1958 Johnson Seahorse 35hp carb/throtle questions

[ohmydog]

Hi folks, Last thing to do in reviving this motor (rdel-19) is clean/rebuild the carb., which I've done, but having some issues. Are the Low/High speed needles the only way to adjust the idle? How far in should the needles screw in before they are considered "gently seated"? Reason why I'm asking is because when the needles on this carb seem to be gently seated, they stick out almost a couple of inches from the front plate on the cowling, which just doesn't seem right.

Also, It seems to be idling low or perhaps the throttle cable is poorly adjusted?

Testing it in the barrel at home I can only seem the run the motor with the throttle in the "start" position. it will idle there, but dies out if I lower the throttle just below the midpoint on the controls. I haven't made any cable adjustments. The same boat/motor/controls have been together and nicely maintained since '58. Adjusting the needles didn't seem to make enough difference either. Suggestions? Thanks.

 

[jimmbo]

Do you have a Service manual for this engine? There you will find info regarding Float setting, initial back off of the Needle Valves and syncing the carb to the ignition. Lightly seated means, needles turned in until they stop. Tightening past this point just ruins them. The needles do have to protrude past the front of the cowl, but two inches does sound excessive. Are the needles in the correct holes? low speed needle has a pointier tip than the high speed.

 

[HighTrim]

For initial settings, back the low speed needle out 1.5 turns, and the high about 3/4 then fine tune on water. Let us know if you need help with that.

There is a white nylon dial on the port (left) side of the motor that adjusts the idle.

 

[F_R]

You appear to be trying to adjust the motor with the remote control cables connected. That is wrong. The motor should be adjusted with the cables disconnected, then connect them and adjust the controls to fit the motor, not the other way around. That is, if the cables are the newer, adjustable type. Old ones were not adjustable.
The white nylon idle speed screw on the side may be broken off. Most of them are.

 

[ohmydog]

oh boy, I knew I shouldn't have posted last night. I was way too tired. Thanks for the replies. I do have a manual. I have read the secret files post about the carb adjustment. I replaced the old broken idle stop screw with a new one. I have been trying to make adjustments with the throttle cable attached. It is the old kind of cable. probably need to start there.

Also, I'll upload a photo of the high speed needle at it's lightly seated, then turned back about a turn position. It doesn't seem right that it seats (or just stops and is not seating correctly?) that far out.

 

[F_R]

That either is the wrong needle, or it is the correct one and it isn't really being seated all the way in. If it is seating, turning it all the way in will stall the motor.

 

[ohmydog]

Thanks F_R. I'm fairly certain it's the right size needle, but that's as far as I can turn it lightly by hand. I bought a replacement needle because the one that was in there originally was ever so slightly bent. I have to test it and see if it kills the motor at the seated position. I'll post the results.

 

[Chinewalker]

Do you have the blunt needle in the bottom and the pointy one in the top? You could always take the carb bowl off and visually check to see if the needle is seating in the bottom of the standpipe in the bowl.

 

[ohmydog]

I've got the needles in the right place. I think I'll take a look at everything when I take the carb apart again, which I will have to do. When I went out to test it and try the suggestion from above (seat high speed needle and see if it kills motor), I had gas pouring out from all over the place after I squeezed the pump a few times, which is a new problem to me. I'm just going to redo the cleaning process and double check a few of the parts while I'm at it and see how it goes from there.

I'll try to post some pics while I have it apart...

 

[HighTrim]

Your float is not floating, or your needle is not seating (poor condition, junk in seat), or the float is getting caught up on the gasket, float upside down, etc...

 

[ohmydog]

No Title

Finally got away from the honey-do's for a day and was able to get back to the carb. Cleaned it up real nicely. With it all apart I took a good look at how the needles were seating. Low speed was no problem, but the high speed needle was pretty difficult to screw in at about the mid point. I realized that what I thought was seating was not even close. It was just tight for a few turns and I had to pull the knob off the end because it was just spinning. I was able to gently use a pair of pliers to get a better grip and screw the needle in to the seated position (didn't have to use pliers the whole time, only to get past the tight area.)

Now I'm looking at this float, does it need to be replaced?

 

[oldcatamount]

Cork floats will saturate over time, causing them to sink (slightly). Personally, I wouldn't worry about that. Now that you have the high speed needle seated right, start it up.

 

[ohmydog]

Put it all back together, carefully. When I went to pump some gas into it I got the same problem, gas is flooding and spilling out the carb. Inlet valve was in perfect shape. I'm guessing the float is the issue?

 

[pro-crastinator]

No Title

Take Float.
Drop it in bucket of gas.
DOes it float?

Personally, the color of that float is kinda wierd.
Below are pics from my 1956 as it looked on first glance.

 

[ohmydog]

Thanks for the advice and pics pro-crastinator. That's what I'll do next. Wish I would've tried the float test before I put it back together, but I'm learning as I'm living. I'll take it apart again and let y'all know what happens.

 

[boobie]

Edit.....

 

[ohmydog]

Took it all apart again. Put the float in a bowl of gas. It floats. When I go to put it back together I notice that there is enough play in the float that it can possibly touch the side of the bowl in the carb and possibly cause it to stick.

When I do the blow through the inlet test, it's open when the carb is right side up. When I turn the carb upside down I've noticed that the float is catching sometimes and keeps the valve open. If I give it a little jiggle, it closes.

Is there a way to adjust this float to keep it from getting caught up? or perhaps I should just get a new float and see how it goes from there?

 

[ohmydog]

Got a new float. When I compared it to the old one I noticed that that it was just the slightest amount smaller than the old float. Anyway, put the new one on. Hooked up a tube to the inlet and tested the valve for air, worked perfectly. Got the carb back on the motor and ran a bucket test. Works perfectly! She was purring like a kitten after a couple adjustments. :whoo:

Big thanks to all of you that helped! I'm looking forward to getting out on the water and taking her for a spin. Cheers! OMD.