1978-80 Sea King 3.5HP (Clinton)

[Neeco]

Hey guys,

Have a few issues with my new to me motor. Like the title says, its a Sea King made by Clinton Engines in the late 70's. Tag numbers:

Model : K350 5106 A
Serial : 1460571
Type No: XTV 50535 A

I have not had the oppurtunity to work on a motor without having someone else do most of the work. I would love to get this old puppy working again. So, here are my issues:

IT WONT START. :facepalm: I have the settings like the cowl says. Throttle on START, Choke OUT, and the Thin/Rich setting in the middle. The gas line is open and the vent on top is also open. How do I set the carb settings???

After about 100 cranks we had it turn over probably 3 times with a couple glugs then nothing.

Pics are in my Starcraft Newb thread. I can repost here if anyone is interested.

Thanks for the help guys!

 

[Neeco]

Re: 1978-80 Sea King 3.5HP (Clinton)

A few more symptoms:

Best firing and actually runs for about 2 seconds, with full choke and carb tune bolt all the way in? Does this mean the filler tank needle is damaged or clogging something?

How can I remove the carb? Is it just a bolt and everything comes off? What are some other tricks to try?

I am using 2stroke weed eater mix ratio of about 36:1. Do I need to be using the suggested 50:1 30 weight? I read that that isn't needed anymore....

Thanks for the help guys.

My resto thread can be found here (pictures of the motor): Newbie and his 12' Sea Scamp

 

[Neeco]

Re: 1978-80 Sea King 3.5HP (Clinton)

Here are some pics of the Carb. Looks freshly rebuilt to me. If its not the carb, then what else should I try?

 

[narwhals]

Re: 1978-80 Sea King 3.5HP (Clinton)

have you had the carb apart for a thorough inspection? i would start at inspecting the carb for any varnish or areas that are gummed up,soaking the carb and all parts in your 2 stroke mix overnight then blowing compressed air through all areas,then putting it back together.the float should be set by flipping the carb upside down,and when in the seated position it should be level with the upper rim of the float bowl. if the float isn't set correctly or the needle is sticking this can cause a fuel flow issue. the idle screw adjustment is one turn out from the seated position, and the high speed needle on the bottom of the carb is one and a half turn out from the seated position.i hope this gets you going in the right direction.

 

[Neeco]

Re: 1978-80 Sea King 3.5HP (Clinton)

have you had the carb apart for a thorough inspection? i would start at inspecting the carb for any varnish or areas that are gummed up,soaking the carb and all parts in your 2 stroke mix overnight then blowing compressed air through all areas,then putting it back together.the float should be set by flipping the carb upside down,and when in the seated position it should be level with the upper rim of the float bowl. if the float isn't set correctly or the needle is sticking this can cause a fuel flow issue. the idle screw adjustment is one turn out from the seated position, and the high speed needle on the bottom of the carb is one and a half turn out from the seated position.i hope this gets you going in the right direction.

As a matter of fact I have in totally tore down in my hand now. Everything inside the carb body is still silver and clean. No clog in the fuel intake, both throttle and choke operate correctly and have been recently replaced. Float is new, and working properly, and set the way you just described. It is level with upper rim. The needle moves freely when I turn the carb upside down (the float moves to wide open). Here are some more pictures.

 

[Neeco]

Re: 1978-80 Sea King 3.5HP (Clinton)

Is this the idle screw?

Because when the throttle is shut against that screw there isn't even a crack in the throttle washer.

 

[Neeco]

Re: 1978-80 Sea King 3.5HP (Clinton)

Just got it all back together and it is still not starting. Could it be that it isn't getting enough air? To much fuel? Could it be something in the LU? Does this motor even have an impeller? Or is it force fed by the moving current of water?

I am loosing my mind. It's 100 degrees out with 90% humidity...

Anyone have an idea?

 

[Neeco]

Re: 1978-80 Sea King 3.5HP (Clinton)

More pics.

You can see the fuel line in this one.

 

[mrcrabs]

Re: 1978-80 Sea King 3.5HP (Clinton)

your missing a reed, its not going to run

 

[Neeco]

Re: 1978-80 Sea King 3.5HP (Clinton)

your missing a reed, its not going to run

mind elaborating on that a bit? I just replaced the spark plug and it now sputters on every pull just won't catch.

I swear if I am missing something I am going to be happy and extremely upset with the PO.

 

[mrcrabs]

Re: 1978-80 Sea King 3.5HP (Clinton)

look at your pics, your missing a reed plate

 

[Neeco]

Re: 1978-80 Sea King 3.5HP (Clinton)

look at your pics, your missing a reed plate

Good thing google exists. But I still don't know what it looks like, and where it would go. I will do some more research and see if I can't find one for this motor. :facepalm:

Thanks for the help. Anyone have a good lead for clinton parts? They are still in business right?

 

[mrcrabs]

Re: 1978-80 Sea King 3.5HP (Clinton)

this should help you, its a similar situation
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=447570&highlight=clinton+reeds

mrcrabs is on vacation...going to see Tom @buzzards bluff

 

[windy5849]

Re: 1978-80 Sea King 3.5HP (Clinton)

The upper right side of photo #1 shows part of the reed block is missing.Without it,your engine will not develop any vacuum to pull fuel into the cylinder.

 

[Neeco]

Re: 1978-80 Sea King 3.5HP (Clinton)

Yeah, after mrcrabs mentioned it, I saw the pic and realized what he was talking about. Funny thing is, when I first started working on the carb, I thought that that plate looked a little wrong.

I will begin the research on how to make/or where to find a new reed plate. That link mrcrabs dropped is really helpful! Thanks again peeps!

The boat is stored at my inlaws house about 40 minutes away, so this weekend will be the next time I get to work on her.

Thanks again!

 

[MahtyMaht]

Re: 1978-80 Sea King 3.5HP (Clinton)

A fella's gotta wonder where that reed is now. It would break my heart to get that thang put back together, light it up, and find out that the missing reed was still in there, waitng for something ugly to do.

 

[Neeco]

Re: 1978-80 Sea King 3.5HP (Clinton)

A fella's gotta wonder where that reed is now. It would break my heart to get that thang put back together, light it up, and find out that the missing reed was still in there, waitng for something ugly to do.

My thoughts exactly. So not only do I get to spend hours trying to find the reed plate to replace this one, I get to do a total tear down to find the existing piece, now lodged somewhere in the crankcase. :facepalm:

I wonder if that motor would have enough ummmph to chew it up and do real damage?
I think it would... I will hope for the best.

 

[mrcrabs]

Re: 1978-80 Sea King 3.5HP (Clinton)

theres a real good chance it wil never give you any trouble and may have left through the exhaust ports, there is only one way in and one way out....

 

[Neeco]

Re: 1978-80 Sea King 3.5HP (Clinton)

theres a real good chance it wil never give you any trouble and may have left through the exhaust ports, there is only one way in and one way out....

Lets hope that is the case.

Who has the best aftermarket service manual for Clintons in my year range? I can't find ANYTHING on ebay or the webveritise site...

I called Clinton and they actually have a recording that says Clinton Engines, so we will see if they have what I need.

 

[narwhals]

Re: 1978-80 Sea King 3.5HP (Clinton)

you could try intertec publishing corp. they make a lot of aftermarket manuals such as "outboard motor service manual" which has a lot of outboards from 3.5 -25 hp.this manual has your engine and complete breakdown of it.