I bought a sailboat from a mechanic a few days ago, and the boat came with a 1974 Montgomery Ward (Chrysler built) 6 HP outboard. The starter gear is broken, and there's a new one on the way, so I should be fine there.
The guy I bought it from mentioned that he thought it wasn't getting spark to one cylinder, because it had a tendency to backfire at times. When I went to check the bottom plug, I realized that I had no idea how to pull it out. There's not enough clearance between the cylinder head and the casing to get the plug out even if I could get a wrench in there, which I can't. Is it necessary to pull the entire top half of the outboard out to change a plug? That seems mildly insane. Hopefully someone here can enlighten me.
*Note - I have been working on everything mechanical my whole life, but this is my first outboard motor. While I understand how a two cycle works, I likely need a vocabulary lesson, so please bear with me.
Thanks.
The guy I bought it from mentioned that he thought it wasn't getting spark to one cylinder, because it had a tendency to backfire at times. When I went to check the bottom plug, I realized that I had no idea how to pull it out. There's not enough clearance between the cylinder head and the casing to get the plug out even if I could get a wrench in there, which I can't. Is it necessary to pull the entire top half of the outboard out to change a plug? That seems mildly insane. Hopefully someone here can enlighten me.
*Note - I have been working on everything mechanical my whole life, but this is my first outboard motor. While I understand how a two cycle works, I likely need a vocabulary lesson, so please bear with me.
Thanks.

