Sears ted Williams 7hp will only start cold with starter fluid in the chamber

[Peter Sturdevant]

So I just bought an old 12' flat bottom john boat with a sears ted williams 7hp that "kinda" works. When I got it home I see that I can get the motor running by pulling the spark plug out and spraying in starter fluid, then put plug back in and she is good to go. Once running it runs like a top. I can turn it off and one pull it fires right back up. Leave it sit for a couple hours and it won't start again without another shot of starter fluid.

I have replaced the spark plug, and took the carb off and cleaned it to the best of my ability. Checked for spark and there are no problems there. Any suggestions on why I can't get it to fire cold?

Thanks.

 

[MahtyMaht]

Re: Sears ted Williams 7hp will only start cold with starter fluid in the chamber

Got a model number?

 

[windy5849]

Re: Sears ted Williams 7hp will only start cold with starter fluid in the chamber

Are you sure the choke is closing when pulling the knob out?

 

[Peter Sturdevant]

Re: Sears ted Williams 7hp will only start cold with starter fluid in the chamber

I'll get the model number tonight when I get back.

I did check the function of the choke when I had it apart and it is working properly. Other details, the float seems to work properly, the bowl does have gas in it. There is a lot of slop in the throttle linkage but I don't think this is the issue because I have tried starting it at almost every different throttle position.

I have also tried starting with several pulls, then having it not start I expect it to be flooded but when I take the plug out I is not wet at all. This makes me believe I am not getting gas for some reason. Would a leaky gasket cause enough reduction in vacuum to cause this?

Thanks again for the help

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Sears ted Williams 7hp will only start cold with starter fluid in the chamber

A FYI starting fluid is about the worst thing you can do to a 2 stroke and it will destroy the motor.

 

[MahtyMaht]

Re: Sears ted Williams 7hp will only start cold with starter fluid in the chamber

Yeah, quit with the starting fluid - you're rinsing ALL the two stroke oil out of the cylinder and running it dry. Even short bursts of that will shorten engine life dramatically. There can be a million reasons for fuel delivery problems. The highest mortality parts are the fuel pump element, (aka duckbill if your model has one), and flapper valve and gasket. It can get crap collecting under the welch plugs. A bent carb mounting flange can let air in at the mounting gasket if the mounting nuts were over torqued. There are o-rings in the fuel line connections that can let air into the line. If the water pump impeller is dead, the motor runs hot, shrinks the lower crank seal, and it can't develop vacuum. Let's have a model number.