'69 55hp 'rude

[StElmo]

Okay newbie here, but I do have my OOD U/W letter and warfare pin, just lacking my EOOW.<br /><br />Quick background...<br />Just purchased a '62 16' Hydroswift with a '69 55 Rude and a 30 gal internal fuel tank. Fuel was supposely old (1.5+ years), but odor test didn't say it was bad and motor would fire. Compression test results were 118, 125, 124 PSI for 1-3 cylinders. To be safe, I added fuel treatment, a water separator fuel filter, replaced the plugs and topped off the tank with some 92 octane with a 50:1 mix of TC-W3.<br /><br />So I get it on the lake and run it for about 30 minutes and the motor starts bogging down at full throttle. Choke was on auto. Motor eventually died 5 yards from the dock/launch. Pulled the plugs, they were fouled and wet. I cleaned them, cleared the cylinders, then used some starter fluid in the cylinders. Started fine for the second go around, bogged down again at idle, while waiting for another boat with a skier to get going. Repeated same process with the same results, but left the cover off, thinking maybe I may have an exhaust gasket leak. Died a third time again at idle after bogging down at 2/3 throttle after 15 minutes. Repeated the process and took her back to the launch to head for home.<br /><br />Got her home, pulled the cover and checked the carbs, no visible varnish, but I did notice the lean/rich switch only worked for carbs 2 and 3, but not 1 (fixed that problem). With the cover off I made sure the choke operated properly. <br /><br />With choke on, the choke only closed 3/4 of the way, in auto mode the choke closed 100% when actuated, and with the choke off the choke was 100% open.<br /><br />So I looked at the linkages on the staboard side and found this:<br />

<br /><br />A had slipped from the front to the rear of the choke actuator, preventing the choke in the on position from fully closing. Temporarily fixed, but I suspect it will slip again.<br /><br />B in the photo seems to do nothing, but appears that it should, leading me to believe the spring is broken. Any suggestions? The Clymer manual isn't much help.<br /><br />Thinking of adding alcohol to dry out the fuel a little more. However, my primary concern is the spring.<br /><br />Thanks in advance,<br />James

 

[jfm1]

Re: '69 55hp 'rude

Hi StElmo" really can't with the spring but if you add alcohol and keep useing starting fluid you'll need more than a spring take your carbs off and clean them soak in carb cleaner blow out all passages with compressed air don't go by the way they look good luck

 

[CATransplant]

Re: '69 55hp 'rude

"Fuel was supposely old (1.5+ years), "<br /><br />Hmm...get a portable tank, fill it with fresh fuel and oil. Try it out and get back to us. If the fuel is 1.5 years old, it's hosed.<br /><br />Stop using starter fluid. It has no lubricant in it and will damage your engine. If you must spray something, fill a spray bottle with premix and spray that.

 

[StElmo]

Re: '69 55hp 'rude

Roger, over. <br /><br />Thanks for all the input. I will stop using starter fluid and use a spray bottle with a mix instead. Additionally, I will find a portable tank and get some good fuel in it and test.<br /><br />James

 

[reeldutch]

Re: '69 55hp 'rude

on the exhaust plate there are two wires comming out these are probebly the part of your problem.<br />there is some cind of sensor in there wich will let your engene choke.<br />you can disconect them and rewire your choke directly from keyswich.<br /><br />good luck

 

[StElmo]

Re: '69 55hp 'rude

Next questions...<br />Changing points is a PITA and I want to pull the fly-wheel as seldom as possible.<br />Can I replace the points with an electronic ignitor, similar to Petronix, like I did in my '74 BMW 2002tii? <br /><br />Should I shoot some carb-cleaner into the carbs to clear out any gummed up ports?<br /><br />Going to dump the bad fuel today at a Hazmat drop-off. I hate wasting almost 30 gals of fuel, but it's a good sacrifice.

 

[StElmo]

Re: '69 55hp 'rude

First things first... I figured out the spring issue (see first post). Spring "B" wraps back to the screw that contacts the throttle actuator plate, providing a quick return of the valves.<br /><br />Okay, got rid of the old fuel at a hazmat drop-off site. Filled up with new fuel and did my 50:1 mix (every 10 gallons). During the subsequent test run, the motor was still having the same issues as before. Also noticed I was leaking fuel from the hose going into #1 carb when priming the bulb.<br /><br />What I've done:<br />- Checked the points (they looked brand new) and set appropriately<br />- Cleaned the distro cap and rotor contacts<br />- Checked the plug wires, making sure they were all screwed in to the distro cap<br />- Replaced the fuel lines (they were all rotted) going to the carbs.<br />- Checked the low speed needles, they were in great shape.<br /><br />I'm at my wits end right now, and the Clymer manual is vague. At WOT, I get about 20 minutes of running time. Anything less, I get about 30-40 minutes.<br />Any thoughts as to how to proceed? At $85 and hour, I really don't want to pay a mechanic to do something I can do with a little guidance. I really appreciate the help. <br /><br />My thoughts are that the system is running too rich. Should I attempt to advance/retard the timing? Should I adjust the carbs? Both?

 

[StElmo]

Re: '69 55hp 'rude

The engine will idle just fine for hours on end, but as soon as I put the motor under load she quits on me and won't restart. When I check the plugs they're wet.<br /><br />Oh and with it being the middle of boating season, I can't find anyone with time or willing to touch the motor.<br /><br />Need help here, otherwise I'd pay for it.

 

[StElmo]

Re: '69 55hp 'rude

Well for those that might be interested...<br />I closed the low speed needles down then opened them .8 of a turn (not in the repair manual). Motor started right up and allowed me to engage the drive gears (in a garbage can test tank.) Now I just need to figure out how to hook up the tachometer (a previous owner disconnected it). Any suggestions (again the Clymer manual is very generic regarding where to attach a hand-held tach)? I know there is a wealth of knowledge out there. However, if I don't get any replies, I'll post my finding when I figure it out.

 

[StElmo]

Re: '69 55hp 'rude

This is turning into a BLOG, so I'll keep going with it.<br /><br />Still no luck with figuring out which wires I need to tap into for the tach.<br /><br />While I was out on the water testing the latest tinkering (see above) I noticed that at any throttle position greater than 1/3 past "start" that the motor would hesitate and I would lose propulsion and die. I pulled the plugs and noticed they were not warm to the touch (which I would expect after a half hour of running for over half hour), good part was the plugs weren't plugged or fouled. Although the plugs were properly gapped, I decided to decrease the gap by .005.<br /><br />Next I couldn't start due to only having 13 volts. I tried to jump using some spare batteries I brought, no luck. So I series connected, and the motor started with no problem.<br /><br />After getting home I made new plug wires from a wire kit. This was necessary after I tried to uncrew #2 plug and the wire unscrewed from the fitting, leaving me with only two of three wires.<br /><br />Since I have been having a hard time starting the motor with less than 14 volts, I decided to keeep running two batteries in series. <br /><br />Anyone have advice against such a set-up?