'93 Sport 351 fuel probs?

[thevogt]

I am getting frustrated. My low hour sweety is not starting. After a carb rebuild that left it flooding due to float settings in the secondary bowl, since has been corrected, now it wont run below mid throttle and will only start after a shot of starting fluid (I know, not good). I've adjusted the floats to allow slightly more than normal fuel levels in both bowls of the Holley. The clear bypass hose on the fuel pump shows no fuel. Could it still be a bad pump if it runs at higher RPM but won't idle? There is fuel in both bowls when I pull the carb off to check the floats. I can't really afford a large repair bill right now but want to get some more hours on the clock soon. Any suggestions out there. Any would be appreciated. Thanks.

Gary

[M3Fan]

You may want to ask on skiboathelp.com. Some good carb guys there. Some really good carb guys on MBO also.

[thevogt]

Thanks. I'll try skiboathelp. What is MBO?

Gary

[Rick]

MBO is www.malibuboatowners.com almost 100,000 posts on just about everything

[tryan]

please keep the ether away. the motor will get addicted to that stuff.

after the flooding, did you change the spark plugs? i would see if you are getting a nice BLUE spark. a gold spark just doesn't get it. autolites and ngks work best. only use champions in your lawn mower.

did it backfire thru the carb and blow the power valve? take the metering plate off the carb and suck on it to see if you blew a hole in it. different style power valves have different kinds of washers on the holleys. make sure you have the right one.

setting the floats high can bend the tab on the float when the fuel expands when you shut down the motor. lower the setting to the bottom of the sight hole. holley sells a clear plug to set the level with the engine running. i like to point the bow downhill and set mine with the motor level for an accurate setting

[thevogt]

Thanks Tryan. It did backfire through the carb, but the problem existed before that. My carb has no sight glass hole or external float adjustments. The floats have to be adjusted by bending the tabs with the bowl inverted so the float top is parallel to the housing. The ordeal goes back to last season after a carb rebuild by a local shop that set the floats too high and caused a large amount of fuel to dump while running. It would flood at idle but run well at mid to high throttle. After replacing the starter solenoid so it would start regularly, this carb problem reared its ugly head. So, it has been a work in progress after a several year layoff. I would like to test the fuel pump to see if it is working at the needed pressure. Does anyone know what pressure it should pumping? I'll check the power valve also to see if the backfire killed it. Thanks.

Gary

[tryan]

5 psi is good

[thevogt]

Well, got the good/bad news on my Sport yesterday. Seems that the carb is in need of another rebuild-possibly. May just need a good cleaning to clear some gunked passages from sitting dormant for the last 6-7 months. Guess that's better than what it could have been, huh? Anyway, the nice guys at the newest CC dealer in Florida, Bell Lake Marine in Land O' Lakes, said I should be on the water this weekend (fingers crossed, knocking wood). Wish me luck! Thanks again for all the responses.

Gary

[thevogt]

Got my Sport back from Bell Lake Marine on Saturday. The marina said all checked well with everything else on the boat. They replaced the accelerator pump and cleaned out the carb idle circuits, tightened the prop shaft nut and water tested it. All pumps worked and my suspected trans leak that I asked them to check was a no-show. They put about an hour on the clock, so I had no reason to doubt them as there was no red oil in the engine area at all. Got her on the water for about 3-4 hours today to take the kids and cousins tubing. The technician told me he had to set the idle up (1200 rpm in neutral) because it was stalling going in forward if it was set to specs. Reverse was fine. Once it warmed up it was better, but would still bog pretty bad in forward gear. Checking for excess water after coming out of the water, while sitting in the driveway, I noticed my pool of trans oil had returned. WHAT THE.....! Could the high idle be causing unusually high pressure in the trans when putting it in gear, or do I have a front seal leaking as I originally suspected? Anyone have any advice? Do I bite the bullet and have the motor/trans pulled to replace the seal? Or has anyone had any experience with an additive that may cure my leak? Sorry to be long-winded, but I had to vent. My wife doesn't deserve to hear it on mother's day. Thanks.

Gary