Please help me! Pulling my hair out!

[smudvapor]

Okay guys, I have a week before we go to the Fall Ride. I have a JLO 440. It had a Walbro on it but the engine gave me trouble, it started when it wanted. Everyone at the spring ride told me that Walbro was junk and Mikuni was the way to go. Here I am three months and two Mikuni’s later and my engine runs like crap (when it wants to). I have put new points in it, put new gaskets and seals in it, and checked the timing. If I had to bet I would say it is not the engine. Now the carb, no matter what I do I get too much gas. The gas drips out of the exhaust like water. I can get the engine to start after turning it over about 100 times and pulling the plugs and cleaning them off about every 5 turns. What the heck is wrong? It is driving me friggin crazy and I only have a week to go. I am seriously starting to toy with getting some hotdogs and having an Attex roast in my back yard.

[amphibious drew]

Don't burn it! I'll trade you for some firewood. I bet your float is stuck or you need to run a return line for the fuel.

[smudvapor]

Don't burn it! I'll trade you for some firewood. I bet your float is stuck or you need to run a return line for the fuel.

Joe H and I pulled it apart and checked the float. I don't think there is a return line on this.

[msafi65]

My experience with 2 strokes that start hard and load up are usually low compression. Anything below 90 lb. will be questionable.

[thebuggyman1]

Even if you don't get it running, Bring it! There are a lot of smart people and one ME showing up that could help out.
2 strokes very often have a large gas puddle in the bottom of the motor that hasn't made it to the cylinders yet.....cleaning/drying the plugs may not be enough.
Most motors have some kind of drain on the bottom, try opening that to empty it out.....if you have done that already, look at your fuel pump.
I had a problem at Ash. in June where the stock KEI HIN carb flooded with a briggs fuel pump. I went back to the KEI HIN pump only to find out that carb had been molested by the previous owner. So I borrowed a Mikuni.....it wouldn't run with the KEI HIN pump....went back to the briggs. Got the thing running great....till the plastic fuel pump split open.
Moral of the story: I hate 2 strokes

[smudvapor]

Has great compression.

My experience with 2 strokes that start hard and load up are usually low compression. Anything below 90 lb. will be questionable.

[MAX IV Mark]

couple more ideas.
ripped diaphragm in fuel pump can load the bottom end up with fuel. Did you shake your floats to make sure they didn't have gas inside of them. I have seen primer lines hooked up wrong and feeding raw fuel into carb before. Does the carb seem to only pull air inward, or can you see it burping a mist of fuel out also? Restricted exhaust will cause that and foul the plugs because it cant breath.

[Joe H]

Even if you don't get it running, Bring it! There are a lot of smart people and one ME showing up that could help out.
2 strokes very often have a large gas puddle in the bottom of the motor that hasn't made it to the cylinders yet.....cleaning/drying the plugs may not be enough.
Most motors have some kind of drain on the bottom, try opening that to empty it out.....if you have done that already, look at your fuel pump.
I had a problem at Ash. in June where the stock KEI HIN carb flooded with a briggs fuel pump. I went back to the KEI HIN pump only to find out that carb had been molested by the previous owner. So I borrowed a Mikuni.....it wouldn't run with the KEI HIN pump....went back to the briggs. Got the thing running great....till the plastic fuel pump split open.
Moral of the story: I hate 2 strokes

Sounds like you could of had all of the same problems with a four stroke, I don't see anything two stroke specific other than being able to drain the fuel out of the crankcase.

[thebuggyman1]

Sounds like you could of had all of the same problems with a four stroke, I don't see anything two stroke specific other than being able to drain the fuel out of the crankcase.

Yup Joe, as always, you are right. 2 strokes just bring back traumatic memories of my childhood where if I wanted to play with the snowmobiles it meant you pull, and pull, and pull, and either, and pull, and pull...........

[jerseybigfoot]

Keep in mind Mikuni's have a needle/seat for gravity and another for pump. A sled Mikuni is what you want. Also make sure you have a bright spark. A bad coil could give you a intermittent problem.

[smudvapor]

When I get it started I do get a blast of gas out of the carb. I have not checked the fuel pump. I just figured since it was pumping gas it was good. there is only one fuel line going in to the carb so there is no way I could confuse it with another.

couple more ideas.
ripped diaphragm in fuel pump can load the bottom end up with fuel. Did you shake your floats to make sure they didn't have gas inside of them. I have seen primer lines hooked up wrong and feeding raw fuel into carb before. Does the carb seem to only pull air inward, or can you see it burping a mist of fuel out also? Restricted exhaust will cause that and foul the plugs because it cant breath.

[smudvapor]

Keep in mind Mikuni's have a needle/seat for gravity and another for pump. A sled Mikuni is what you want. Also make sure you have a bright spark. A bad coil could give you a intermittent problem.

I have great spark from both cylinders.

[Joe H]

Yup Joe, as always, you are right. 2 strokes just bring back traumatic memories of my childhood where if I wanted to play with the snowmobiles it meant you pull, and pull, and pull, and either, and pull, and pull...........

Your sleds must have had JLO's in them

[smudvapor]

It was the carb. Lewie72 gave me another one and the thing came to life. Runs fantastic! I can't wait for the weekend to try her out. Thanks to everyone for the help and the suggestions. AHHH success.

[wildcard]

I'll second that . You can put in a needle and seat for a pumper setup . if it wasnt a new carb , thats where to start. then you can start jetting

Keep in mind Mikuni's have a needle/seat for gravity and another for pump. A sled Mikuni is what you want. Also make sure you have a bright spark. A bad coil could give you a intermittent problem.