Saving Old Seagulls

Hi all. This is just a quick introduction and to say Hi.

I recently bought this engine which had been stood for ten years and got it started two days later after cleaning the carb and electrics. It took 20 pulls and a squirt of maintenance oil. i was chuffed as I had been after a seagull to restore and use on my dinghy for some time but have spent the last 3 years restoring a 1972 vw Westfalia camper so it has been on the back burner during that time - The fact is I have a perfectly serviceable Mercury 2.2 that i use for my river camping trips so I was in no rush - yet i still bought my seagull in haste after spotting it on ebay for £50 and a non runner to boot.

This is it - it is running well now - it is hunting a little but I guess that's a sticky float or carb jets?

I do not know what model it is or the size but I guess it is a 73 from the GG3 at the end of the id stamp.





Wipac magneto





As i say just a quick introduction for now as i work nights and am off to the land of nod in a mo - But if anyone can tell me what I what engine I have i would be very appreciative

Malc

Im thinking it maybe a WSL because it has a long shaft on it. Welcome to the forum. There are plenty of people on here who are a wealth of info from all parts of the globe.

http://www.saving-old-seagulls.co.uk/i_ ... WSL1153GG3

1650bullet wrote:Im thinking it maybe a WSL because it has a long shaft on it. Welcome to the forum. There are plenty of people on here who are a wealth of info from all parts of the globe.

http://www.saving-old-seagulls.co.uk/i_ ... WSL1153GG3

Thank you for that link. I am thinking you are right in which case I could have the mix wrong as i have been running 25/1 the same as my Mercury as i had some fuel in my can at the ready

I have just had the float out and given it a wipe to help clear the hunting but it has made no difference. perhaps i will make the fuel leaner and report back.

Thanks again.

10-1 is what you should be running in that model. You can buy a 25-1 conversion kit for them (Just have to swap over jets) but they don't run properly. I have never been a big fan of running different fuel and oil ratios from what they should be for that reason you said.

1650bullet wrote:10-1 is what you should be running in that model. You can buy a 25-1 conversion kit for them (Just have to swap over jets) but they don't run properly. I have never been a big fan of running different fuel and oil ratios from what they should be for that reason you said.

I am happy using the specified mix tbh. I will get her up and running properly and then set about making her shine - I am looking forward to that bit

Do you guys think it may be too powerful for a fibreglass 10ft dinghy pushing just me my lad Will and our camping gear- It appears to be 4.5 hp and capable of pushing much larger loads - Does the fact you can adjust the height from the water help in a dinghy or is it just too big for the job?

What is the horsepower rating on the dinghy? If no rating present and you know the manufacturer ask them. Or you can use the explainations and formulas on page two of the below document and guesstimate a safe rating. As you will see length and load is not enough info for anyone on here to make suggestion.

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/education_ ... ilders.pdf

your engine will produce nothing like 4.5 HP.

I use a tuned up silver century on a boat slightly small than your, and it is not over powered.

Stick it on the back and try it, fully loaded you will be doing about 7mph or less I would guess.

H-A

Thanks all - my boat is 9ft x 4' 5" so i guess it is ok - i have videoed the starting so may pop that up when i have uploaded to youtube .

Thanks again for putting up with my novice questions

This is the video Promised - nothing exciting but it shows the basic workings of my engine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdQXi4Rq98c

It looks like its running as it should, no more smoke than normal for a Seagull. The smoke is more noticeable when running in a bin. You might want to tighten up the tiller holding nut, until it will hold its position with the motor running. Normally set level horizontal to the motor, gives you fine tuning of the motor speed, lift up above level for faster, below level for slower.
The float chamber of the carb should be closest to the fuel tank, but no big deal, just does not stretch the fuel line as much, maybe looks a little better, opinion only.

Glad you got it going, that gives you a real buzz.

phil wrote:
The float chamber of the carb should be closest to the fuel tank, but no big deal, just does not stretch the fuel line as much, maybe looks a little better, opinion only.

Looks OK to me http://www.saving-old-seagulls.co.uk/i_ ... entury.jpg

I would say with the water flow that you have, it may be wise to have the head off if you plan on using this engine seriously.

I would expect flow like this

But only remove the head if you are confident that you will be able to deal with a broken head bolt.

H-A

Thanks again for the advice and tips.

I understand the water pumping thing obviousy there doesn't seem to be constant stream from the outlet but is the head off option tthe only option or is there other things i could try firstie back flush etc?

I have read somewhere something saying never remove the head?

Malc

poptop2 wrote: Is the head off option the only option, or is there other things I could try first back flush etc?

I have read somewhere something saying never remove the head?

Malc

It looks like your engine may have had some salt water use, If it were mine I would take the head off and clean the water passages.

You can try other methods, but my view is they have limited success. Your video shows little wisps of steam from the outlet, that is a worry, and I think shows you have restricted flow.

If you are only using this engine for short fun trips it may be OK, but you did mention "camping gear", so it looks like you want to use it seriously.

Look back through the forums previous posts, there are loads of examples.

H-A

Point taken ta.

Any tips on head removal that may avoid shearing the studs?