Re: Tillotson Carb Question

[kevinrude]

quote FrankR:

OK, for all practical purposes, the fuel for starting the engine would be flowing through the high speed circuit, not the idle circuit. Generally speaking, that would be from the float bowl to the area of the high speed needle tip, from there to the main nozzle in the venturi, and out to the reed valves. Given the size of those passages, it would be pretty difficult to obstruct them so much as to not even allow enough fuel to even start the motor.

Besides, you just said you swapped carburetors and it didn’t help. I think you can lay the carburetor idea aside and look for something else.

Perhaps you should be thinking about crankcase sealing. Or for some reason the upper crankcase chamber is not isolated from the lower chamber (for instance reed plate gasket).

I have no clue what the actual problem is, just speaking in generalities.

Will it start out of the water? Yeah, I know, mind the water pump.

That’s interesting. Can you explain that to me a bit more? This is a new experience for me. Is it the gas can’t get through when the two chambers are not isolated because one piston is trying to suck the vapor in while the other is blowing the vapor out?

The gaskets "looked" good, but I did not replace them. What would be my better bet: (i) cutting new gaskets or (ii) applying some kind of non-hardening gasket sealer to the existing ones?

As for out of the water, I have only been attempting to dry fire it, figuring I could shut it off in a hurry if it caught and then transfer to the test tank.

Thanks for continuing to get your noggin’ working on this one because I was at a loss. Also, a buddy of mine is having a similar issue with a mid-50s Johnson.