08-JUN-03- Here we go again



Sunday 08-JUN-03. Went out again this evening to try and work out my engine problems. I just cruised back and forth across the river between Glenwood and Appleton. I went out to the Glenwood dock about 6:30PM. The water had finally receeded enough to launch from there.

I put Little Squirt in the water and rowed out a little way and fiddled with the engine. At first it would not start. I had to row the boat away from shore a couple of times. The wind kept blowing me back in. You may wonder why I don't start it at the dock. My 1966 engine has no neutral. When you start it the engine runs at close to full speed. I'm not that comftable with it yet. Oh yes back to subject. I was trying to start the engine and it wouldn't start. I then tried something novel and turned the gas on. A couple of pulls later it started without a hitch.

Now for the big question. Can I keep it going. The engine always start to fail after about 15 or 20 minutes. Earlier the engine guy who worked on it for me suggested that the engine may not be getting enough air and started to die out when the air in the carborator is used up. Being a complete idiot with engines I searched the engine looking for some way to adjust the air flow. I had found a small hole just above the gas trim knob. In that hole was some kind of adjusting screw. I had bought a screwdrive just the right size to go through that hole and adjust that screw. I tightened the screw completely then turned it 1 1/1 turns out. A coworker suggested earlier that this would be a good setting to start at. The engine seemed to run more smoothly. I then started to cruise. Back and forth across the river.

The engine still would not work well at anything but close to full throttle but it was running. It died out once but I was trying to idle it at the time. It ran smoothly for close to an hour and died out. I checked the gas tank and it was nearly empty. I'm hoping that is why the engine died and not my mysterious problem. I restarted the engine, and ran it for a minute or so to get back close to the dock. I then rowed her in the rest of the way and tied her up.

There was someone else ahead of me bringing his boat in and he was have a great deal of trouble getting his 20ft boat onto the trailer. We talked while he worked. Once he finished a got the Squirt out of the water and got home about 8:30PM. I had completed my first successful engine test with the gas engine.



CLICK HERE FOR MAIN PAGE