Put gas only in motor

you have a clog in the line clear lines out and will work right line to tank and to motor both.

You should have 2 to the tank, the one with filter coming from tank goes to nipple on right side of carb, the nipple on left side by primer bulb goes to primer bulb and other from primer bulb back to tank as return line, how it should work is when you push primer bulb it pulls fuel from tank through carb and back to tank on return line so watch in tank orleave one line out that you think is return line and see if gas comes out when you prime, but remember it goes through the carb first before it goes back to tank, had a pic but too big to put on site sorry, 2StrokeJim

Chances are the primer bulb is hooked up backwards, I did that once, made me feel pretty foolish.

sounds like you hooked the lines up backwards, when you press the primer it is supposed to squirt gas into the tank on the return line cause what it does is draw fuel through the carb and back to the tank....filter line from tank goes to fuel pump side of carb and return line on carb goes to primer bulb then opposite line on bulb to tank...... so when you press bulb it draws fuel through filter in tank through carb and back to tank ! good luck! 2StrokeJim

Sounds as though the fuel filter may be plugged. The filter is in the tank. Take a look, see if it is visible. Remove and replace. Good luck...Lee

drain fuel tank. keep depressing the primer bulb until it is clear. drain tank again. remove carb cover and disconnect lines one at a time. keep depressing primer bulb to get rid of excess gas. remove spark plug an turn engine in a position that the spark plug inlet is facing the floor, pull starter rope a few times to get rid of gas in the engine chamber.

Fuel filter to bottom of carb. The suction port of primer to the top of carb outlet line to other port to tank.
To tell which port is outlet put your finger on one port and push bulb if the bulb collapses and doesn't return then that is the inlet (suction) side.
Good luck

By "holds suction" this means that you can depress the primer bulb and it remains in the "pressed" position and/or does not reinflate (for lack of a better term)?

You need to determine if a blockage exists in either one of the fuel lines, or with the primer bulb itself.

First, drain your fuel tank. Do this into a clear mason jar or equivalent and inspect your fuel to see if it is full of debris since even very small pieces of grass, dust, dirt, etc... can cause problems. If so, then you need to flush your fuel tank and or lines.

Viewing the backside of the primer bulb, you can see several clear fuel tubing lines that lead from the primer to the carbureator and fuel tank..

Next, carefully remove these using a pair of needle nosed pliers (or by hand is at all possible) being very careful not to crush or tear the tubing.

With the clear tubing removed, if the primer bulb will press in and immediately reinflates back to it's relaxed position, then one or more of your lines are clogged by a small piece of debris. If the primer still does not relax, then it is blocked by a small piece of debris or needs to be replaced (pick one up at Lowes, etc...).

If you determine that your lines may be clogged, then I have had success clearing them with a can of WD-40 by sticking the red nozzle into the clear tubing (attempt to make a seal) and by pressing for a half-second or so. If you get flow, then let it rip for a second, then proceed to rinse your fuel tank again just for good measure (basically until you get nothing but clean gas...no debris).

Put it all back together and let it rip!

The hoses run through a hole into the gas tank, they are fitted with a filter inside the tank. Drain the tank, and manipulate the hose end to where you can grab it throught he filler hole, Remove the filter, run new gas lines into the tank and through the filler hole to replace the filter, reattach to the carburator. The primer bulb should have 4 small screws attaching it to the carburator. Remove the screws, place in new primer bulb, and you should be back to trimming asap.

You cannot flood the engine by pushing the primer bulb too much, unless the hoses are hooked up backwards. The primer does not push gas to the carb, it sucks gas through the carb and returns it to the tank. Top barb on primer is the hose coming from the return side of the carb and the bottom fitting is the hose going to the return fitting on the tank. Look inside tank, it is the one without the filter on it, just a flange with a hole in the center.

If you can see gas and air bubbles moving through the primer and into the tank the hoses are on correctly. If you see bubbles going in the correct direction and then reversing when you remove your finger from the bulb, then the check valves in the primer may be bad. Replace primer.

When you say the primer "gets hard to mash", do you mean it is hard to push in or is it very slow to refill and return to the home position? If it is hard to push in and the bulb is full of gas and the hoses are on correctly then there must be a plug in the line going to the tank or the vent in the gas cap is not working. If it does not return, then it is most likely a plugged filter, plugged line from the tank to the carb, plugged screen inside the carb or a stuck needle valve. The primer is creating a slight vacuum to pull the gas through the carb, which is what the carb does when the engine is running. If there is a full or partial restiction on the supply circuit neither the primer nor the carb can pull enough gas for the engine to run. May need to disassemble carb and clean out any varnish, gunk or plugged ports/jets. Use spray carb cleaner. May want to think about a diaphagm and gasket kit if you do it yourself. If you do not feel confident in taking apart the carb, then take to a repair shop.