mercruiser 4.3 liter 262 cant dial in timing and carb seems to flood

[merls bait shop]

hello, the specs say to dial in timing to 8 degrees btdc , my problem is i can only get to like 12 degrees btdc before it stalls out. also i adjusted carb idle mixture screw 1 1/4 turns out from all the way in and seems to be flooding out, i was thinking about spraying sea foam in there maybe the float is sticking. any help would be appreciated. thank you.

 

[Fun Times]

Hi there, what year engine do you have? Engine serial number handy?

Need to know what ignition system you have....mercruiser thunderbolt 4 or 5 ignition system. http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=mercruiser+thunderbolt+4+or+5+ignition+system&FORM=AWIR

What model carburetor too.

 

[Grub54891]

Sea foam will do nothing for the float. If it's flooding,it's time for a carb rebuild.

 

[merls bait shop]

hello, 1989 pre vortec, thunderbolt 4 ignition, 2 barrel mcm carb 3304-9565, i dont have the engine number with me as im at work.i attached a photo same engine i have thank you !

 

[merls bait shop]

No Title

photo of motor .

 

[Bt Doctur]

idle mixture screws have nothing to do with flooding , Timing marks go from 0 -12 so you had to go past 8 to get to 12?????????

 

[merls bait shop]

hello, when i start motor the timing mark on balancer is way below timing chain cover on the BTDC end when i try to set it to 8 degrees BTDC it stalls out at like 12 degrees BTDC thank you.

 

[NHGuy]

So are you on #1? Does your light have a knob, if so is it off the zero?

 

[Watermann]

You sure it's a TB4 and not a 5 with your year being 1989? The TB5 has to be set in base timing mode or you won't be able to set the timing.

 

[merls bait shop]

hello, its a tb 4 - ( iv ) when i start the motor the mak on the balancer if your looking straight down from th top of the motor at 12 oclock , with the timing light on it. when i turn the dist clockwise in order to get the mark closer to the gauge on the timing chain cover , i can almost get to 12 degrees BEFORE T D C then it stalls out, im wondering if im off a tooth on the distributor. it say 8 degrees BTDC is where it should be set too . thank you for the help.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Where the dist is indexed would have nothing to do with the actual timing.
No one has asked it........................
are you using #1 cylinder ,where are you putting the timing lead?

 

[Fun Times]

You sure it's a TB4 and not a 5 with your year being 1989?

Unless someone has changed the ignition system since new, an 1989 engine would be TB 4 as TB 5 started in 1994. If interested, here's the info for you when it first came out in 94, THUNDERBOLT V IGNITION SYSTEM

 

[merls bait shop]

hello, yes the timing lead is on the number one cylinder. thank you for the patience im new at this, and still learning ! there is no adjustment on the timing light itself. it seemed to have run fine on the crate in my driveway .before i put it in the boat.

 

[Bt Doctur]

the balancer spins clockwise, timing marks go counterclockwise 12,10,8,6,4,2,0, turning the dist clockwise retards the timing so you should be getting close to the 0 mark not the 12 mark. facing the motor #1 is the first cylinder on your right.

 

[NHGuy]

Timing affects engine speed. You can add throttle as you reduce timing to keep it running. Once you have it warm at 725 rpms and 8 degrees BTDC with the mixture set you are done.
You will need to "finagle" some adjustments back and forth til it's all proper.
Best way is to use a starter button at the motor with the carb throttle linkage disconnected. It seem like extra steps, but if the settings are far off it can be a time saver. If you suddenly want to shut it off just tilt the shift interrupt, grab the kill lanyard or turn the ignition off.

 

[merls bait shop]

hello, i had the distributor completly removed from the motor, i think im off a tooth thats why i cant get it in time

 

[Bt Doctur]

Now I`m beginning to see the picture. you will need to remove the dist and set the motor on #1 compression stroke TDC.
When you install it , the rotor should be close to #1 on the cap. firing order is 1,8,4,3,6,5,7,2 in a clockwise manner.

 

[merls bait shop]

hello all, thank you for the help. so does anyone think the distrbutor is off a tooth ??

 

[Grub54891]

Y

hello all, thank you for the help. so does anyone think the distrbutor is off a tooth ??

Yup.

 

[NHGuy]

if it's only off a tooth you can set the mark on the balancer to zero when the rotor is aiming toward the port side and forward. then re"stab" the distributor so the rotor is pointing right at #1. But that doesn't really affect where the timing mark comes up. If it's timed right it will have the mark in the light.
If the distributor is aimed wrong you just turn it til the plugs fire right. That's spark timing.
If it's way wrong the wires might not reach, but I think one tooth off is within the reach of your wires.
Get it?