Rich/Lean adjust Help please

[costy]

Friday morning I stopped by the dealership to get some 2 Cycle oil and I asked the mechanic why am I having such problem with CRUD all over the engine? He told me that I have unburned oil that escapes in to the engine bowl and lower unit especially when tilting the motor while under sail.

I ased him why since I am running 50/1 mixture (20ml of oil to 1000 ml of gas) he insists that I have too much oil in the mixture.
I think the problem is that I am running too rich (too much mixture to air) but when I asked him how to balance the two he told me that only a trained mechanic can due that and it is only by listening to the sound if the motor. The interesting thing is that I never failed a spark plug even though when removing the plug it looks wet and black but the engine sounds and runs great even though it smokes out pretty bad when running in a barrel.
I am tempted to dial in the adjustment towards the LEAN until the engine changes the pitch and then go back towards the rich 1/2 turn but I am afraid not to blow out the engine.
Any suggestions on how to go towards LEAN without blowing the engine? The mechanics in my area charge $115/H just o dial in the engine and they are not telling me how many hours it takes.
Saturday I went out Sailing and ran the little motor 4.5 HP SEAHORSE 1983 without any incident except the mess I had to clean up after I brought it home. Thanks for any suggestions, Costy

 

[oldcatamount]

Re: Rich/Lean adjust Help please

Turn the low speed adjustment (needle valve) clockwise until it stops. Do not force it! Back it back out 1 1/2 turns and start the motor. Let it warm up a bit at idle. Turn the adjustment clockwise at 1/8th increments and give the motor 15 seconds before doing it again. The motor will begin to cough when you have gone to far so back it out about 1/4 turn and it should idle without coughing and respond to the throttle when revving up.
I would suggest using synthetic oil as it seems to burn cleaner.

 

[82rude]

Re: Rich/Lean adjust Help please

its best to have a tiny tac or such for this,but you want to adjust your low speed mixture after the motor is warmed up and between 700-800 rpm.then adjust till you get the smoothest operation and the highest rpm,s.if done correctly, in gear at idle, you will see min of 650 rpm.this is right out of the manual but the post before mine applies also.as for the sound thats a super secret not to be divulged upon pain of a noggie.

 

[Rick.]

Re: Rich/Lean adjust Help please

http://forums.iboats.com/engine-fre...sorted-carb-variations-joe-reeves-167352.html
Your not going to hurt your motor while doing this adjustment. It will hurt it if a cylinder runs lean for a longer time. During the carb. set up you aren't going to hurt anything. When you say it leaves such a mess are you talking about inside the cowl? I remember seeing pictures of your magneto and thinking how nice and clean it looked. I have had fuel leaks inside the cowl of my 4 hp but doesn't cause that much of a mess one time out but does cause a huge concern when it happens. Running in a barrel will make a pretty bad mess on the outside but that won't happen on the water. Your mix is correct but I was surprised to see you give in ml. Thought it was just us Canadians doing it that way. Rick.
EDIT: Gee I type slow. Agree with above gents is all I needed to type. LOL.

 

[the machinist]

Re: Rich/Lean adjust Help please

My comments; Sounds like your mechanic has a lot of non-hands on training (trying to earn his wages) & is a young man straight out of dental college.

I am not familiar with that motor, but my guess is that, yes it is happening when you tilt it up, but coming from the carburetor. Some of the carbs have a vent off the top of the fuel bowl area. It could be possible that if the bowl is full of fuel & you tip the motor up, some of this fuel will escape & settle in the lower part of the cowling.

 

[82rude]

Re: Rich/Lean adjust Help please

agreed

 

[Rick.]

Re: Rich/Lean adjust Help please

Easy fix for that would be to run your carb. empty before tilting it up. Rick.

 

[costy]

Re: Rich/Lean adjust Help please

My engine does not have an internal fuel tank. I will try to post some pictures of what it looks like.

Thanks for your reply

 

[costy]

Re: Rich/Lean adjust Help please

Thanks for your reply, I will try your recommendation.
What should I do with Rich/Lean (dial) or this is what you call the low speed adjustment (needle valve)?
Thanks, Costy

 

[costy]

Re: Rich/Lean adjust Help please

I am European and a Lab tech so it is easier for me to measure in metric I find it to be more precise.

Thanks Costy

 

[the machinist]

Re: Rich/Lean adjust Help please

Since you have the fuel tank on the motor, running it dry may not work. Does this motor have afuel shut off valve between the tank & carb? If not, then I would install one.

 

[lindy46]

Re: Rich/Lean adjust Help please

My little 3hp Johnson does the same thing if I tilt it up without running it dry. So disconnect the fuel line and run it until the engine dies.

 

[costy]

Re: Rich/Lean adjust Help please

No fuel shut off valve and no internal fuel tank...Even if I run the carb dry I still end up with dripping of unburned oil mixture.
I also forgot to mention that I reset the float on the carburetor 4 times just to make sure it seats properly so when it is inverted I can NOT blow in to it but when upright I get a clean flow of air when bowing in to it.
My big concern is that it is always messy inside of the engine cowling and at the bottom of the lower unit where there are the tiny pin holes above the prop.
Please see pictures.
My next step will be to play with the Rich/Lean setting I believe that if I can go slowly towards the Lean I can reduce the crud.

Thanks for your help, Costy

 

[costy]

Re: Rich/Lean adjust Help please

http://forums.iboats.com/engine-fre...sorted-carb-variations-joe-reeves-167352.html
Your not going to hurt your motor while doing this adjustment. It will hurt it if a cylinder runs lean for a longer time. During the carb. set up you aren't going to hurt anything. When you say it leaves such a mess are you talking about inside the cowl? I remember seeing pictures of your magneto and thinking how nice and clean it looked. I have had fuel leaks inside the cowl of my 4 hp but doesn't cause that much of a mess one time out but does cause a huge concern when it happens. Running in a barrel will make a pretty bad mess on the outside but that won't happen on the water. Your mix is correct but I was surprised to see you give in ml. Thought it was just us Canadians doing it that way. Rick.
EDIT: Gee I type slow. Agree with above gents is all I needed to type. LOL.

This is what it looks like after cleaning up the motor and sitting for one day.

 

[Rick.]

Re: Rich/Lean adjust Help please

Have you proven spark on both cylinders? That looks excessive but running a a barrel it seems you always get more gunk dripping from the exhaust. Wide open throttle on the water and that may all but disappear. Rick.