Saving Old Seagulls

Hi,

Read all the FAQs etc. and I am just going to put together an order for some parts, just want some advice on what I need to make it a single shop order rather than little bits and bobs.

Its a Featherweight, sold as running but leaking fuel.

We powered it up in a water butt.

1. It runs almost flat out! - no throttle control

2. No cooling water comes through

3. How can I stop the engine gracefully! (I had to put my hand over the intake). Is there any way to wire in a kill cord - I can only see a high tension circuit, not a low tension one.

Here is the engine...



I am going to buy the workshop manual, but in its absence I guess this is the remains of an air filter?
What bits should I buy to fix this?


One of the mounting clamps is broken, I guess I can weld a bit of metal across the end



The aim of the engine is to power my sons small boat project. It appears ideal for this except for the large piece of rotating hardware on top of the engine! Is there a cover available for this when running to stop him touching it? (I know this is a heresy for those restoring to original but this engine has been bought to do a job)



No sign of a fuel leak (yet!)

It can only run flat out if the throttle is stuck open. Strip clean and free up moving parts of carb and control

No water may be because the butt was too small. take the prop off and make sure the water pump is submerged.

Try pressing a hose against the outlet to see if you can get a flow through the engine. If not the cooling system is blocked.

I have an idea there is no diagram of the Villiers carb on the website. If not here is one



There no stop button on a Seagull. Close fuel tap and wait,or adjust throttle control so that it stops when closed or when finely adjusted it is possible to set it so that it idles while the tiller is horizontal and stops when lowered.

Is fuel leaking? If the float chamber is overflowing then float could be damaged but judging from the overall look of it most likey the needle valve is stuck.

have you been able to ID the year from the number

its number is F249J4 which indicates a 1964 engine

Martin

watch out that dodgy looking string doesn't get stuck in ...best to get a proper starter with a rubber handle .....yes weld it if its steel
they don't have air filters ...that bit of plastic is normal...but broken
as advised take off the prop to test in butt....but dont rev to high!

Had a bit more of a fiddle today. Took the prop off to see if that helped the cooling water flow (or lack of it)

Still no cooling water.

Is this where it is supposed to exit???



Where does it enter?? Here??




Or here?? (is this the exhaust?)

Water goes in here:



.........................................................................................

Comes out here .. all of it. It's not just a telltale



..........................................................................................

Exhaust comes out here



............................................................................................

Hold a hose over the water outlet hole and see if you can get a flow through the engine. If you cannot then the system is blocked.

PM sent

Many thanks, that answers a lot, looks like it is blocked so I will go and get the kettle "de-fur" stuff from B&Q

Thanks

Martin

No one has yet come up with a satisfactory way of "de-furring" a Seagull cylinder block, that didn't involve removing the cylinder head.

Hence everyone trying to get you to confirm that it is blocked, if you can't get water through it try compressed air. Salt has been known to create a seal at the top of the water delivery pipe, next to the exhaust port

If air doesn't find a path, follow the route the water takes, to ensure it is the water jacket that is causing the problem, cleaning all the bits you check.

The water outlet hole looks pretty clean for a furred cylinder, unless you've been poking things up there, thinking that's where the problem lay.