Sluggish outboard starting up

[RLKramer]

Hi all, I have 1 year old 40 hp Yamaha outboard that I've put about 350 miles on-- I suppose about 40-50 hours. It was serviced at the end of last season.

It used to start instantly and now it requires holding the key for about 10-15 seconds before it stays running and then it runs sluggishly/roughly and sometimes dies.

Once it's warmed up and I give it more gas it runs normally.

It has a wall mounted spin on fuel/water separator that is mounted on a panel that I needed to remove and had to lay down the fuel filter/separator while I did some other work on the boat.

The problem has only occured since I did the work requiring me to move and lay down the fuel filter/separator.

Any ideas why my engine is running roughly and slow to start?

 

[SteveK]

Fuel flow issue. assuming no leaks. Change the filter just to eliminate that. Water at the bottom could have clogged filter when laid down.
Some ideas I would try.
Is there any chance the inlet is now the outlet.
Is there trapped air in the filter housing that has not worked thru.
If a new filter does not resolve it then take it apart looking at the inlet and outlet for some form of blockage.