Running - but barely

[Whippet]

Hi

When I put her away in the Fall, she was running well. Good acceleration, smooth, etc.

This Spring, after the winter lay-up, she runs like crud. She starts, but labors, and wont accelerate well. runs at low rpms only

Only things I did over winter.
1) Pulled distributor cap and plate to lube advance weights (per your advice)
2) Tweaked the gap between EI module and magnet
3) Pulled carb, took home, and reinstalled
4) New Racor - although i bypassed it to make sure not issue - and ran the same

checks so far.
1) Spark seems good - coil wire against block gives good spark
2) Fuel pressure (gauge just before carb) runs steady 3-4 lbs
3) Pulled flame arrestor to make sure choke closes fully - it does.
4) But, a good bit of fuel was in throat - didnt seem to drain through scavenger tube
5) tank is 1 year old w new fuel. carb is 1 year old and seems "clean"
6) wires not crossed
7) oil level good -- but seems to get dark quickly -- maybe from incomplete combustion?

What's next?
Intend to try to set timing. Maybe it got off from tweaking EI gap?

Any other ideas?

thanks.

[Mo]

Hi Steve,
A couple of things come to mind.
-Double check your plugs and plug wires. Check that each plug is working and that the spark is making it to them. Also check that wires are in the correct order.
-Secondly, did you put oil in your top end (down spark plug area) to keep valves lubricated? Stuck valves can cause loss of power and not throttling up as well. If it was in the water it would probably stall when put in gear.
-Thirdly, the carb. You might have to pull it again...first ensure no air leaks on gaskets though. Blocked jet, float issue both possibilities.

All the best.
Mo

[hanleyclifford]

First thing I would do is confirm that initial timing is at TDC. Next I would confirm that advance weights are functioning smoothly and advancing the timing as rpms increase.

[JOHN COOKSON]

Sounds to me like you are running a bit rich. What do the spark plugs look like? Also what does the exhaust look like?
You said the choke closes fully but is it opening all the way? What is with the gas in the carburetor throat? Float level not adjusted correctly or crud in the float needle valve? Sounds like more gas is getting into the carb than the engine can pull out of the carb.

TRUE GRIT

[alcodiesel]

Steve, sorry to read your A4 is acting up. One lesson I pick up from your initial post is to do one thing at a time, running the engine as a test each time.

I know this doesn't help you but it may help others planning to do more than one repair on their engine. It's sort of the scientific method: change one variable- collect data.

[Whippet]

A-checks

First thing I would do is confirm that initial timing is at TDC. Next I would confirm that advance weights are functioning smoothly and advancing the timing as rpms increase.

thanks all. Going with philosophy of test one thing at a time, I will start with timing and then move to carb. Will report back at end of weekend.

this site is a gem.

[joe_db]

I have had the wire from the coil to distributor go bad and cause all kinds of hard starting - barely running issues. FYI

[Whippet]

Atomic again

Thanks to hints on this thread, she's purring.

First set timing according to Don's thread below:

http://www.moyermarine.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1372

Works just as advertised, test light goes off and a clear spark is generated as timing goes true. I have EI - so works just the same as points. I had to rotate distributor between 1/8 and 1/4 inch, so setting was off.

Next, pulled carb as Mo suggested. I spent a worthy $12.50 on Don's carb video. Clear and concise as expected from our sponsor. As he points out, the leading reported issue is excess fuel in throat. I pulled main passage plug and cleaned out main jet with carb cleaner.

Since I did both timing and carb in same downtime, I can't say which was biggest culprit.

A good learning experience for troubleshooting primary circuit and carb.

Thanks to all for the help. Sailing season saved.