Last post about the 3hp for now!!

[LargemouthBass21]

I put my 3hp Yachtwin back together today, and timed the ignition with a multimeter. The spark is bright blue/purple and snapping. Took a bunch of pulls (6) to start it at first as the bowl was empty and it was at an angle but once it ran for a bit it could start first pull. It’s 36 degrees out and the barrel it was running in had ice on top of it (also hadn’t run in a week). Sometimes I needed to have the choke on to start it (but I could turn right off after and it’d stay running fine). When reassembling the magneto I noticed the points don’t completely contact each other fully if that makes sense (almost like they’re worn) but reinstalled anyway. Could this end up being a problem? Has good snapping spark and seems to start fine but is it bad I used the old points (not taking back apart until I have a failure). Would an air silencer help with cold starts? Mine is missing it and needs one, I read they keep it in a partial choke condition and helps it run better. Overall I’m glad to be (hopefully?) done working on the motor and am looking forward to taking it out on the water. Thanks guys for the help!

EDIT forgot to add I had a big scare with torquing the flywheel, I’ve been using my fathers tools and he decided to keep a broken torque wrench right next to his good one. I grabbed the bad one and kept tightening and tightening but no click. Luckily I realized before I did any damage lol

 

[F_R]

You are saying the points don't make contact across their entire surface, right? That's good and the way they are supposed to be, due to slightly convex shape of the contacting surfaces. In a perfect world, they would make contact at a small area in the center of the contacts. In a lesser perfect world, the small area might be off to one side of the contacts. Not a real problem, they might only last 3 years instead of 4.

 

[LargemouthBass21]

You are saying the points don't make contact across their entire surface, right? That's good and the way they are supposed to be, due to slightly convex shape of the contacting surfaces. In a perfect world, they would make contact at a small area in the center of the contacts. In a lesser perfect world, the small area might be off to one side of the contacts. Not a real problem, they might only last 3 years instead of 4.

They are slightly off to the side, I guess I had thought they had to touch perfectly all the way across glad to know it isn’t as bad as I was thinking

 

[racerone]

??----The breakers are nothing but an electric switch !-----They just need to make contact and break contact to work.-----Too bad there is such mystery thought into these parts.

 

[LargemouthBass21]

??----The breakers are nothing but an electric switch !-----They just need to make contact and break contact to work.-----Too bad there is such mystery thought into these parts.

Oh ok thanks somebody told me that they had to perfectly touch... I ran it in a barrel this morning and it started right up, it does need the choke to start as the air silencer is missing making it run a little lean. My low speed needle keeps vibrating loose though, I left it running and went inside for maybe 15 minutes and came back out and it was running like crap. I noticed the needle has vibrated loose, is this huge air leak enough to have made it lean and damaged something? Somehow I doubt it it’s 32 degrees outside and it was pumping water fine but I want to make sure. I will snug the nut up to the packing nuts

 

[tomhath]

It'll stall before it does any damage due to running lean.

It's worth doing a little reading on how a magneto ignition works; your troubleshooting/tuning/multimetering will make more sense to you. It's actually very simple, nothing more than high school level electricity/magnetism.

 

[LargemouthBass21]

It'll stall before it does any damage due to running lean.

It's worth doing a little reading on how a magneto ignition works; your troubleshooting/tuning/multimetering will make more sense to you. It's actually very simple, nothing more than high school level electricity/magnetism.

I remember electricity from high school lol, I just though that the more surface area the points had touching, the better. I actually understand how the magneto works a lot better now I appreciate the help

 

[racerone]

An old saying I believe------" When the student is willing , the teachers will show up ".-----You have to throw out this theory of damage to a motor due to leaning out.----That is NOT something to happens at idle speeds !!!

 

[Tim Frank]

it does need the choke to start as the air silencer is missing making it run a little lean. My low speed needle keeps vibrating loose though, I left it running and went inside for maybe 15 minutes and came back out and it was running like crap. I noticed the needle has vibrated loose, is this huge air leak enough to have made it lean and damaged something? Somehow I doubt it it’s 32 degrees outside and it was pumping water fine but I want to make sure. I will snug the nut up to the packing nuts

I would think that if it did NOT need the choke on full to start at 36 degrees that you are running too rich.

Also, if the slow speed needle vibrated loose, would that not have enriched the mixture rather than leaning it?

 

[LargemouthBass21]

I would think that if it did NOT need the choke on full to start at 36 degrees that you are running too rich.

Also, if the slow speed needle vibrated loose, would that not have enriched the mixture rather than leaning it?

Yes you are right. I am having another problem now this is driving me crazy. The clip holding the float to the needle is like bent or something and it swivels around and causes the float to stick if that makes sense. When it’s angled one way it’s fine and when it moves the other way it causes the float to stick closed

 

[racerone]

If the low speed needle keeps coming loose you need to install packing washers.----Then tighten the gland nut so the needle needs some effort to turn !!

 

[LargemouthBass21]

If the low speed needle keeps coming loose you need to install packing washers.----Then tighten the gland nut so the needle needs some effort to turn !!

Yeah, I fixed that by tightening the nut and it hasn’t came loose since... but I’m having trouble with the float, I put it in the above post

 

[F_R]

Are you sticking the clip through the hole in the float arm? That is wrong.

 

[racerone]

Last post for me was #11 on this one.

 

[LargemouthBass21]

Are you sticking the clip through the hole in the float arm? That is wrong.

No I am not it just clips over the float arm... but something is binding, if I work the float very slow I can see the needle hesitate and then pop out of the seat with a slight click sound

 

[LargemouthBass21]

Last post for me was #11 on this one.

Post #10 sorry

 

[LargemouthBass21]

How much am I supposed to be able to blow into the carb when it’s right side up? I can push air through but there’s a lot of resistance which might be why it takes a long time to fill the bowl? Is this normal

 

[Crosbyman]

air should flow in the carb easily but it is not a trumpet so don't overdo it …. no air goes in upside down …. none

as to the clip... it is there to pull down the needle when the float drops down when fuel is sucked out the carb but motors ran without them before they came about ...so just remove it and try the motor. black tipped needles may stick more so try to find a metal one with no teflon on the tip but… the motor should run fine

if the clip is the cause of the float sticking which I doubt your problem will be solved.

make certain the carb seal sandwiched between the two halves is not to large as to catch the float inside the carb. trim it it need be

 

[F_R]

Well that's what the clip is for---to unstick the needle when the float drops. Sounds like it doing as designed.

 

[Crosbyman]

agree… maybe the float is the wrong size it should clear all edges of the carb body ..and drop down

yet it hangs and its weight is not enough to pull it down when the fuel does not support it ???

maybe a the teflon (or whatever) tipped needle should be replaced as a trial

maybe the carb vent is shut stopping the fuel from being sucked away thus keeping the float up and needle shut (airlock)

who knows….