Smokey Johnson QD-18

[Mark J.]

Ok, so we are getting ready to head to 1000 Islands. Fired up the ol' Johnson. runs good, but smokes badly. I was convinced I had screwed up the mixture. Changed plugs, old plugs only had about 8 hrs use. Looked wet but not really fouled. 2nd tank of new fuel, mixed TCW-3 at 24:1. Running Premium Non-ethanol, with Marine Stabil just in case. Still smoked, seems worse above idle, gets worse as rpms increase. Main jet adjusted as lean as I can get it w/o having it sneeze. Pulled plugs, look kinda wet but not oily. Running in a barrel. Water has lots of pukey light green oilfoam, but no black goop. Disassembled carb thinking maybe float prob. Blew cleaner through all ports and jets. All internal carb parts were new last season. Reassembled. Starts and runs ok. Idles ok. But still smokes alot above idle. This thing ran perfectly clean last season. Only thing I can think of is different oil. I have never used the Carquest Marine oil before. Anybody have any experience? Could it make that much difference? Previously used Pennzoil and Wally World Supertech.

 

[Chinewalker]

They're SUPPOSED to smoke. That tells you you've got plenty of oil! That said, they'll smoke even more in a barrel or bucket as the smoke gets concentrated in one area. And yes, some oils smoke more than others. If the motor runs well otherwise, let sleeping dogs lie...

 

[Mark J.]

Thanks for the reply! Yes, i know 2 cycles smoke. what baffled me was why it was so much different than before. It does run really well, idles down nice. I'll just watch those plugs and hope for the best! (and pack the oars too!) Will post an update next week upon return.
Happy boating!

 

[kbait]

Some folk use full synthetic outboard 2-stroke lube (still at 24/1) and say they're less smokey. More expensive though..

 

[kbait]

Some folk use full synthetic outboard 2-stroke lube (still at 24/1) and say they're less smokey. More expensive though..

sorry about the doublepost.. this 'new' site construction has it's bugs..

 

[Greg O.]

I have found that some brands of oil smoke worse then others. Penns oil smokes worse then Wal Mart's brand of oil. Motors always smoke worse in a barrel then they do on a boat.

 

[HighTrim]

I know a lot of guys like the Penzoil synthetic oil.....I dunno, I have tried it and found it stunk and smoked pretty bad, and I like the smell of 2 stroke!

I personally find the XD series of oil the best that I have tried.

 

[steelespike]

If the fuel pump diaphram has a hole in it it will smoke more.
Is it smoke or steam? Steam is whiter and will dissipate much faster than oil smoke.

 

[ronward]

Sounds also like you may have just gotten your mix a little rich. I run a different mix but when I fuel up I always add just a touch more than what it calls for. No harm, just a little more smoke. Smells good don't it?

 

[Greg O.]

Sounds also like you may have just gotten your mix a little rich. I run a 50:1 but when I fuel up I always add just a touch more than what it calls for. No harm, just a little more smoke. Smells good don't it?

The qd18 needs to be a 24:1 gas-oil ratio. 50:1 is not enough lubrication.

 

[ronward]

The qd18 needs to be a 24:1 gas-oil ratio. 50:1 is not enough lubrication.

I realize that. What I was meaning is that while I run a different mix I still run it slightly rich. Sorry for any confusion. Was mainly trying to suggest that maybe he got his mix a little rich and that's why his motor is smoking. At any rate I edited that post and removed the "50:1" so there would be no confusion.