Help! How do I clear a heavily flooded engine?

[bowrider]

Well, at least I *think* that is what's going on.

1974, 115 'rude, I rebuild the carbs yesterday, and satrted just fine, iddling perfect and all. I started it up again this morning, no probs. So we took the boat out, Ran excellent, we were tubbing for about an hour and then the engine stalled. Re started, and 15 mins later, stalled again and wouldn's restart, took the cover off just to find out that the chocke solenoid fell off the clamp.....(yeah apprentice mistake, didn't tight it enough when re installing! :| ) it pulled down the spring and chocked the engine completely. Battery was going dead so I decided to wait for some one to tow us to the ramp.

Back home, I re installed the solenoid (correctly) and jumped the batt with the truck, it fired but wouldn't start, then it wouldn't turn over, now the starter is engaged to the flywheel but no turn.
What do I do now? any expert advice?

Thanks in advance!

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: Help! How do I clear a heavily flooded engine?

Charge the battery. I can't imagine overchoking causing a hydrolock condition. But the cure for that is to remove the sparkplugs and crank it over. Keep the plug wires far enough away to prevent spark that could ignite the spray. For most flooding conditions, simply giving it full throttle-only while starting usually clears a flooding condition.

 

[F_R]

Re: Help! How do I clear a heavily flooded engine?

Oh-oh. Can you turn the flywheel by hand? Sounds like maybe it swallowed something else that fell off. Just a guess.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Help! How do I clear a heavily flooded engine?

One thing to check.... Remove the spark plugs and see if you can turn it over. Although choking it may not have hydrolocked it, a stuck carb float might. Had it happen a couple times over the years where a float valve was stuck open and fuel just ran into the engine. If the motor turns over and fuel burbles out of the plug hole, then you've got it nailed. GROUND the plug wires, spin it over a few times, reinstall the plugs & wires and try starting it again...
- Scott

 

[bowrider]

Re: Help! How do I clear a heavily flooded engine?

Thanks for the replies, I havent' tried to turn it by hand. I'll try that tonight. How easily should it turn by hand?

 

[F_R]

Re: Help! How do I clear a heavily flooded engine?

Try turning it clockwise (without backing it up which might release something jamming it). It should turn with some resistance, but not locked or jammed.

 

[bowrider]

Re: Help! How do I clear a heavily flooded engine?

Will do. I have another question, how do I keep it WOT when crancking? Can be done just manually holding the linkage at the carbs?

 

[F_R]

Re: Help! How do I clear a heavily flooded engine?

I'll let Willy answer that one since he suggested it. But it shouldn't be necessary. The most severely (normally) flooded engine should start just by cranking at normal start settings. I can't believe that is your problem anyway.

 

[bowrider]

Re: Help! How do I clear a heavily flooded engine?

ok, here's an update. Removed and cleaned the spark plugs, 2 of them were very carbonized. I can easily turn the flywheel by hand, even with the plugs in.
Checked the batt it read 12.6v, but used my car fully charged one to try, no turn; it will turn slow with the plugs out but nothing with the plugs in. Now I'm thinking the starter is gone. Could that be a posibility? How do I test the starter?

 

[jimmbo]

Re: Help! How do I clear a heavily flooded engine?

could also be a bad( corroded internaly ) starter solinoid preventing enough current thru to turn the starter

 

[F_R]

Re: Help! How do I clear a heavily flooded engine?

You test the starting circuit with a voltmeter, starting at the battery. Test voltage at at each step in the circuit. There's no magic involved, just good common sense and a rudimentary knowledge of electrical circuitry.

 

[bowrider]

Re: Help! How do I clear a heavily flooded engine?

Cool, I found that chapter on my manual, will test the solenoid tomorrow.
This is so weird, the starter was just fine, maybe I fried it or the solenoid trying to starting it so hard yesterday in the middle of the lake. Let's hope is the solenoid, because the starter is highly priced!:%
Thanks for your replies.

 

[jimmbo]

Re: Help! How do I clear a heavily flooded engine?

When we flooded an engine years ago we would pull out the spark pluds, dry them off, crank the engine with the throttles open to push through the excess gas. A few years later we would just relax 20 - 30 minutes, go for a walk, smoke a pipeful, etc. After that we would again try to start it. 9 out of 10 times it would fire right up with out us having to get our hands dirty.

 

[bowrider]

Re: Help! How do I clear a heavily flooded engine?

ok, I did all the tests and I apparently have a bad starter....and just to make sure (this part is not in the manual, but read it here...8) ) jumped the positive at the batt to the starter...won't turn, the bendix comes up and engage but wouldn't give a single revolution. I have 12.6v at the batt and 12.54v at the starter. So i'm gonna tackle the starter and THEN see if it's unflooded by itself! Oh well....

 

[icy]

Re: Help! How do I clear a heavily flooded engine?

you did rule out a low battery didnt you?? what is the voltage while you are trying to crank it over? it should stay above 11 volts while cranking.

 

[bowrider]

Re: Help! How do I clear a heavily flooded engine?

Well, I did not take that measure. What I did was I used my truck's battery....I guess if it starts the truck it has enough power. Or should I still make sure of that?

 

[F_R]

Re: Help! How do I clear a heavily flooded engine?

You say you have 12.54v at the starter. That definitly says bad starter. Or bad ground.

 

[bowrider]

Re: Help! How do I clear a heavily flooded engine?

Yeah, I cleaned, sand papered and dielecric greased all grounds.

 

[ezeke]

Re: Help! How do I clear a heavily flooded engine?

The starter has no ground wire, you have to remove it to clean the grounds, which are the bolts. Try jumping the negative from the battery to the starter case as well.

 

[bowrider]

Re: Help! How do I clear a heavily flooded engine?

Good catch! Will do that tonite...