YSM 12 dies after starting

[ggrizzard]

We had lots of water in the tank and through the filters.
So I removed the Racor primary, the engine mounted secondary, all fuel lines from the tank to the lift pump, cleaned them and installed new filters. I had the tank drained, cleaned and polished fuel returned to the tank. I bled the fuel line and confirmed good fuel going to the injector.

Engine starts as normal, with only a count of three on the starter. It then runs normally for a few seconds and then dies.

I've looked for fuel leaks to indicate if one of the various connections/seals is loose and so far haven't found any.

I think air is getting in the fuel line somewhere.

First question: Is an air leak likely to be after the Racor? The Racor bowl stays full.

If the fuel return line got dinged, would that cause the problem?

Why would the engine repeatedly get enough fuel to start but then quit running?

Thanks for any insights you folks might have.

[JimsCAL]

Sounds like it may be getting starved for fuel. Sure you don't have a valve closed or only partially open somewhere. I would suspect that if air was the problem, it wouldn't start the next time without bleeding.

[ggrizzard]

Jim, you are probably right on the money, for a slightly different cause.

I think I may have reinstalled the fuel lines to the secondary filter
backwards. I'll know tomorrow. If that's the case, I'll schedule lasik surgery.

Thanks for responding