Motor not going over 3200 RPM

I love it when a plan comes together with a simple solution!

Under torqued......Or loose plugs?    

So as it turns out, this was my fault and had to do with how much I torqued the plugs down.

So, when you change plugs, make sure they are torqued down enough otherwise this will happen. What I thought was a smooth idle on this boat was actually very rough.

I can hardly hear this thing have any sort of lope at idle with the new plugs and torquing them down enough.

you need to find out if the secondaries are allowing fuel through them . if you have a stuck needle or a blockage somewhere then they might open but cause a lean condition.

Thanks guys. Ill keep you updated.

Bri892001 wrote: Does running without a spark arrestor effect intake air flow stuff at all? Obviously not a fire issue with the motor box removed.

Nope. Assuming you dont have a clogged arrestor (in which case you may notice a little better performance).

Of course, theres no need to pull the arrestor to check on the functionality of the secondaries. I wouldnt recommend sticking your face down the throat of the carb while its running. Driving across the lake at 40mph with an open motorbox and toying with the carb is where I draw the line from a safety perspective.

Initial timing should be 10 deg... final should be approaching 35 deg (at 3000 RPM and above). That would be a good thing to verify.

TRBenj wrote: As inboard owners, we have the distinct advantage of being able to just open the motorbox while underway. Having a second person available to watch the engine and probe the secondaries at speed is much easier than the tricks described for a car.

True, true. Does running without a spark arrestor effect intake air flow stuff at all? Obviously not a fire issue with the motor box removed.

To check if your secndaries are opening, go to this site:
http://www.bob2000.com/carb.htm
And do a control F for the phrase "How to know if your vacuum secondaries are opening"

secondaries, thats right where about they should be opening

Ok so I regapped the plugs to .40 and it didn't help much. The boat started a lot easier and idled a bit better, maybe it was mental?

It would run smooth to 3200 RPMs and do the same thing it did last time.

Any suggestions.

Regap is fine, since nothing else changed that's the place to start, plus it's such an easy adjustment.

SNobsessed wrote: EI is not exactly the same thing as HEI, where .060 gaps was common. I'd reset gap back to .035 & see what happens. Check to see if you are getting gas thru the secondaries - maybe the needle is stuck in that bowl.

I think the gap is the issue. Do you think I can just regap the plugs I have or should I buy a new set?

Rick wrote: Plug wires? Are they on right? Did you cross one of them? Are the wires on all cylinders? If so are your carb secondaries kicking in? Just a few suggestions.

I am nearly certain I did not cross one of the wires. It does not idle rough at all and runs really smooth until 3000 rpms. I verified that all wires were on the proper cylinder and connected. As for the carb, I do not know enough about carburetion to know if the secondaries are kicking on.

if plugs are white, lack of fuel. if plugs are black, lack of spark

NG,
Did you do the EI conversion? Did you get the timing light out and check the timing? Is the mechanical advance working? Who's conversion did you use and why did you do it?

So I took the boat out to the lake today and the motor would run above 3200 for a few seconds, sound like it was missing, and then would come back down to about 3000 rpms. It seemed like anything above 3000 was causing the motor to miss.The motor has fresh 91 and is filled with brand new sae 40 oil. The pressure was good and the the water temp was about 150 the entire time.

I changed the spark plugs and gapped them to .55 because I have electronic ignition. I am thinking it may be a plug issue. Anyone have any input