I agree that it is the dealer. I think they used a poor quality fuel line from the bulb to the engine. Last year and this winter/spring I dealt with them trying to get it done. In the end all they did was cut 4 inches off and reconnect it. I contacted Bennington today in hopes that they will get on the dealer to fix it correctly. We will see what develops.
 
The dealer, after some more conversations, replaced the fuel line this winter. It is now the same quality/size line on both sides of the bulb. That should fix it, I don't see any way it can bend like the old one did. At the moment they are charging me, but they agreed it should be a warranty issue so we will see.

I never did hear back from Bennington after I reached out to them about this issue.
 
At the moment they are charging me, but they agreed it should be a warranty issue so we will see.

I never did hear back from Bennington after I reached out to them about this issue.

Them charging you??? My Thoughts:
This part sounds ”fishy”. The dealership would have rigged that all up originally, and likely the fault is theirs. Did they say “why” they believed it would be warranty? Doesn’t seem like it would be warranty. Seems like it would have been their error on rigging. As such, fixed at no cost to you, but rather them absorbing the cost of their mistake/correction.

Hearing back from Bennington:
The dealership would be the ones that have to file a warranty claim on your behalf online directly with Bennington. Bennington then would reply directly to the dealership.

Hence, IF the dealership actually thinks should have been warranty, they’d have filed, or did and it was denied because of improper rigging from dealership.

Hence, Bennington would approve/deny and communite to them. The dealership is supposed to then follow up with you. That’s the basic warranty claim process.

I think you’re getting the run-around from the dealership on this issue. I suspect it’s because they are trying to pass along a cost to you that isn’t covered by warranty because their rigging was at fault. If the dealership thought it was actually warranty, they’d have gotten it approved in advance via Bennington prior to doing repairs...and been communicating with you regarding it. That’s the process.
 
Twice in the month I have had the boat the fuel line has kinked just aft of the priming bulb. It appears the bulb slides aft and eventually kinks the line. The engine dies. The first time was late at night and I limped back to the dock and found the problem the next day. The second time I knew what it was and was able to fix it immediately.

I will have the dealer try to fix it this winter and for now I am going to cut a piece of garden hose to fit over the fuel line. But has anybody else experienced this? I am wondering if there is supposed to be a clip holding the fuel line? But I don't see anything missing.

had the same issue last summer on a new boat.

dealer took care of it quickly and didn't even need me to pull the boat. fuel line was too long essentially. been fine ever since
 
Them charging you??? My Thoughts:
This part sounds ”fishy”. The dealership would have rigged that all up originally, and likely the fault is theirs. Did they say “why” they believed it would be warranty? Doesn’t seem like it would be warranty. Seems like it would have been their error on rigging. As such, fixed at no cost to you, but rather them absorbing the cost of their mistake/correction.

Hearing back from Bennington:
The dealership would be the ones that have to file a warranty claim on your behalf online directly with Bennington. Bennington then would reply directly to the dealership.

Hence, IF the dealership actually thinks should have been warranty, they’d have filed, or did and it was denied because of improper rigging from dealership.

Hence, Bennington would approve/deny and communite to them. The dealership is supposed to then follow up with you. That’s the basic warranty claim process.

I think you’re getting the run-around from the dealership on this issue. I suspect it’s because they are trying to pass along a cost to you that isn’t covered by warranty because their rigging was at fault. If the dealership thought it was actually warranty, they’d have gotten it approved in advance via Bennington prior to doing repairs...and been communicating with you regarding it. That’s the process.

agreed... bummer you are getting hosed by the dealer. luckily, mine didn't even push back...
 
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