Did you fill the separator cannister before you screwed it on? This will help a lot...
Just on a side note, when you fill the new filter with fuel, add a half bottle of Mercury Quickkleen to the filter also. Once you have it primed, crank the motor and let it run for a few minutes to get the mixture thru the fuel system, add the rest of the bottle to the fuel tank. You would be amazed at the difference in running characteristics, even on a motor you thought was running good.Can't believe I recommended a Mercury product :shakeshead: