Hey guys, tried looking this answer up and can't find a fix. 1998 Baja outlaw 454 mag with procharger.
Simply took off my fuel/water fliter for 2 mins and reinstalled full of fuel. Boat will not start. Started for a few seconds, but after 20 tries battery died. Took off filter several times to try different ways but it just won't run. Any ideas out there? I'm ready to throw in the towel after 3 hours of this BS. Trying to winterize and limited on time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Only heard the electronic fuel pump prime once during the whole process. HELP!!! Also running aeromotive A1000 fuel pump which has 15 hours on it.

Always fill the separator when installing,,,,,its not vapor locked its airbound,,,,,, relieve the air pressure by pushing in the Schrader valve needle ,,,,, that should help !!!!

Also you can just cycle the key instead of cranking to help save the battery

Yep it was filled...cycled key 40 times. Not familiar with Schrader valve...I'll look at that next. Thx.

Do you hear the pump when cycling the key ?

Only heard the pump run once at the end of the whole ordeal. Ran for 10 seconds and died

There's your probable issue. Ck power, gound, and relay.

Simple test unhook your fuel line after your fuel pump and put a big enough clear jar over the exposed fuel line, next turn key on and crank motor over a few seconds to see if the clear jar fills with gas. Also turn your blower before doing this test and have your baot in a well vented area. We do this test with mechanical fuel pumps as well. Its that simple.

post # 2 is 100% correct - Mercruiser even has Service Bulletins about filling fuel water sep filters full with fuel after changing or dumping the old one of fuel. Also make sure u do not have any air leaks in the fuel system including the gasket o ring seal at the fuel filter and mount.

Just to recap, the filter was filled with fuel before I installed
it, and fuel pump is brand new. If I install the filter empty (which I did several times trying to figure a solution), it would be full of fuel when I removed. Guess I'll check my electrical connections and start from there.

I've had this issue on a drag car that ran out of fuel. It was a carbed engine. I just cracked the fuel lines at the carb to relieve the air pocket, then it started right up.

Good luck