1965 Starcraft Cheiftain

[1216bandit]

Re: 1965 Starcraft Cheiftain

The blower motor is to exhaust the fumes from the bilge area after fueling and before starting, so no it does not run all the time.
Yes the bildge pump has power all the time. They have a float so will turn on automatically. I have a second back up pump on mine also that I can togle on manually.

Nothing wrong with those questions at all my friend...only way to learn is to ask!
Great looking boat by the way!

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1965 Starcraft Cheiftain

Well for #1 you'll for sure want to run it while you are loading up the boat getting ready for the day, about 5 minutes or so before you start the engine. If you have some air venting while you are under way (at least one vent facing forward getting fresh air in the doghouse) than you can shut off the blower if you like. If not then it sure doesn't hurt to keep it running.

#2, What you describe is probably the most common setup for two bilge pumps (one having a float switch hooked up).

Cheers man!

 

[barato2]

Re: 1965 Starcraft Cheiftain

that's a good approach on bilge pumps....for a boat that big, i'd use one pump of 750-1000gph with a built-in float switch or wired to an external one, and one big sucker of 2000ish gpm on a manual switch for those "oh dung!" situations like a wave coming over the stern or hull leak.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 1965 Starcraft Cheiftain

Wow I missed this thread while I was in Florida last fall, very nice rig you've got there

I really like the bare metal look, no doubts whether or not it's a glasser

That metal strip is a mount for a fishfinder transducer, as mentioned earlier.

Also...that steering wheel is dynamite, are you gonna keep it and shine it up a bit?

 

[CraigBarnard]

Re: 1965 Starcraft Cheiftain

Thanks for all the answers to my questions.
Yes I am going to keep the steering wheel.
Once the mechanical stuff is complete the next step will be to spruce everything else up.

 

[Kstar]

Re: 1965 Starcraft Cheiftain

Definately a cool looking boat and worth restoring.

 

[CraigBarnard]

Water Shortage??

Water Shortage??

I had to take the day off work today anyways so I figured why not get back to business with the boat and get a head start on the weekend.

New wires installed.
Cap and plugs dont seem correct so I am reusing them for now.

Engine is a Mercuser 120 hp.

Hooked up the "muffs" and turned on the water. In my past experience with OB's the water circulates with engine off and out at the prop.
This time however no water exists out the prop.
I check for water at the block drain valve, nothing.
Removed the plug on the exhaust manifold, nothing.
Removed the plug at the T-Stat housing, nothing.
As far as I can tell no water is making it past the impeller in the outdrive.

I was not sure if this was normal or not so I have not proceeded any further.

Once I am sure the water circulation is working properly I will fire up the motor.
Then I plan on updating the points to a pointless system.

Any input on my water shortage?

Thanks

 

[boatnut74]

Re: 1965 Starcraft Cheiftain

From my experience water won't circulate past the water pump in the lower unit with just muffs. The engine needs to be running and within a few seconds you will have water circulating through the engine block. Hope this helps and good luck.

 

[rpontius77]

Re: 1965 Starcraft Cheiftain

boatnut74 is right. The water does not move through the cooling system until the engine is running. I have a 1970 chieftain 21v that has the same drive system that you have. I still run mine with the original points ignition system, and I love it. As long as it is adjusted correctly, it will work out better than an electronic ignition. If you change to electronic, you really have to make sure that you keep any computer components dry at all costs. If anything gets wet or damp(even moisture in the air), you are stranded. I just keep an extra set of points and a condenser on board. So far, everthing has worked very well this way. Go ahead and fire it up and keep plugging away at it. good luck

 

[CraigBarnard]

Re: 1965 Starcraft Cheiftain

I have finally got to the point of attempting to start the engine.
New wires, cap, rotor and plugs look ok.
I do have spark.
However the best I can get out of the engine is a very short stumbling run. A few seconds at best.
Seems like it is starving for fuel even when I use a little "quick start".
So I ran a line straight from a gerry can to the carb. (rodchester) Still nothing.
As far as I know the timing is good and have even tried advancing and retarding it slightly.
This boat has sat for a while at least a year or more.

Is there something I am missing or a trick to get her to fire up?

 

[GLG fishing]

Re: 1965 Starcraft Cheiftain

Not sure on this carb but on mine when you can cycle the throttle you will see gas squirting into the manifold. If not your carb may not have the correct amount of fuel in it or your accelerator pump is not working. Check your fuel pump by disconnecting it and have it pump into a container while cranking on the motor. If you?re comfortable with talking your carb apart do so and clean all the small holes with compressed air and card cleaner. Check to make sure your plug wires are on the right plugs.Pop the coil wire off and line up the marks on your crank pulley and see if the number one piston is at TDC. Rotate the crank, with a wrench, one more time around. Pop the distro cap and see if it is point to number one spark plug. I?m assuming you know how to find TDC on number one. Piston is at the top and both valves are closed. Remember this is a four stroke and spark comes on the third stroke

Check out this link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-stroke_cycle
GLG

 

[CraigBarnard]

Re: 1965 Starcraft Cheiftain

Timing is good, checked that over the weekend.
I already have pulled the carb off and going to give it a once over.
Its old and probably never been serviced.
However I would have thought the motor would have run better when the gas was poured down the intake.
Fingers crossed.

 

[rpontius77]

Re: 1965 Starcraft Cheiftain

Hello craig. If you have the Rochester carb as I do, pay very close attention to the float in the carb. Rochester used cork floats in many of their carbs, and they are notorious for going bad and sinking in the bowl. You should replace it with a plastic or metal float even if it looks ok just to prevent this in the future. If this has happened, it will be dumping way too much fuel into the engine and flooding it out. This may be why it didn't run any better when you poured gas down the carb. If this is the case, check your compression in all 4 cylinders because if this engine was ran like this, it may have washed out the cylinder walls and ruined the rings. I hope this helps you figure it out.

 

[CraigBarnard]

It runs!! and it Purrs!!

It runs!! and it Purrs!!

Update.
Had the carb cleaned up and new float put inside by one of my marine mechanic customers. Also put new plugs in. Added a little gas and Bam!! Runs smooth.

However. New problem and one I most likely caused.

When I removed the carb I also disconnected the shift cable from the bracket mounted on the transom. Now when I hook everything back up I cannot shift in FWD gear.

I have read the manual and it looks like I may have thrown something out of whack when I unhooked the cable.

Try as I might I cannot really understand the instructions on how to adjust the cable properly. It covers a few differant configuations of model years and I cant seem to tell which one I am in possession of.

I am going to try and attach a picture of my linkage with the hopes someone can steer me to the proper adjustment sequence.

Thanks

View attachment 97419

http://www.flickr.com/photos/giarc_dranrab/5815687631/in/photostream

 

[jasoutside]

Re: It runs!! and it Purrs!!

Re: It runs!! and it Purrs!!

Hey Craig, you may want to post up over here...

http://forums.iboats.com/forumdisplay.php?f=21

Those guys know their game. Over here? We're kinda just shootin from the hip.

 

[CraigBarnard]

Re: 1965 Starcraft Cheiftain

Okay just about ready to give up on this project.

I think I have the shift cables adjust ok then I move on to adjusting the timing.
Set the timing but noticed a bad backfire when trying to rev up the engine.
So I decided to install the pointless ignition update to see if that would help.
Piece of cake to install. Runs much better but still had a minor stumble and backfire but at least I can rev it up without stalling it now.
However thats when I notice a lot of white smoke pumping out the prop. Look at temp guage which up till now was steady in the middle. Its overheating.

I am pretty sure its going to be a head gasket.

I cant win!

 

[CraigBarnard]

Re: 1965 Starcraft Cheiftain

Well summer has pretty much passed us by and I finally got the boat in the water running properly.
I have been working on trying to get this boat running properly all summer.
Even had it to two marine mechanics who could not solve the backfire problem.
I was an automotive mechanic for 20 years but I know boats even though similar have their own specific issues sometimes.
So after I had exhausted all my knowledge and skill I assumed it was a "boat specific problem".
As it turns out the biggest issue was the timing.
It was my first thought and I checked it. Timing was on spec.
Everyone I spoke to suggested the same thing. Many people on this forum suggested the same thing.
The timing was checked and checked again. And again. Still on spec. still backfiring.
So I tossed out the manual, timing light and the "proper & professional" procedures.
I kept turning the distributor and held the throttle open slightly until i could rev the engine up to 3000 rpm.
No more backfire!
Shifter and throttle linkage still seems a little wonkey to me but i can live with it for now.
Had it out on the lake for a few test runs, didnt go far just is case but all is looking good for the next 2 weekends left of the summer.
Now this winter the interior restoration will start.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1965 Starcraft Cheiftain

Man Craig, that engine has been a thorn in your side man.

Hope you can enjoy that rig some before it gets too cold up there in CA.

 

[CraigBarnard]

Re: 1965 Starcraft Cheiftain

With winterization in progress I figured this would be a good time for an update.
I finally did get the motor to run properly in fact it was purring like a kitten.
Took the boat out for an hour or two down the Severn River and all was good.
I did notice a funny little shudder when turning sharp at the end of our return trip but didnt think much of it.
It was much worse on the trip to the boat ramp at the end of the season in fact i could not turn the wheel in one direction at all.
Due to the way it felt and the age of the boat I assumed it was a seized u-joint in the out drive.

I removed the outdrive to check things today and this is what I found.
The lower part of the outdrive was pretty much all clear water and very little oil.

The big surprise was what I found inside.
The clips had come off two of the u-joints and the caps had migrated out and where hitting the housing.

No damage done. New u-joints and the shudder should be gone.

Lots of water in the bellows too.
Cleaned it all up with some foamy engine cleaner

 

[CraigBarnard]

Re: 1965 Starcraft Cheiftain

One question.
Can I leave the outdrive hanging like this over the winter if I run out of good weather?

I have coated all the exposed surfaces with Fluid Film.

Thanks