9.9 evinrude 1974 will not fire or start but has compression and spark need help

[byronjacobson]

I have been trying to get a 9.9 evinrude 1974 outboard to start. I cleaned the points and replaced one bad coil. I have pretty good spark and the compression is a little over 60 on both cyclinders. I have cleaned the carb twice. Last time i cleaned the carb i found some dried up varnish inside the needle adjustment. I sprayed carb cleaner in it and also ran a very fine wire thru the passage way. I could see the spray going thru the carb into the middle of the carb when spraying down into the opening of the high or low speed jet opening. When i tried starting the motor, it fired for about 2 seconds and then died. now it doesn't fire at all even if i spray the carb opening with wd 40.
about the only thing i haven't tried is looking at the reed valves behind the carb. I'm a little suspicious if I have been able to get the jet passage way totally clean but am not sure.

Any suggestions what to try next. Last summer i could get this motor to run for about 10 minutes but then it died on me and hasn't really fired since.
I hate to sell it for parts since i'm guessing i am close to getting it to run.

 

[pn]

correct me if i'm wrong but 60 psi too low, it dead.

 

[byronjacobson]

I know 60 psi is low and it should be around 100 or more, but I've had lots of motors that started and ran fine with psi around 60.

 

[OptsyEagle]

I would spray a little pre-mix gas into the carb throat and see if you get a response. If not, put a teaspoon of pre-mix into the spark plug holes and try it again. I don't know if WD-40 is even combustible, so try a little pre-mix gas for that test.

As for the carb. That model has a small funnel looking plastic piece inside that slow speed jet. Very difficult to see, but plastic pieces do not like carb cleaner and depending on how hard your little wire was, may not have liked that. I would get a new carb kit and rebuild it. Also, you say it has decent spark. It needs to be able to jump a minimum of a 3/8" gap on an external spark tester. Did it?

Yes, that compression is pretty low, but were both cylinders close to the same?

 

[Tim Frank]

60 psi on a motor that hasn't run for a year and is being cranked by hand is OK in my experience.
Get it running and try the compression again and I'd bet those numbers would come up a lot.

As pointed out, the spark needs to jump 1/4"-3/8" gap.
Some folks "verify" spark by leaning a plug against the block and judging that way; I only count that as useful if there is NO spark.
You need to know that there is SUFFICIENT spark....only a purpose-built tester will do that.; and by purpose-built I include home-made.
Doesn't have to cost $$.

If you have 60 PSI and a viable spark....the only other item before getting into fuel is a sheared CS key. If you had the FW off to do points and coils....and torqued the nut properly on re-installation, that should not be an issue. But maybe verify it if you aren't sure.

Now you can dig into the fuel system.

 

[OptsyEagle]

also, did you set the point gap to 0.020" ?

 

[dazk14]

WD-40 will fire with a good motor and 60psi is not a good motor(at this point). You may have a blown head gasket if they're equal.

Getting it to fire will create all sorts of positives.

There are many starter fluids with added adequate lubricants, that are suitable for 2 strokes. In fact, it's getting harder to find them without.

The alarmists will be thrilled to pound their chests and sound off, but they simply haven't done their homework.

We used to make up our own starter fluid with added 2 stroke, but a rep from Chevron, saved us the head ache now.

A shot in each cylinder and one in the carb throat or into the silencer (if installed) is fine.

The key is to get it started and countless outboards have simply need the aforementioned and never looked back - until they sat for another 10 years.

 

[Tim Frank]

???? ^^^^
There may be a reason to suggest using combustibles other than what the motor was designed to use, but I'd humbly suggest restricting that to your own equipment and not send someone else down that path.
Much better to fix the actual problems than introduce more through shortcuts and laziness.
That motor will run at 60 PSI quite happily if there is spark and fuel delivery.
Calling anyone who might disagree with you alarmists is neither constructive nor responsible.

 

[dazk14]

Just too predictable.
I don't find anything humble in your comments. When you're a shop owner and have to charge out at $110/hr. we're responsible to educate ourselves to give the quickest and highest quality service to our customers. Do you.
Would you prefer he cranks and cranks a dry engine? You do realize that can cause irreversible damage. Do you pre-lube a dry engine until lubricant is through carb - internals - out open plugs?
That motor will NOT run happily on 60 psi. How many 9.9's of that vintage have you worked on... I'd say I've repaired a 100 and they begin to be hard starting under 90psi.