Ruddertwin troubleshooting

[Waunaboat]

Hello.  I was able to take one of my model C ruddertwins (the one in my profile picture) out for a spin today, but had issues keeping it running.  In the past, I have been able to get it to run for around 30 seconds on a stand, stopping with the stop button beyond that to prevent overheating.  That being said, today I also tested it on a stand, and I was only able to have success after leaving it for around an hour; however, later today I tested it on the water for the first time, and It ran for around 10 seconds on high speed with the spark advance lever turned to the fast speed side, but then started going slower and conked out after about 20-30 seconds total run time.  Following this, I tried starting it at least a few dozen times, but only succeeded in consistently getting the motor to fire with the flywheel rocking back and fourth much like the Lanz Bulldog tractor. I do not think it has much to do with ignition, as I have found that it sparks at least 95% of the times the points connect in both cylinders, which I would not think to cause so many issues.  The primary reason I could think of would be that I have not yet figured out the right carb needle adjustment.  Does anybody have further advice or pictures and advice on fuel mixture adjustments.  I have heard that they like a rich mixture, and was able to have a bit more luck with the needle more unscrewed, which I assume is a richer mixture.

"Outboards seem to multiply exponentially..........I find that for every finished project, there are two more waiting to be completed."

[Tubs]

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When starting any cold motor, normally a richer mixture is required. As it warms up the amount of fuel will need to be reduced to where the motor runs best. The only adjustment you mention is going richer, after the motor stopped running. A symptom of a  Super Elto being flooded is the flywheel only bouncing back and forth, when trying to start one. When I am having a problem getting any motor started, I will close the mixture screw all the way and pull the motor over till it starts and cleans itself out. If after a dozen try’s, it  doesn’t start, I assume it’s not getting enough fuel and open the mixture screw more. If its still not responding, I’ll take out the plugs to see if they are wet. If they are, I’ll spin the motor over 6 or 8 times, put the plugs back in, and with the mixture screw closed, start the motor, and let it clean itself out. If the plugs are dry, I’ll squirt in some fuel and try to get a motor to start. This is my approach to finding the correct fuel mixture for starting or running, although not always in this order. If there is no indication that a motor is trying to start, I would suspect there is some other issue. I doubt anyone has done a fuel to air ratio caparison on any of the pre WW-II motors, so how would one know that Super Eltos require a “richer” fuel to air ratio compared to any other motor?

A "Boathouse Repair" is one that done without having tools or the skills to do it properly.

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