Do I need new exhaust manifolds?

LOL

Yeah, you never know when a smoking habit actually helps;)

1 degree is not off by much Pete. Heck, even the instructions I have seen say + or - 2 degrees.

I have a feeling buying a new dwell meter would be easier too, but I have to say, if I will spend the 30 dollars on a dwell meter, I will go and spend the extra 40 dollars on a pertronix EI kit, and leave a book of matches , and the wire LOL, in the boat as part of my tool kit for my points back up if the EI ever fails. Heck, Summit even gave me a $10 off code for my next order over 100 dollars.   

I just put in my new fuel pump. It reads 7 psi pretty much all the time. It goes to 6.5 psi right after I gun the gas, but then climbs back to 7 psi even if the throttle is left at the same higher revs. The motor runs a lot better now. It smoothed out pretty much everywhere. The carb may need a tad bit of tweaking (with the 2 idle screws- Alan, that's what you meant by adjusting the carb:). I don't know if this is normal, maybe the floats are set a tad high (at least the primary), but there is always gas dripping from the "squirter rings" in bigger drops. When I rev it up, it runs fine, even with that, and after I let off the gas and let it go back to idle, it runs perfectly until a few moments. I think that tells me that excess gas is being put in the throat making it stumble a little.

I could take a short video of what I am describing if that will help.

I think at this point, I could probably drop it in the river by me and give it a test under load.

I am crossing my fingers, but I think the fuel pump may be the biggest issue it had.

I will be done dinking on the boat for today, as the fiance and I are looking at a litter of yellow lab pups in a little bit. Who knows, we might even bring one back today depending on if they are actually 8 weeks old today.

What model number is that mallory e spark kit?

I will re adjust the front float.

And I came back with this little guy yesterday.

8 week old purebred lab pup with english (blocky head) bloodlines.

Race City Marine

Well, I let her run on the hose in the driveway for 30 minutes or so yesterday. I need to put in fresh gas, and was kind of double checking the running condition and burning up a little gas in the process so when I put in fresh gas, there is less of the old stuff.

The boat starts pretty much right up, even if I don't manually close the choke plate, and it idles nice, and revs nicely all through the entire rpm range. It sounds better than when I bought it, and it ran well then.

The slight burble is still there, but that could be from old gas. I will take it out sometime very soon, and report back. I am cautiously optimistic I have the motor tuned/ adjusted pretty much spot on.

That's why I said pretty much spot on. ;)

It should be good enough for a test drive. I mean I have driven it when I knew if would only idle around the lake.

Yes Alan, I did adjust the base idle and the 2 idle screws. That did smooth it out quite a bit. I am figuring that the slight burble is from the front float being set a tad too high, but it could be from older gas too. I'm guessing that it is not from the gas from last year, but I figured I would give it a try first before I monkeyed with the float.   I will get the choke fixed properly in the very near future.

Ahhh!

That I did not do yet.

Thanks for the reminder:)

I found this one too, from Jegs.
http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/15912/10002/-1

This looks to be the pretty much same as the one from Summit.

It's been rebuilt by a guy that actually knows holley carbs. It has nearly new needles( about a year and a half since it was redone). I will check both floats, starting with the front. Before with the old worn out 4psi pump, it never had gas come out of the secondaries like that on the trailer. That's why I think it needs regulation. 4 psi didn't make the secondaries do this before.

Taking the bowls off will show me if there is varnish or other crap in there too.

I'm pretty sure other folks here have had to put on regulators once they either get a new fuel pump.

What is the upper end of acceptable psi range?

well I'm betting your carb guy isn't all that good otherwise he would have replaced the choke stat, so the question bears to what else did he cheap out on too?, cans of carb cleaner enstead of the buck of carb cleaner to soak it in, diaphrams for the seconday's?

Pete my buddy Mike uses a regulator and gauge on his stroked 350 mag i/o BTW for the same reasons, too much pressure blowing fuel past the needle and seat.

horkn wrote: Chris, the choke stat was in perfect shape when it left his place. I broke the terminal off while putting on or taking off the wire one time. He soaked everything in his parts washer table.

that screams the guy doesn't know what the hell he's doing. You don't clean a carb in a parts cleaner you clean it in a bucket of carburator cleaner not kerosene or mineral spirits, half ace carb rebuild IMHO.

hope it has the blue gaskets if it doesn't you better get a new kit before you start taking it apart or you'll be sorry you didn't afterwards.

Chris, he used carb cleaner only in the parts washer, not normal parts washer kerosene or whatever they use in those typically. He had shelves of holley parts in his basement. Apparently carbs are his thing. For him, a bucket, or 5 of the carb cleaners wouldn't cut it. He had a tight fitting lid on the cleaner bin/ washer as well.

It has the blue reusable gaskets on it, the guy put those on it.

No Pete, it is not a stock fuel pump. It's not a high pressure one per say, but it may have a little more pressure than a standard stock replacement. It's supposed to put out 7.5 psi.

I will see if I can get new diaphragms for the original delco pump that was on it at some point.

I'm very close, even as it is it runs pretty well. But I am certain I will need to adjust he idle and the 2 screws on the metering block once I either get the floats where they should be set, or assuming that is not the issue, the pressure regulated down a tad.

horkn wrote: Chris, he used carb cleaner only in the parts washer, not normal parts washer kerosene or whatever they use in those typically. He had shelves of holley parts in his basement. Apparently carbs are his thing. For him, a bucket, or 5 of the carb cleaners wouldn't cut it. He had a tight fitting lid on the cleaner bin/ washer as well. .

the more you talk the less credability your carb guy gets. You use a 5 gallon bucket of cleaner with an adgitating device hook to the basket, soak it for 4-6 hours, rinse and blow dry and then assemble the carb. Again it's all in who's turning the wrenches and there are so many shade tree idiots out there.

Guys, I am making what I have work. If I have to throw 40 dollars or so at a regulator and a choke stat, I will. I don't want to spend 80-100 on a different pump, when the one I have obviously puts out enough psi.

Being unemployed leaves a tight budget. It's not that I am trying to be cheap, it's more that I need to be frugal. Even if I did buy the one that DIM or other places sell, it wouldn't be original Pete. ;)


I have to weigh all my decisions based on dollars, but at the same time keeping upbeat and doing what I can since I have time now.

So I checked both primary and secondary floats. The front was almost level, and I adjusted it. Also, I verified the needle valves were actually opening and closing with the floats. I also was able to get the motorcraft 1 wire choke stat to work on my holley. There are 2 electrical connections, but 1 was just in a different place. Simple fix, and it works. If I didn't bring this up, I doubt anyone would even know it wasn't the original one.

I did have to modify the end of the bimetallic spring to fit onto the post that is part of the choke lever mechanism. Not a problem either.

Also, I have the boat idling in the driveway now. No gas is coming from the secondary squirters, and only one drop once in a while is coming out of the primaries.

I won't get the regulator.

I'm well aware of what is, and what isn't marine specific. Some things like fuel pressure gauges and such, are not an item that needs to be marine rated. You won't catch me trying to run a non marinized alternator, starter, or distributor. There are very good reasons for using marine rated ones.

Pete, my boat is not stock anymore. It's got gt40p heads, and an edelbrock intake. Not to say the totally stock fuel pump wouldn't supply the carb with enough fuel though, even with the mods I have done.

I guess you didn't read that I won't be buying a regulator as I got it to almost completely stop "spilling" out of the squirters.

Note on my last post that I mentioned a stock pump would surely do the trick. So I am not "wrong" as you say.

I am saving up for a new stock pcm or equivalent pump, probably the one for 80 dollars from DIM, unless someone sees one for a better price.

By me making the choke stat work, and not getting a regulator, I pretty much saved as much as the new pump from DIM costs.   I will see where I am at after my mortgage is paid this week.