Sea King Single Carburetor Help

[Tom]

I have a Sea King Single with a carburetor as shown in the diagram. The motor runs but it’s very difficult to start. The carburetor main needle has to be in a very narrow range, perhaps 5 degrees or so. I suspect the reed plate may be the issue, since I know the motor has been apart by… well… not an expert.

It has a reed plate (#30) and a stop plate with a dimple (#28). It also has two different spacers, one thicker than the other. Can someone confirm whether the diagram is correct, or if there was a different version of this carb? Also, where are the two different spacers supposed to go?

As currently assembled, there is no clearance between the reed plate and the dimple on the stop plate, even with the thicker spacer between them. Is the stop plate supposed to keep constant tension on the reed?

Thanks for your help!

Tom

T

[frankr]

Those things varied over the years. Here is 1961. Honestly, I forgot how you determine what “as required” is. Actually, I never worried about it much. They seem to work no matter what you do. The reed probably isn’t your hard start problem anyway.

• This reply was modified 6 years ago by frankr.

[frankr]

So I looked it up in the Gale Service Manual. It sez, “The reed tension is pre-established at the factory with special gages”. The word from here is put it back like you found it and get on with life.

[Tom]

Thanks, Frank. I’ll look for that third plate, which seems to be in both versions of the diagram.

T

[lindy46]

On my 1951 5hp I ended up using only one spacer and she runs fine that way. Make sure to prime it for 8 – 10 seconds before trying to start it.

[Tom]

Well, I got all the way into the carb today, I think the float might have been the problem. It was running very rich, with the main jet open only 1/8 of a turn. I’ve made a new float, and will adjust the fuel level a lot lower than it had been, then give it another try.

Thanks for the responses,

Tom

[Tom]

Pretty sure it was the float… I replaced it, and used the thinner spacer between the reed plate and the stop plate. The motor starts easily and runs quite well. Thanks, folks! T

[Tubs]

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

• This reply was modified 6 years ago by Tubs.
• This reply was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by Tubs.

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