fatbillybob
Steelhead
My daily driver is a ram 2500 diesel 4x4
Utter failure. I suck.
- Thread starter Matt B
- Start date
My daily driver is a ram 2500 diesel 4x4
I wish I could say this story is over, but I finally had a chance for sea trials today, and it ran like crap. Once it was warmed up, it wanted to die at idle (and did) and was hard to re start, and I had to fiddle with a choke adjustment to keep it running at all. It wasn’t just an idle speed adjustment either because I tried that. Something ain’t right with this carb.
smc
Guppy Chow
Might not be the carb. Have you changed the fuel filter? Fuel pump would also be on the likely suspect list.
Bummer dude, that's the shits fir sure.
Back to the shop before the humpies start in earnest
It's not too late to invite PNWFF intelligentsia to meet for drinks and dissect your motor issues.
Here’s the rundown. Before I took it off the trailer, I got it running and starting consistently with the choke open, cold motor. Then I parked the trailer and ran it high speed for about 10-15 minutes. When I idled down, it died and was hard to restart. Once I got it running with a combo of choking and using the throttle to keep it from dying, I ran all the way back to the launch. No issues at high speed. The launch was empty so I tied up and first fiddled with the idle screw. Idle up. Then I figured out I could consistently start it only by first full choking it and pulling. Then close the choke, and pull, and use the throttle to keep it from dying. At first the idle was way too high so I backed it off.
Same as above. Keep in mind the motor is warm. Full choke, pull, result is half start. Close choke and pull and hit the throttle before it dies. Then slightly open the choke and it will run at a high idle. If I close the choke, it dies.
At one point it almost seemed like it was humming at the right idle speed and then died. So I know what that is and it can do it. It’s so close. Just not quite right.
I was able to reproduce all this at home, too. I can start it, but it just isn’t quite right.
I started off this fix of running rough, dying at idle and hard starting by replacing spark plugs and fuel filter already. I haven’t considered the fuel pump. Does that jibe with the above symptoms?
It’s so close, I feel like it is some adjustment on the carb maybe?
I coulda swore I saw a bit of fuel on the outside of the carb. I thought I might be a result of all the full choke starting. Think it could be a sign of some other issue? How important is the seal on the gaskets on each side of the carb? One of them was slightly compromised, usable but barely, and the shop apparently re-used them both.
Same as above. Keep in mind the motor is warm. Full choke, pull, result is half start. Close choke and pull and hit the throttle before it dies. Then slightly open the choke and it will run at a high idle. If I close the choke, it dies.
At one point it almost seemed like it was humming at the right idle speed and then died. So I know what that is and it can do it. It’s so close. Just not quite right.
I was able to reproduce all this at home, too. I can start it, but it just isn’t quite right.
I started off this fix of running rough, dying at idle and hard starting by replacing spark plugs and fuel filter already. I haven’t considered the fuel pump. Does that jibe with the above symptoms?
It’s so close, I feel like it is some adjustment on the carb maybe?
I coulda swore I saw a bit of fuel on the outside of the carb. I thought I might be a result of all the full choke starting. Think it could be a sign of some other issue? How important is the seal on the gaskets on each side of the carb? One of them was slightly compromised, usable but barely, and the shop apparently re-used them both.
I’ll do anything at this point. Almost anything. (I’m looking at you @wadin boot, you won’t get me wearing strong perfume and swimming Brian’s beaches just to freak him out.) Sign up below, and we will find a time and I’ll feed and hydrate you.
Hey, make sure the float isn't sticking in the carburetor. You might want to tear that sucker down again, at least open the float bowl, and make sure there nothing hanging it up. Had a car, Le Baron, that had a piece of teflon break loose and gum upped the works in the float boat. Had to have 1 foot on the break and 1 foot on the gas going around corners until we got that fixed.
Well no, not at my local boat launch anyway.
I do have oars for the little smoker craft along with other human powered backup options, when they do arrive.
I was thinking something sounded familiar and then you mentioned the seals on each side. Your symptoms sound like something i had delt with before where there was a gasket leaking in air between the carb and motor.
Or similar to the guy who didn't have the hose between the carb and vac advance on the distributor.
Too much air in both situations and they only ran wide open, lots of choke tweaking below that.
Sounds like you got fire, if the fuel is right, it's breathing.
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BriGuy
Life of the Party
One quick easy test for the questionable gasket:
1. Start the engine and get it running at idle (reproduce the rough Idle).
2. Spray the gasket with carb cleaner. Quick squirt on the sections you suspect might not be sealing.
3. If the idle improves or the engine RPM increases, you're sucking air through the gasket. You should not notice any difference when you spray.
Hope it helps. Spraying carb cleaner at a running carb or intake manifold is a time-honored tradition for locating vacuum leaks. It is also a time-honored method of starting a fire, so use spatingly.
1. Start the engine and get it running at idle (reproduce the rough Idle).
2. Spray the gasket with carb cleaner. Quick squirt on the sections you suspect might not be sealing.
3. If the idle improves or the engine RPM increases, you're sucking air through the gasket. You should not notice any difference when you spray.
Hope it helps. Spraying carb cleaner at a running carb or intake manifold is a time-honored tradition for locating vacuum leaks. It is also a time-honored method of starting a fire, so use spatingly.
I salmon fished the Sound from my canoe this morning. I put in about 4 hours. Lost track of time with the nice overcast weather. I did get a follow to the boat from a mature salmon but did not get an ID. I could’ve dip-netted the darn thing If I’d have been ready.