Fuel will run out of the bowl drain screw. I have not played with it for a couple of weeks now (waiting for my fingers to heal up, from pulling it). Do you know if there is anything between the carb and the cylinder?

 

Just that metal elbow, and potentially the intake restrictor if it hasn't been removed.

It's good that fuel comes out of the drain screw, but I'd still confirm the plug is getting wet. Nothing else matters if the plug isn't seeing fuel. On the other end of the spectrum, since you're sure fuel is getting to the carb... perhaps the needle+seat is stuck open, and the carb is flooding the engine. Do you smell fuel when trying to start it?

 

The restrictor has been removed, and the elbow has been opened up to alow more flow. I will check the plug, hopefully this afternoon and let you know what I find. If I hold the carb upright in my hand and attempt to blow through where the fuel line goes, I can with a little restriction. If I turn the carb upsidedown and try to blow, It want let me. This is how I have checked needle+seat issues in the past.

 

Unfortunately, that sounds fine (which means we still don't have a clue what's going on).

It will be interesting to know what you see on the plug.

 

Ok, I just got in from the barn. I checked the fuel tank and it was basicly empty. I had left the valve on prime, but dont know why the fuel would have leaked out. I removed the sparkplug and noted it to be very dry and a light brown/gray color. I added some fuel, turned valve back to prime and loosened the bowl drain screw and fuel ran out. I applied the choke and lightly pressed the throttle and pulled it 25 times, then I took a break and pulled it 25 more times. It never attempted to crank. I pulled the sparkplug out and it was just as dry as it was the first time.

 

There's your answer, as predicted: Fuel delivery. Obviously we don't know the root cause, but that engine is never going to run until you get some fuel into it!

Time to dig back into the carb. The answer has to be there. If you get fuel in the bowl but none to the cylinder, there's no one else left to blame.

Let us know what you find!

 

Thanks waatv for your guidence. I had never took the time to check it this way before. But couldnt a fuel delivery problem be related to the engine not having enough suction to make the carb work? That is what I was leaning towards when I originally posted this topic. Your advice here would be greatly appreciated. I had thought about rebuilding the carb, probably ought to go ahead and do it anyway, dont you think?

 

Yes, I would presume so. There is no fuel pump on that engine so it relies exclusively on intake vacuum. That correlates wtih your reduction in compression, which leads me right back to my original theory that something is wrong with your rebuild. But if you're getting ANY compression at all I'd think you'd get some moisture on the plug.

I suggest checking the pilot and main jets again. Remove them from the carb and look through them at a bright light to make sure they are unobstructed. Make sure their recesses in the carb are clean, too. Blow everything out with compressed air. If the pilot jet were blocked, for example, all the intake vacuum in the world wouldn't pull fuel into the carb throat.

Report back!

 

WAATV, I feel good about the last time I was in the carb. But, I believe I am going to go ahead and order new gaskets and all for it, and rebuild it (carb) being there is obviously a fuel delivery problem. Maybe I have been in it too much and the gaskets arent holding there own? I will get everything ordered and installed as soon as possible and report back with what I find.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: WAATV

I've rebuilt that carb a couple of times. They're not complicated, but the one tricky thing I found was the float. The manual's instructions and photo for setting the float height were useless. I had to fiddle with it a while to get it right.</end quote></div>

WAATV, which parts to you consider needed, to rebuild this carb? I did a online check, and the parts I considered needed, where only $10 cheaper than buying a whole new carb. I can get a complete new carb for around $80.