Saving Old Seagulls

helo i have just become the proud owner of my third seagull to add to the collection a silver century 4.5 hp.
my collection is as follows.
silver century plus.
silver century/ osprey. wspcl1210dd6
and now silver century wsl981ggf (beautiful)
jugeing by the condition it has done nothing stickers still on tank touch faded, paint work good.
i have had it running after cleaning rusty contact breakers, cleaned carb out that was like new inside jets clear, new plug fitted.
10 to 1 fuel.
it starts after 3rd pull but does not reach full revs at a guess about 70% after a minute it starts to die but then picks up.(fuel starvation but all seems well)
i set points to 20 thou through the inspection hole i tried the points at different gaps ie 15 though to 50 no better.
also tried 25 to 1 mix no luck. Any ideas would be a great help this seagull is one to save. will post some pics of it.
garry

Hi Garry

well done on getting this far.
Which motor are we talking about here. I'd guess the WS motor?
Which carb is fitted? Amal or Villiers?
Do you have any pics?

Start with the basics again. Check the ignition system from top to bottom again. (remove the flywheel if you have to BUT BE CAREFULL with this. Plenty of info on the main site that shows removal of the flywheel) Double check everything under the flywheel. Again different types of ignition, so we really need some pics.
Then check all the connections that hold the carb to the block. A loose fitting connection here will cause running problems.
Check to see if there is sufficient fuel flow through the carb (need to know which carb you have)

jon

hi Jon thanks for reply,
i will post some pics later today. the carb is amal and ignition is wipac mk2.
all conections on fuel are sound i will try remove fly wheel also today and with out a puller
will post any findings soon.
garry.

Check fuel filter in tank, on end of fuel tap. Check air vent in fuel tank cap.

hi Michael i was unaware of filter in tank, should have know as my lister petter engine has a filter in the fuel tap. cheers.
just tried to remove fly wheel lots of wd and left over night to soak medium taps with wooden mallet while suspending fly wheel
not sure if my eye sight is tricking me very slight bend on thread not shaft 0.5mm. next step heat, how much heat do i use as i do not wish to fry the cdi hair dryer/plumbers lamp
do i need to remove base plate screw to remove fly wheel.
thanks for your reply s. kind regards garry.

DONT USE ANY HEAT for now (only as a last resort)

Try and get hold of a small ball bearing firstly. (sounds odd but it works)
Remove the flywheel nut completely along with the plastic rope pulley.
Look at the top of the crankshaft and you will see an "indent" on the top. Place your ball bearing in this "indent" and refit your flywheel nut.(basically the ball bearing will help to drive the impact force straight down the crankshaft and release the taper joint without stripping the thread)
Make sure your piston is at BDC (furthest away from the spark plug hole)
Ideally grab an assistant for this next bit.
Have your assistant apply upward force on the flywheel itself (there's 2 handy little holes in the top of the flywheel if your assistant is feeling brave )
and whilst applying upwards force, give the top of the nut a really good whack with a metal hammer. (avoiding any stray fingers and hands that might be in the way )
Light blows will get you nowhere fast, you need the impact directly applied onto the taper. You've already soaked everything in wd40 which is a good start.

See how it goes

jon

well my proud trio, or the family. these engines are addictive.
the strong but simple build means the diy chap will stand a chance at tinkering with them great fun i may add. i also have 3 lister pettersac1 series2 with s.o.m gear box just like the seagull simple and bullet proof.
i have a love of old things they are just nice to own. i have collected over the years 104 antique clocks age from 1750 to 1930, bracket, mantel. wall and grandfather.sorry none for sale.
thanks for all your help to date guys

Something else you could try to help remove the flywheel.
Where the 2 access holes are in the flywheel, see if you can thread some rope through 1 hole and out the other. Suspend the motor from a rafter (if you have anything like that near you) and with the weight of the motor suspended by the rope, this will give you the upward force on the flywheel leaving 2 hands free for the more delicate operation of hitting the flywheel nut (with no stray hands or fingers to hit )

These wipac magnetos are pretty good really, although there have been a few instances where they have failed. In order to clean things up properly you've got to get that flywheel off first before you do anything else.
See how you get on

jon

Wipac flywheels were cast from a Marzak type material, so tend to be a lot more brittle than their Villiers older brothers.

The big hole version is/was very prone to leaving the middle behind still stuck on the crankshaft, I've broken a very stuck, small hole model, that a friend was supporting by the rim, just like Seagull recommend, so take great care to hit the nut square, there are a lot of Seagulls with a wiggle on the flywheel nut.

once again guys thank you for taking the time to reply.
regards garry

2 pairs of hands are always better than 1.
Dont struggle. Do it properly the first time.
Good and square on the nut and give it "what for" (use the ball bearing trick on the top of the crank, it helps)
(never been a problem for me in the past but there's always a first time for everything)

jon