| [GMCnet] Success! [message #340006] |
Tue, 08 January 2019 15:58  |
Ken Henderson
Messages: 8726
Registered: March 2004
Location: Americus, GA
Karma:
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Senior Member |
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A couple of weeks ago, my daughter & SIL bought a vacation home on Lake
Oconee, GA. Their SIL is an avid fisherman, so immediately started wanting
a fishing boat. In the Land-Sea container I had a little-used 25+ year old
Tanaka 3 hp 2-stroke motor which I used on my 16' canoe back "before GMC"
(content).
A few days ago, I dug out the motor and cleaned it up, intending to take it
to the lake last weekend. I remembered that the plastic gas tank had a
leak, so I attacked it with a soldering iron and apparently repaired it.
As it worked out, we had to skip that trip, so the motor sat in the shop,
having not been run for at least 15 years. I'd thought it would fire right
up when filled with gas. Today I decided to test that hypothesis and put a
few ounces of gas mixture in it -- the leak fix held. But nope on
starting. I could hardly pull the rope and doing so brought forth no loud
noises.
So, I checked the good-as-new spark plug and tried some more. Nope.
Hmmm. Pull the gas line from the tank to the shutoff valve. Can't blow
through it, so squirt brake cleaner in it. No workee! Run a piece of wire
through it -- yuuckk! FULL of thick black goop. Who'd have thought 40:1
gas mixture would make a mess like that in only 15-20 years? With that
cleared, I tried again. Still no noise.
So, I disassembled the shutoff valve (fortunately, a simple task requiring
only a #1 Phillips screwdriver) and poked & washed more goop out of it.
Try again. STILL not there. Clean the line from the valve to the
carburetor -- brake cleaner sprayed right through that, so on to the carb.
This whole motor is a treat to work on! Everything's screwed or bolted or
clipped together. The carb's held on with one metal-to-metal sleeve
clamped in place with a single screw. Relieve the torque on the screw and
the carb can go to the work bench. Even that's trivially simple to
disassemble, wash, and reassemble.
Finally back together with the gas tank re-rubber-banded in place, the
hoses spring-clipped back on, and all the Phillips tightened (I ain't about
to admit how many times I R&R'd the cowling after forgetting fittings).
Open the gas valve, set the choke and throttle, and yank the cord:
DRRROWWWLLL! Sounds like 50 hp, not 3! (not even a water tank for a
muffler). Hooray!
I only ran it for 3-5 minutes -- no use pressing my luck. When the Grand
SIL and I finally get together at the lake, I'll have to tear the whole
thing down again. Seems he was raised without a father, so knows NOTHING
mechanical -- but catches on fast -- so we'll have seminar before he
launches off onto the big lake alone.
So proud, just had to share! :-)
Ken H.
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Ken Henderson
Americus, GA
www.gmcwipersetc.com
Large Wiring Diagrams
76 X-Birchaven
76 X-Palm Beach
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