Does this look OK?

[LaqueRatt]

Took the carb off my '77 big block 25 HP rude to clean it. I could not remove the.....nozzle I think it's called? The center piece the gas squirts out of. It looks bent to me, but some guy who I suspect doesn't know what he's talking about said it's supposed to be like this. Off center? Looking for opinions as to whether this is normal and if it will be a problem. Also how does it come out? Pretty sure got it nice and clean, but would have liked to get the nozzle or the tube out. The tube thing has slots in it like for a screwdriver, but the brass started to give before it got loose, so decided to quit while I was ahead.

 

[nytebyte]

Looks good and wont be a problem. Everyone I have had apart is like that.

 

[LaqueRatt]

OK cool. Thanks for the reply. Still looks weird to me. So those brass parts don't come out? That seems a bit odd to me as well.

 

[Pappy]

Did you remove the welch plug at the top of the carburetor? That needs to be removed if doing the job as thoroughly as you want it done.
You can run a piece of copper wire or a tag wire up through the small idle lift tube to make sure it is clean and clear.

 

[LaqueRatt]

Thanks for weighing in Pappy. I've never pulled a welch plug before, but know what it is. Must you buy a rebuild kit to get the plug? Are they all the same size? Can I just buy a box of them maybe?

She's buttoned up and ready for a barrel test right now. Pending the results, I may end up having to do a more thorough cleaning. I'm not real sure this carb is not going to be swapped out though as my plans are to do an electric start conversion and the donor motor has a bracket built into the carb bowl for the choke solenoid.

Any thoughts on why the idle lift tube is not centered in the bore? I thought for sure it was bent.

 

[thill]

The little idle tube inside the main is pretty much always off to one side. That is normal, but that tube must be cleaned out. If you cleaned everything as well as you could, put it back together and try it. Will probably run just fine.

You might want to buy a set of carb cleaning tools like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Valchoose-Premium-Cleaner-Carburetor-Cleaning/dp/B0BWS41GRM
They are inexpensive, and help you get into every orifice. Give a little shot of carb cleaner, then run a needle through until clear, then another shot of carb cleaner followed by compressed air.

Always start with the smallest and go up in size until you feel very slight resistance, then stop and go back to the last one that goes through freely. Do not force anything!

If cleaning with that doesn't work, then you need to remove the welch plug and get in there, too. Yes, you will need to buy a carb kit, but that's not a bad idea anyway. For OMC motors, they are pretty cheap. Some of the kits on Amazon are okay, some aren't. You can try them, but you might be best to go to Boats.net or other OEM suppliers, or local marina and get an original kit.

There is a general rule to not fix what isn't broken. If it's not idling well, pull the bowl, clean the bottom out and clean out the idle tube and put it back together. That works about 90% of the time. If it still doesn't idle well, then you need to do a full cleaning.

I hope you are up and running today.

 

[Pappy]

One of the main reasons to pull the welch plug is that when you either shoot carb cleaner or brake fluid up the small tube you may send debris up that tube. That debris can go either way. Towards the idle air bleed or towards the calibration holes under the welch plug.
Do not buy the China carb kits. Pure junk. Buy an OEM kit. Do the job one time and do it right. You do not have to change out the entire carb. You can change the bowl if you want.
Yes the idle tube was designed with a bend in it.

 

[LaqueRatt]

Thank ye mateys! I'm still a noob, but I'm learning. Figured as much with the welch plug, but not having any experience messing with it, am hoping to not need to pull it. Guess I'll cross that bridge eventually, but hopefully not today.

Seems there are always some areas in a carb that you can't easily get to. Being a bit anal I go back and forth with carb cleaner and compressed air, maybe a half dozen times. Always looking for another hole or screw I missed. I could be wrong, but think (and hope) carb cleaner dissolves some of the muck, preventing it from clogging the carb up again. The only real crap I found was down by the bowl drain. It was black and I suspect it came off the fuel lines, so I replaced them along with adding a fuel filter.

Are there many sizes of welch plugs though? If I had them on hand and it wasn't too hard to R&R them, think it would be smart to always pull it, right? Thanks for the link to the brushes, I need to get me a set of those.

 

[Pappy]

The welch plug takes about 30 seconds to remove. Carefully drill a 1/8" hole in the center and then use a punch to pry it out. Simple.
To re-install place it back in position and use a socket that is about half the diameter of the plug and tap it back down. Does not take much so start gently. After you have it set you have the option of begging your wife for a bit of nail polish, Clear or your favorite color........and sealing the edges with it or leaving it.

 

[LaqueRatt]

Well she wouldn't start. Got fuel, got spark, pretty damned sure got compression. Pulled until my shoulder was aching and she didn't even kick. Back to the drawing board I reckon. Thinking at this point it must be timing. Thought I knew how that worked and it looked mighty close to me, but guess need to double check this as I can't imagine why it won't at least pop.

Don't suppose anybody can point me towards a free manual for this motor? I just don't like how some seem to hoard outboard manuals for profit. I found a free manual for every other thing I own with an engine, how come boat people take advantage of each other like this? OK, sorry for the mini-rant.

 

[Pappy]

You cannot do a full cleaning with fingers crossed and using brake clean or carb cleaner. If you have a passageway (such as the small bent idle lift tube) that is completely plugged with varnish or debris the carb cleaner will NOT clean it out. That stuff will only clean out varnish from a passageway that is partially plugged. You can clean out the idle lift tube or check it with a piece of tag wire or copper wire or leader wire of a super small diameter.
Going to suggest you get an OEM carb kit and do the job right. Also, why do you now have another thread started on the same engine? Pick one.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

I keep a small fuel bottle handy to help diagnose issues like this.

Couple squirts of fuel will not only help you diagnose the issue, it will also help save your shoulder.

 

[LaqueRatt]

Thanks for the tip. I've done that before too. I'm getting tons of gas though. Actually I think that's my problem. When the rain stops I'm going to try to start it again. Going easy on the bulb pumping. It sure seems to me it should start, pop, or something. I wasn't expecting it to run perfect, but was expecting it to start.