[dleedvmCNY]

Hi everyone!
I used to be very active here but haven't posted in awhile. My email has changed so I had to change my screen name a bit. I have a 1974 Sabre 28 with an A4. In recent years, I replaced the carburetor and the mechanical fuel pump through Moyer. The engine was running well but we moved, the boat was shipped to our new home, the engine doesn't get used as much and short staffing in the new boat yard has made it almost impossible to get work done. So, I'm rolling up my sleeves again to get reacquainted with my A4!

This Spring we had a tough time getting the engine started. There was a great deal of water in the separator, likely due to a leaky gasket at the tank filler cap (located in the cockpit floor and underwater when the scuppers get clogged...). After flushing that out, the engine still wouldn't start. The shop said it wasn't getting fuel, despite a new fuel filter, and insisted in installing a small portable auxiliary tank to get the boat out of the yard. That didn't really help and it created a lot of gas fumes inside the boat. I have since disconnected the fuel line and can siphon fuel out of the main tank with no obvious problem. I reconnected the line to the original tank. I do use the inline squeeze bulb to prime the carb and it starts great. But it only runs for a few minutes and seems to run out of fuel again.

Maybe there is still junk in the tank but the fuel in the separator looks fine. The fuel pump hasn't had much use but I bought the rebuild kit from MM (just can't remember how to get the pump off now!). What else could it be? If the carb is clogged, would it be running at all? Thanks everyone!
David