Saving Old Seagulls

should i do a compression test and what should be the reading before dismantling thank for all your help and advice guys it is much appreciated

should i do compression test an what should the readings be

102 cc Seagulls will run down to about 45 lbs compression.

Bear in mind compression gauges are not scientific instruments so if yours reads 40lbs don't despair just start it, if it starts on easystart it will run on petrol, just remember easystart has no oil in it.

skyetoyman wrote:Atoyot .... Dome nut removal and lifting pulley plate to check points etc. is akin to lifting the bonnet (hood) on your car and taking off the distributor cap. When cars had those things. It is a part of normal servicing and isn't rocket science . (hope I didn,t miss a full stop)

Oh, I'm sure it's neither brain science nor rocket surgery. I remember cars with ignition points/'condensers' very well, unfortunately. I also remember the mechanic at the garage at which I worked as a kid, showing me the clutch disc from his MGB - the size of a cup saucer!

Back to Seagulls - my last really good bulletproof engine, a Johnson 4336 (2cyl/4hp) spun it's flywheel and rounded out the head taper because some idiot didn't tighten it well enough.... someone who's done 100's of lawn mowers and garden tractors and a good few outboards.... and who shall remain nameless. He must have neglected to beat the bolt spanner tight with one of those "inertial impact transfer devices".

How long ago did they phase out points in cars? Had to change the coil in my transit this week but now it is a square transformer... looks mighty odd!

put the old villiers carb on and she started 3 pulls and is runnin sweet as a nut and now what can be wrong be wrong with bing carb checked jet is is poss needle adjustment thanks for all repliers really appreciatedlast bit of help please

alan stewart wrote:put the old villiers carb on and she started 3 pulls and is runnin sweet as a nut and now what can be wrong be wrong with bing carb checked jet is is poss needle adjustment thanks for all repliers really appreciatedlast bit of help please

Slow day at work here today... My Bing's set so that the ring clip is in the second groove from the bottom-most on the needle. Most of the time in any carb that's sat around for a bit, a lot of distance can be gained by soaking the whole mess ( taken apart) in some solvent or even Diesel, for a few days.

Another thing to try before doing that is to have the thing attached ready to go and try the tickle button. Does the carburettor flood (leak) as it's supposed to, when you hold the tickle down? That thing actually forces the float downward which allows a different needle type valve to open up full and admit fuel to the point of overflow. If that's not happening, then take off the hose from the tank to the carb at the carb end (small screwdriver) and remove the float hinge pin, float, and the float needle. Shoot some carb cleaner (by means of that plastic straw that they come with) up into the float needle recess as if to back-flush that fuel path. Use caution since cleaner is going to shoot out of the rear of the carb where a hose used to be. Reassemble, noting the slight taper on the float hinge pin that goes in first. Oh, was the strainer between the hose and the carb clear or did it have 'mud' all in it? After full assembly and installed on the engine, try the tickle valve (if that was a problem before). Using traditional Seagull starting instructions, see what happens now.

If you DID have overflow before or if you've completed the above, and the engine did not start or didn't continue running if manually primed first, then soaking is next. Please let us know on Friday how you make out, after reassembly at that point.


-ted

thanks ted very good info and easy to follow up at my caravan tomorrow till tuesday at port haverigg cumbria will feedback next week

thanks to everyone took engine on coniston over weekend and is starting and running fine with all your help another seagull has been saved and i now know to look after her

Alan,

This is great news! Best of luck with your running engine and in all future endeavours.


- Ted

hi ted got time and followed your instructions with cleaning bing carb refitted running great many many thanks

Excellent. Glad to hear that the motor's back on line. Good job indeed, and if you can run it somehow in a bucket of water, etc at least every few months it'll probably never have a problem with the carb again.




-ted

atoyot wrote:

skyetoyman wrote:Atoyot .... Dome nut removal and lifting pulley plate to check points etc. is akin to lifting the bonnet (hood) on your car and taking off the distributor cap. When cars had those things. It is a part of normal servicing and isn't rocket science . (hope I didn,t miss a full stop)

Oh, I'm sure it's neither brain science nor rocket surgery. I remember cars with ignition points/'condensers' very well, unfortunately. I also remember the mechanic at the garage at which I worked as a kid, showing me the clutch disc from his MGB - the size of a cup saucer!

Back to Seagulls - my last really good bulletproof engine, a Johnson 4336 (2cyl/4hp) spun it's flywheel and rounded out the head taper because some idiot didn't tighten it well enough.... someone who's done 100's of lawn mowers and garden tractors and a good few outboards.... and who shall remain nameless. He must have neglected to beat the bolt spanner tight with one of those "inertial impact transfer devices".

Should have been apostrophe not a comma tut tut!

John1952 wrote:Should have been apostrophe not a comma tut tut!

I'm sure Skytoyman is sorry for the error as I was only quoting previous text. Then again, it might have been an apostrophe that simply fell off it's tree limb in all of the excitement.