www.iFourWinns.com

For those of you who have stone age boats like mine with carbs, its a good idea to clean that choke linkage as part of your yearly tune up. I was starting to have a problem with the choke not closing all the way even though I had replaced the thermostatic spring a few years back. As it turns out it does not take much of a build up of dirt, oil etc on the choke linkage shaft to cause sticking and the spring is then not strong enough to pull it fully closed.
Also if you have a Rochester Quadrajet (actually a very good carb when set up right) adjusting the choke on these (with the divorced style choke with the thermostatic spring on the intake manifold) involves bending the choke rod to get it to close all the way. Lastly if you have a sticky thermostat that never closes and the engine runs too cool, the choke will never open all the way since it depends on exhaust heat in the intake manifold exhaust crossover to heat the thermo spring.

Those of you with EFI boats can ignore Lou's pre-historic history lesson, but it is quite quaint to be able to fix things by bending a rod and then watching it work (use compressed air on the spring to make it close, a heat gun to make it open).

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Lou,
To me that post reads like a fine novel, not a history book.
We should start a poll to see how many have a timing light and a dwell tach in their tool box.

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1999 180 Horizon LS 4.3 L GL Volvo SX
1994 Powerstroke
2002 Jeep Wrangler
not@work.gon
Happiness is an Empty Boat Trailer!!!

That would be me....
I also have my allen wrench flex tool to adjust the Delco-Remy distributor points thru the little metal window you slide up--last used on my parents 1972 Chevy Impala 350/2bbl
And a combination 9/16ths & 1/2 in crow foot wrench to loosen the distributor hold down (9/16ths for Chevy, 1/2 for Ford)....
And the flex tool to adjust the mixture screws on the Rochester Q-Jet....that I still use....

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Only nerds play with Scan Tools!

_________________
2011 Four Winns H180 SS.
Aussie built Mustang 2800.
SOLD - 1997 Four Winns Horizon RS

I have all the above mentioned tools. This spring I had to tune up an old MC 140 and couldn't find my feeler gauge set. Snap On and Mac tools couldn't get me a set. Only Matco could.

And yes Lou, Q-jets are great carburetors when clean and properly set up.

_________________
07 Azure AZ200,
Previous boat,
95 278 Vista,
And a lot of others.

Ontario, Canada

Glad I still have mine LOL...
feeler gauges....reminds me of setting valve clearances on air cooled VWs, which was a critical adjustment.... .004" intakes and .006" exhaust...I also had to adjust valves on a 1980 Honda Civic (1st new car) and an '82 Mazda 626 2 liter 4 cylinder. The Honda was pretty easy, because you could set it cold like the VWs, but the Mazda had to be set hot and you had to get it done before the engine cooled off. Last car I ever had to check valve adjustment on was my '89 Toyota Corolla GTS twin cam, these used bucket tappets with a shim style adjustment. That is, you actually had to use a special tool to depress the tappet because if the adjustment was off you had to change shims. Lucky none of them had to be changed, LOL...

I also had a set of go-no go feeler gauges where the thinner section would slide easily in, but the thicker section would not. That was good for people who could never get the feel of using a regular feeler gauge.

Modern vehicles, I have not really had to use them...I only use them on the boat when I set the points...then check with the dwell meter...

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

All of my boats have had carburetors. Even my "New" one (year 2000). Last year I rebuilt my Holley Carb for Preventative Maintenance. Went smoothly, just took my time (and I did not install the accelerator pump diaphragm that came in the Volvo kit because it was not the ethanol compatible green one).

I have a timing light, but have not used a dwell meter for decades.

My 2006 Honda Accord just past 100k miles, and has never needed a tuneup... how boring

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"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings

I drove a '67 Bug for a couple of years and would LOVE to have that car back. Yeah, valve adjustment every 1-2 years. And new tail pipes every 2 years and new running boards from JC Whitney every year . But I loved that car. I always wanted to convert it to dual Webbers but those were the days when I was lucky to afford gas at .80/gallon.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Mike I had 2 air cooled VWs at the same time and 1 good engine between them...
1956 VW made into a Dune Buggy
1965 Beetle
I used to swap the engine with the seasons LOL

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Ever change a belt guys?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQhfcdQf1QA

_________________
07 Azure AZ200,
Previous boat,
95 278 Vista,
And a lot of others.

Ontario, Canada

LOL, never did that but when the starter solenoid would pitch a fit, I used to go up front, turn the ignition to ON, then go around back and put a 13/16th socket on an extension, and put that on a 3/8ths drive ratchet. Then put the socket on the generator pulley nut. Pump the gas a few times and cranked it over with the ratchet like a lawnmower. Started up every time!

Another funny VW quirk, when the shrouding on the heater boxes started to rust out a bit, if you drove through deep water, it would make steam come out of the defroster vents!
And we used to goof on our English teacher in high school by taking off the brake of his bug and turning it round from the way he parked it, then waiting for him to come out to see his reaction.
Fun times...
I could drop out a VW engine in about an hr back then. I reinforced a mechanics creeper to take the weight, put 2 scissors jacks on the creeper and and a 2'x2' square piece of 1/2" plywood on top of that, then roll it under the bug. Next, disconnect the fuel line, wiring harness, and throttle cable. Next, remove the belt, fan housing, generator and mount. Then jack up the jacks to get the board flush with the bottom of the engine. Next remove the 4 nuts holding the engine to the transaxle. Now pull the engine back, till the input shaft from the trans clears the clutch plate. Jack engine down, as far as you can get it. Next get your two brothers, one on each rear fender, to lift the rear of the VW up while you roll the engine on the creeper out.....
With my Dune Buggy of course it was much easier, all I had to remove was the air cleaner housing and it just slid right out.

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Wow!

_________________


Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic