Do I need new exhaust manifolds?

I think you have fuel a delivery problem here. if you can I would instll a guage on the pickup side of the fuel pump. between pump and filter on the tank side that can read a vacuum like on a old oil burner or fuel pump. then take ride around the lake and monitor the reading. there should be no vacuum reading at all if there is you have a restiction. dirt or somthing in the tank/ bad fuel line filter or fittings somthing on the fuel pickup side of the system.   

A guage that reads a vacuum on the pick up side is a quick way to monitor any type of system with fluids that are pulled from a tank for a small or large restriction. once the guage comes of 0 there is a problem starting. A pressure guage will not respond that fast to any problems.

this is my Pressure guage installation I did 2 weeks ago...

It should be a SAE flare.

JoeinNY wrote: 79nautique wrote: so you've been running the boat with full choke and wonder why it's not getting any RPM's    Sounds like the problem to me..

I knocked a choke wire off my 81 last fall while winterizing and didn't notice it, within a few minutes it started missing like hell and pouring black smoke out the back. I do run colder plugs in my boat than most do though so it doesn't take much to screw it up.

I really hope this isn't the choke or Mr Horkin's gonna have some egg on his face for sure.    

now are we sure the choke got stuck closed?

Tom,
Do you understand how the electric choke works? We can fill you in if needed!!

you can adjust the choke so it is that way if you don't want to use it. but typically when it is installed correctly there is tenson on the top butterfly and has the coil heats up it opens the choke

I am going up north Tomorrow, so the boat will be here on Wednesday and I can figure this out:)

I have a feeling the fuel pump may be shot. That would explain why it can't take the load of hauling the boat out of the water under load. The accelerator pump may not be set right either, but my bet at this point is on the fuel pump. I mean, it is from 1978.

I attempted to use a new automotive holley fuel pump when I had the check valve obstruction, but that didn't fix the issue, because the fuel couldn't get to the pump. I could try that fuel pump out and if that fixes it, then buy anew marine pump.

I think my father has a dwell meter as well.

I kept mine in perfect running order so there was never a need for spare parts on the boat, When you know how to turn wrenchs and tune an engine then there really isn't a need for tools or spare parts on the boat. Only time I had issue that I couldn't fix with out tools was the shaft breaking and a new coil going out within 5 hours of use.

Well, the boat is in my driveway now, so I can get to wrenching.

I will be getting the pressure gauge and also testing the dwell, and once I can locate a nice timing light that I can check total advance with I will do that too.

Pete, that's really interesting about the stock fuel pumps lasting as long as they have for you. Maybe the ethanol added to our gas down here might have prematurely worn out the diaphragms in mine?

PS, it has autolites in it, has since the gt40p's went on. They were cheaper and easier to find than the ngk's;)

Wow, that's shiny now:)


So you can simply rebuild these things?

Who sells the parts?

Gary S wrote:

Must be a message here...check out the headline on the newspaper.

john

Pete do you always take stuff out of context?

we where talking about someone else's boat and the need to keep the points and condenser as back up, My comment was it would be easier if you just kept a spare module onboard instead, Didn't say I would, didn't say I was concerned, he was concerned so I suggested a spare module over the points and condensor.

Why is keeping a spare module better than keeping points as a back up for an electronic conversion if your the type of person worried it's going to fail and leave you stranded? Becuase it only takes two screw to remove the module and plug in a new one and your on your way. Done in about five minutes maybe less and the engine will run fine.

Now if your Electroinc conversion fails and you keep the points as back like YOU seem to suggest quite often. So the steps required for that are removing the conversion kit, mounting the plate for the points to mount to, wiring up the points, replacing the rotor with the old rotor, gapping the points, then jacking with the timing and/or gap untill you can get the engine started and adjust the timing by ear. So after about 1/2 hour if your lucky and are good at adjusting the timing on the fly then your back running. That is provided that you remembered to save the wire for the points to connect them to the coil, doesn't work with out it and you can't use the wires from the conversion unit either you just removed it, but no one ever talks about the wire that is needed to reinstall the points and saving it. Also the rotor is another common part over looked, some conversion kits actually want you to remove the cam lobe for the point's so you need to save that too

What seems easier removing two screws in less than 5 minutes or jacking with several other items for a half hour or longer?

For the record the only tools I ever carried if any at all, was a screw driver and a small adjustable wrench and a cork screw with a bottle opener on it.

Pete, you're an emotocon machine nowadays. I remember when you didn't believe in them.