1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and runn

[DB in Japan]

Picked up a 1980 2 HP Evinrude (E2RCSM model, H83912 serial) that wouldn’t start. Heard that it ran fine about 4 years ago. <br /><br />Took apart the carb and intake reed valve cleaning everything I could. Freed up the piston with WD40 and a little back and forth motion. No spark at first so I took off the flywheel and cleaned and adjusted the points (eyed the point gap as I don’t have a manual). Put it back together and the spark seems strong and consistent. Bought new oil and gas and mixed it 50:1 as recommended, put it in a large barrel of fresh water and tried to start it. Tried full, half, partial, and no choke but not even a response for about 20 minutes. Adjusted both idle and fast run mixtures to rich and used no choke and it started to fire occasionally. Pushed the throttle to full and it ran for a few seconds at a time until it started to run for a few minutes. Adjusted fast mixture back a few turns to lean and it sounded fairly good but suddenly shut down after about 5 minutes and would not start again. Compression seems low but I don’t have a gauge to test it. Can smell gas and it has spark but it won’t run. I think a new set of rings and a light deglazing of the cylinder might make the difference. Any ideas on what other options I have or comments on anything I might have done wrong? <br /><br />DB in Japan

 

[hobo1240]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

DB -<br /><br />I'm a rookie on this board however, I'm not new to motors. <br /><br />I was always told to think like an engine. I need ignition, fuel and compression in order to run.<br />You've satisfied two of these conditions but you <br />mentioned that compresion seemed to be low.<br /> <br />First, I would pull the plugs and crank it over with my fingers on the spark plug holes to feel if I felt any compression at all. If not, pull the head off and watch the valves to see if they are functioning. If not treat them liberally with WD-40 or another lubricant.<br /><br />Also make sure you have the correct plugs and they are in good shape. They can do strange things even if you see a strong spark once they reinstalled in the block.<br /><br />Shoot some carb spray right into the carb. If it starts momentarily and then dies, I would go back to making sure the carb is clean and was capable of sucking fuel. Again, I would suspect compression.<br /><br />If your motor has twin cyclinders, make sure your spark plug wires are not reversed. This will throw you timing off. Good luck!

 

[hobo1240]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

Ooops! I just noticed that you said it was a 2 hp so it only has one spark plug. Again, check the valves and if ok, then go to the rings.

 

[DB in Japan]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

hobo 1240<br /><br />Thanks for your reply. I did as you mentioned after freeing up the piston before trying to start it. There is some compression but not alot. I also tried the same thing on the intake side but could hardly feel any suction. I have rebuilt lawnmower, motorcycle, and car engines over the years but I don't have any experience with 2 cycle motors unfortunately. <br />Will this motor have a regular set of valves located on the cylinder? I see a rectangular plate on one side but thought that might be for cooling. <br />The spark plug seems in decent shape and after cleaning it and the motor actually running, it had good colour. I will try to find a new one though. For parts I checked with iboats but received a reply saying shipment only within North America. Any suggestions as to where to get parts on-line and have them shipped overseas? <br /><br />DB in Japan

 

[hobo1240]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

DB -<br /><br />For the size of that motor, I would disassemble it and check the reed valve and the rings. You said that you had to free up the piston so maybe your rings are compressed or full of carbon thus reducing compression.<br /><br />Here's a good site for the operation of a two cycle engine. <br /><br /> http://science.howstuffworks.com/two-stroke2.htm <br />Hope this helps.

 

[Solittle]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

DB - Two cycle engines do not have valves. Most likely you have some crud in the carb. Time for a thorough cleaning (not just the outside) and rebuild kit. Then give it a try. I would not start taking it apart just yet unless you like doing that kind of thing.<br /><br />There is an excellent FAQ on things to do when bringing to life an engine that has sat for a while. Give it a read.

 

[DB in Japan]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

hobo1240 & SoLittle<br /><br />Thanks for the info. SoLittle, I read the FAQ article on bringing an engine back to life plus a number of other articles in the archives from this message board before trying to work on the motor. Very informative but unfortunately I don't have access to, or the facilities to do all that is recommended. I appreciate you clarifying the valve issue as I didn't think it would have regular valves.<br /><br />Regarding the carb, I completely dissasembled it cleaning all the jets, arms, and rods soaking and making sure that everything was clean before assembling. The inside of the carb was actually still damp so there was no dried-on residue that tends to clog up the jets requiring a rebuild - so it cleaned up nicely. I also took off and cleaned up the reed valve on the intake as it was dirty. Again it seems to lead back to the rings as hobo1240 has suggested. <br /><br />Additionally, when the motor actually ran, the barrel I ran it in seemed to have a lot of oil residue around the edges afterwards. Does the lower end have oil in it for lubrication? From the amount of residue, I think a seal might have given out. <br /><br />DB in Japan

 

[stan_deezy]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

DB,<br /><br />if I might jump in here: you say that the water had an oily ring after running: that is probably (90%) oil from the fuel rather than the lower end. <br /><br />Now I could be wide of the mark here but I'd be thinking that the engine is still pretty gummed up with carbon. I'd be looking at getting some decarb foam from the marine dealers and letting the cylinder soak overnight: lay the engine down with the plug hole upwards and let the decarb foam do its job.<br /><br />It's a good first start to rrying to decarb without the need to break the engine down and it might just work.<br /><br />Good luck

 

[DB in Japan]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

hobo1240<br /><br />Thank you for the link to the "how stuff works" website. Recommend it to anyone (like me) who hasn't worked with a 2 stroke before. Many of my questions were answered just reading through how the motor works. It also explains the extra oil residue as well. <br /><br />Stan_Deezy, thanks for your comments as they make sense after seeing and learning how a 2 stroke works. I will try to get my hands on some decarb and give it a try.<br /><br />DB

 

[stan_deezy]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

No problemo: just let us know how you get on with the motor: tip tho: keep posting on this thread otherwise us older folks get confused

 

[DB in Japan]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

All<br /><br />Thanks for your input and advice. It may take a few weeks but I will come back on for an update and hopefully have a success story. <br /><br />DB

 

[DB in Japan]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

Update on that 2hp Evinrude Motor<br /><br />Took the head off this past weekend and found a deeply pitted area in the upper part of the cylinder. It covers the top half of the compression stroke area which explains why the compression is very low but the motor eventually runs when it is pull-started for 10 minutes. I would guess that friction causes just enough expansion and with a light film of oil, it actually has enough compression to draw in fuel and run. <br /><br />It would need to be bored out to be salvaged or the cylinder replaced so time to look for another motor. <br /><br />DB in Japan

 

[stan_deezy]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

Re: 1980 Evinrude 2hp sitting for 4 years - cleaned up but trouble starting and

Thats a pity DB.<br /><br />Thanks for the update and hope you stay on iboats in the future for any help/advice you need.<br /><br />Cheers