Argo has no power

[turbulence63]

Hello everyone.

Well finally got my 8x8 argo running with the rebuit Kohler 399.

Well....that is... for a little while.

After getting it set up properly i took it out for a test drive and it ran beautifully.
it had lots of power and was able to reach about 25-30 mph. Much faster than the old tehcumseh.

But...on they way back during this test run , the argo slowly began to lose power...and began slowly bogging down ...the more throttle i gave it the more it bogged ...after about a half a KM ...it just died.

I could start it and idle it only for the first 5 min ...but after the first 5 min i could put it in gear but it would barely move when i throttled up.
Eventually i finally got a very slow crawl ...and nursed it back home being careful to use just enough throttle as not to let it bog and shut down. After doing some trouble shooting i could not figure out what went wrong.

these things are all ok

1. both cylinders are firing
2. spark plugs are good
3. compression is 120-130 both cylinders
4. fuel flow is fine
5. filter clean air and fuel

would anyone have any idea what may have malfunctioned or gone wrong?

[amphibious drew]

Did you run new fuel line during the swap? Did you clean the tank before trying the new engine out? Have you cleaned the carb and checked the bowl for junk in it?

[turbulence63]

Carb is clean...all fuel lines are new ..tank was clean...also has a fuel filter at the tank and at the carb. There is no fuel bowl on the carb ..its a Tillitson HR 2A

I was just thinking if the needle inside the carb is stuck or jammed ...but the carb has also just been refurbished with a full carb kit.

not sure what the heck is going on with it, it starts up no problem ...idles fine ...but as you begin to add trottle ...about half way it will lose power and bogg down ...almost like it getting too much gas...so it leading me to think it a carb / fuel problem

Thanks for your reply Amphibious Drew

[guyfox]

Try setting up a gravity feed to your carb and see if it looses power then.....then check your fuel pump......all things might seem find when idling but try them with the machine in n and then idle the machine up....it may be causing an air lock when reeved up and closing off your fuel lines??????

[ARGOJIM]

Do you have a return line hooked up? Is it pinched somewhere?
Did you try to remove fuel cap to see if it is not venting?
Did you fuel mixture screws back out on you?
You may want to pull the carb apart and check for debris.

[turbulence63]

Try setting up a gravity feed to your carb and see if it looses power then.....then check your fuel pump......all things might seem find when idling but try them with the machine in n and then idle the machine up....it may be causing an air lock when reeved up and closing off your fuel lines??????

No external fuel pump for this carb...the carb carries its own pump...uses vacuum from engine...and that set up is all working ok. Gas is being fed normallly to the carb. No blocks.

But as i mentioned it will rev at about half throttle continually but once i go past half it bogss...could be jets backing off...but they haven't really moved any..they would have to move quite a bit to cause such a change in mixture and once set they don't move very easily.

I'll pulled the carb off cleaned and will try again.

[thebuggyman1]

. There is no fuel bowl on the carb ..its a Tillitson
I was just thinking if the needle inside the carb is stuck or jammed ...but the carb has also just been refurbished with a full carb kit.

AH HA, There's your problem. Those things are finicky! You could rebuild that thing 10 times before it works right for you, and then there is no telling how long it will last.
Consider buying a Mikuni and you will be much happier.

[turbulence63]

AH HA, There's your problem. Those things are finicky! You could rebuild that thing 10 times before it works right for you, and then there is no telling how long it will last.
Consider buying a Mikuni and you will be much happier.

Yes ..it has been quite a journey with this carb...trying to get it set up properly. But will a Mikuni fit and be compatible with this kohler 399. The engine is from the 70's.

Had to buy all the parts for the rebuild from a fellow who bought out all of Kohler's 2 stroke stock...since Kohler doesn't produce a 2 stroke any more.

I wouldn't even no what size or model to buy.

I had another idea that may have caused the problem and that the timing advance inside the flywheel. May have broken or jammed...since that is the only part on the engine that wasn't replaced.

[teeko]

Did you get all your parts from Growth Products in Michigan? Thats where I got all of mine. Message Bazooguy for help. He is very knowledgeable with the old 2 strokes. He helped me get my 400 Kohler running again. What kind of gas are you running? Must be premium fuel with little to no ethanol. I had a tilly turn to mush after .5km by running cheap gas. Had to replace all carb bits as well as intake gaskets on the machine. I also could not use the new neeedle jets that came with the carb kit as they were a slightly different profile and caused massine flooding. Put the old ones in and it was fine. Check out my first run on my 400 on youtube at scooterific78. Runs like a champ. Hope some of this helps. If you have any other questions PM me so I get the email alert, otherwise I may miss it as I'm not on here a lot. Very busy at work.

[anotheramature]

Try checking the exhaust port/muffler if it is carboned up it can't let exhaust out it will cause engine to run poorly.