Well, I just couldn't stand it any longer and went and de-winterized the boat's A4 and started her up this weekend. More than a month earlier than ever before!
Swapped out the old fuel filter and poured out the gas in it. Clear, with no trace of water. From the very bottom, I got a tiny amount of brownish "dust" that did not clump together.
After getting the new fuel filter primed with fuel (the facett pump had no problems with the air), I got the engine to start after 4 or 5 tries. Once all the MMO and fogging oil burned off, she ran great at all RPMs, in neutral and in gear (tied to the dock), with one tiny problem.
I had to maintain full choke the whole time, even after she warmed up. Reducing the choke, even slightly, caused her to start bogging and stumbling, and restoring the choke usually resulted in a stall.
I am virtually certain the carb is crudded up and will need cleaning. Last spring, I found the float bowl full of a gelatinous tan sludge, and hardened crud on the needle valve seat, after just two seasons of use. Once I had disassembled and cleaned everything, she would start instantly on the first try. But over the course of the summer, I noted that it was slowly getting harder and harder to start her when cold, and required the choke a little longer. By the end of the summer, I was up to three tries to get her to start, with choke time increasing from 30 seconds to several minutes. And my low end idle was getting a little rough and would occasionally stall. So I suspected even then that the carb would need cleaning.
As an attempt at a "quick fix" yesterday, I tried screwing the adjustable main jet all the way closed to make sure it was clear, and then reset it to the same spot it was. Made no difference whatsoever.
So this evening I'm going up to the boat after work to pull the carb off and take it home for a cleaning. I'll keep you all posted on what I find.
Swapped out the old fuel filter and poured out the gas in it. Clear, with no trace of water. From the very bottom, I got a tiny amount of brownish "dust" that did not clump together.
After getting the new fuel filter primed with fuel (the facett pump had no problems with the air), I got the engine to start after 4 or 5 tries. Once all the MMO and fogging oil burned off, she ran great at all RPMs, in neutral and in gear (tied to the dock), with one tiny problem.
I had to maintain full choke the whole time, even after she warmed up. Reducing the choke, even slightly, caused her to start bogging and stumbling, and restoring the choke usually resulted in a stall.
I am virtually certain the carb is crudded up and will need cleaning. Last spring, I found the float bowl full of a gelatinous tan sludge, and hardened crud on the needle valve seat, after just two seasons of use. Once I had disassembled and cleaned everything, she would start instantly on the first try. But over the course of the summer, I noted that it was slowly getting harder and harder to start her when cold, and required the choke a little longer. By the end of the summer, I was up to three tries to get her to start, with choke time increasing from 30 seconds to several minutes. And my low end idle was getting a little rough and would occasionally stall. So I suspected even then that the carb would need cleaning.
As an attempt at a "quick fix" yesterday, I tried screwing the adjustable main jet all the way closed to make sure it was clear, and then reset it to the same spot it was. Made no difference whatsoever.
So this evening I'm going up to the boat after work to pull the carb off and take it home for a cleaning. I'll keep you all posted on what I find.
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