Isolating Lightwin Leak

[Brian McKee]

My little 3012 has me concerned.

I just brought it back from the Marina which required a whole tank of gas in my S-10 but this man came highly recommended and so, I felt it worth the trip.

Several issues were corrected. A new impeller and housing; new coil wires and a carb rebuild. The gearcase was pressure tested and fresh gear lube added. It was tank tested and "Purrs like a kitten".

I decided before it hits the water this year, I would remove the brown paint that had been brushed on by a previous owner. All was going well until I tilted the motor on the stand and noticed a drip of gasoline...I had not drained it since it had got back from the shop figuring I would be taking it out within the month and this would be a waste of time and effort. This drip seemed odd to me and in the process of trying to locate the leak I turned the tiller to the right so that the handle was to my right with the fuel tank facing me. Suddenly the drip became a stream and then stopped. I figured that this manuever must have drained out the float bowl...how is beyond me.

It appears to be coming from behind the silencer. I checked and gave each of the float bowl screws a quarter turn since the gasket there appeared to be saturated...this I'm sure now, was probably a mistake. Is it too late to back these off and try something else in order to isolate the leak or is this normal for the abnormal position I subjected the motor? It seems to me that even upside down, a 2-cycle motor should not leak anywhere. Am I mistaken in this?

I cannot afford another tank of gas but it might come to that if I fail to isolate and repair the leak myself. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

By the way...from the records on this sight, I have come to the conclusion that my original decals appear to be those that came on the 1954 engine.

 

[F_R]

Re: Isolating Lightwin Leak

Chainsaws will run upside down because they have diaphragm carburetors.With only a couple of exceptions, outboards have float-feed carburetors. They have to be right side up for the float to work.

Besides, gas shouldn't even get to the carburetor if you had it shut off at the tank valve.

 

[Brian McKee]

Re: Isolating Lightwin Leak

Gas 'getting' to the carb is not the issue here. Apparently, there was already gas in the carb, hence the leak. This happened when I tilted the motor. The motor was NOT running and yes, I did have the fuel line closed but this does not drain gas that was already in the float bowl, or am I wrong in this.

Frustrating. The impeller and carb kit came from this site. I seek advice in isolating a leak and I get a response that attempts to prove how ignorant I am. MY MOTOR IS LEAKING GAS WHEN I TILT THE DAMNED THING

Thanks for the quick response to my query. It was enlightening.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Isolating Lightwin Leak

Well its a thing called gravity...when your outboard is down, the float is down and the needle seat under it is down/closed. When you tilt it far enough the float is not down, nor is the needle seat...and...the gas in the carb bowl has a chance to leak out. Nothing abnormal about that....your response to FR's reply is rather abnormal however.

 

[Brian McKee]

Re: Isolating Lightwin Leak

My apologies to all.

I am an ignorant sort and factor in this ignorance with a couple cups of joe and four hours of tinkering with a motor I am still trying to know, I proved this ignorance and frustration beyond a reasonable doubt.

I did not know that gas could escape from a system I had always believed to be a closed one; no way for gas to get out but through the exhaust, once it had entered the carburetor. I am still stumped as to where the gas is leaking from but will accept your answer and when transporting my little jem, I will refrain from laying it on its fuel line side, the starboard side if I'm in the boat facing the bow.

Again, my hearfelt apologies for wearing my heart on my sleeve this morning. Thanks for the advice and the wake-up call...it is not wasted.

I hope you will forgive me, F R

Sincerely
Brian Mc

 

[lindy46]

Re: Isolating Lightwin Leak

Shutting the gas valve off and running the motor until it stalls will resolve the problem when tilting/carrying the motor.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Isolating Lightwin Leak

Shutting the gas valve off and running the motor until it stalls will resolve the problem when tilting/carrying the motor.

Ditto here. They will leak if you don't shut off the gas and run them out. I shut off the gas, let it idle until I hear it speed up a bit, then I shut it off. Right before it completely runs out of gas, it leans out and the RPMs go up.
There are varied opinions on running it out of gas. Many have the belief that it damages the engine due to lack of lube, but I've been (carefully) doing it for decades on SINGLE CARB motors with no apparent issues. I wouldn't ever run out a multi-carb motor, nor rev up a single carb motor while running it out.