Suggestions on getting a neglected 88 Special started

I recently bought a center console with an 88 Special and the place I bought the boat said that it ran fine on a test tank. I tried to fire it up after taking care of a number of other issues and it would catch, sputter and die.

I pulled the sending unit back off and pumped the tank out and sure enough there was crud and water in the bottom . . . got 99% out and will use Sea Foam to clean the rest out when I refill the tank with good gas today. The boat likely was not used in at least a year so that was what was in the tank

Questions on getting her running . . . . .

1) I do not see a fuel filter on the engine . . . . . is there one I am not seeing?

2) Since the marina said it ran on the test tank and I tried to run it from the crap that was in the tank, any thoughts on if I did any "damage" with using the unknown age fuel to try to start it?


As far as starting, I:

1) Took the throttle out of gear to the outward position and gave it some movement upwards

2) Pressed the key in for choking it a few times and returned to the outward position

3) Cranked it


Before another attempt to start it I wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions to avoid creating a bigger problem in the carbs.

Thanks in advance

Re: Suggestions on getting a neglected 88 Special started

There is no fuel fiter on that engine-there is a screen which may filter out some large particles. It's under the round fuel inlet on the side of the fuel pump. I'd probably buy a simple clear/white inline filter, cut the fuel line and install it there. Check the fuel screen and see if there is any crud built up there. If not, you probably are ok to just keep trying to start it. May take a minute or so for any bad gas to flush out of the carbs. (if you are really concerned about the fuel in the carbs, you can pull the bowl drain screws out of the bowls and drain the carbs.) As far a cold starting, raise the fast idle lever on the top of the control box (this will open the carb butterflys slightly,) crank the engine and push in on the key to choke it. If it won't start, keep pushing in on the key when cranking. Once the engine fires, keep the engine a high idle for 30-45 seconds. You may need to occasionally push the key in during warmup to prevent stalling. I would not idle the engine during warmup much over 1200-1300 rpm's.

Carb and fuel line questions

Carb and fuel line questions

I've replaced the fuel line from where the line comes out from under the floor to the engine (new line, bulb and connector). I will be installing an in-line filter just to be on the safe side after adding the Sea Foam to the fresh gas yesterday.

As far as draining any old gas / water / gunk from the carbs, are the drain screws the ones shown in the photos attached?

Any advantage to spraying carb cleaner / Sea Foam spray directly into the carb throats as marked in the photos?

Thanks in advance

Andy

Re: Carb and fuel line questions

Re: Carb and fuel line questions

Yes, those are the bowl drains. If you remove only one, it will drain the whole carb. (also you can access the high speed jets...) Seafoam is a detergent type product. I'm more familiar with the Bombardier aerosol product called Engine Tuner. That product, sprayed down the carb throats of a running engine will attack the carbon buildup on the rings and piston skirts. That's a good preventative task to do each year or two on these crossflows. You may find the directions on the seafoam can may provide instructions for similar use and yield similar de-carbon results.