Primer bulb rant

[Elkins45]

Went to pump up my 9.5 Evinrude this afternoon and it sprayed gas all over me. Best price I can find in a physical store for a new primer bulb is $19. Or I can buy a four pack of sketchy Chinese ones that have 0% chance of meeting the air quality standards for $15 on Amazon.

 

Gee thanks, EPA. You’ve totally solved the pollution problem now.

 

On the bright side, at least one of my old six gallon steel fuel tanks is still functional so when this plastic one inevitably cracks I won’t have to spend $60 on another disposable tank.

[TnRiver46]

I just buy the supplies and make my own but it’s been a while. Just the squeeze bulb alone is $19?

[Elkins45]

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I just buy the supplies and make my own but it’s been a while. Just the squeeze bulb alone is $19?

Yes. A squeeze bulb is $19 at Walmart. $23 at Academy.

[TnRiver46]

3 hours ago, Elkins45 said:

Yes. A squeeze bulb is $19 at Walmart. $23 at Academy.

I reckon that’s the going rate. I get it from auto parts stores and buy gas hose by the foot 

[Alex from GA]

I only buy Mercury primer bulbs.  They cost more but last several times longer. 

[airshot]

Primer bulb is one place not to be cheap !!  As you found out a cheap one can be a severe fire hazard.  Is your boat catching on fire not worth 25 bucks??  Never saw a cheap one last more than a couple years so why take the chance ??

[MN Fisher]

57 minutes ago, airshot said:

Primer bulb is one place not to be cheap !! 

The whole fuel line is not a place to be cheap - I spent $45 for the line with Evinrude connectors already on then another $10 for the tank fitting. Spend the money, get quality here...it's worth it.

[ironbjorn]

2 hours ago, airshot said:

Primer bulb is one place not to be cheap !!  As you found out a cheap one can be a severe fire hazard.  Is your boat catching on fire not worth 25 bucks??  Never saw a cheap one last more than a couple years so why take the chance ??

Same principle as people abusing their $300+ combos to free a $5 lure. Make it make sense.

[Elkins45]

Has anyone tried Armorall or some other UV treatment to make them last longer?

[Kirtley Howe]

Armorall actually can dry out rubber and make it crack quicker. It OK on vinyl, and leather but it leaches the natural oil out of some rubber compounds, or so I have been told. I do not think I would use it on a primer bulb.

[Bankc]

There's not much you can do to rubber to make it last longer, unfortunately.  Not if it's going to be in use.  Keeping it in a cool, dark, oxygen-free environment will work, but that's not practical outside of a museum.  

[TOXIC]

You can use 303 Aerospace Protectant on it.  I use it on all of my vinyl and rubber.  It has uv protectant and will not dry out the rubber.  I replummed my 250 Yamaha so that the bulb was inside the bilge rather than sitting exposed in the splashwell.  With my HPDI I don’t have to prime with the bulb so it wears well.  I’m due for a replacement.  Thanks for the reminder.  

[Skunkmaster-k]

Only use methanol free gas. Methanol destroys rubber fast . You probably already know this, but it’s worth mentioning. 

[airshot]

Been using rubber primer balls for 60 years, long before ethanol came out, no difference in life as long as you get a good one. I even add stabil and other fuel conditioners as I have done long before E10 came out.  All I can say is my fuel systems are much cleaner with no yellow varnish buildup now, then they were 30 years ago. Never have I had an issue with E10 fuels, but then again, I follow the recomendations on E10 fuels.

[Skunkmaster-k]

Methanol free. Trust me, you’ll thank me later. 

[airshot]

They dont use methanol in gasoline only ethanol, so no worries there.

[TnRiver46]

13 hours ago, airshot said:

They dont use methanol in gasoline only ethanol, so no worries there.

I was thinking they meant methanol free in the rubber bulb 

[WRB]

So many different type of “rubber” to make broad statements  posted above. 

I don’t know what is used to make a specific primer bulb?

Most primer bulbs are black Nitrile that is compatible to fuels such as gasoline, oil, menthol or ethanol gasoline additives.

Black color “rubber” has good UV resistance in general.

Today nearly everything is coming from China and unknown materials are used to manufacture products???

Vinyl, Silicone, Neoprene are different regarding weather and fuel resistance. 

The 303 protectant works and so does WD-40. Try to store the primer build out of direct sunlight to protect from Ozone & UV.

Tom