Gas Auger Carburetion troubles?!??!!??!

[Trevor]

Hey all.  Was hoping some of the more technical guys here could help out?
My auger ran kind of crappy all last season.  I had it fired up today and the same problem exists.

It really bogs when you first hit the throttle and takes a second or two to rev up.  It's really bad in very cold temps.  I figured perhaps the carb was gummed up so I dismantled it.  All orfices are clear but I gave it a soak in carb cleaner anyway.  I did notice the diaphram(the one that controls the inlet needle) seems like it is deformed.  I am not sure when the diaphram is like when it is new but it seems to me it is partially dried out.  It seems a little stiff and hard.  I'm only guessing but I think it should be softer and more supple.

The problem becomes more evident as tempuratures drop.  This makes sense because the amount of oxygen going into the engine increases as it gets colder outside.  Therefore as it gets colder the engine would require more fuel. 

After going over the whole fuel system and seeing no restrictions or evidence of varnish I'm almost sure this diaphram is the culprit.

If this turns out to be the problem I will be adding stabilizer and storing with a full fuel tank during future off seasons.

Has anyone here ever encountered this problem?

Trevor

[boxcar]

What I do is add a cap of sea foam to my auger. It really helps keep the carb clean. If your carb has the low & high speed needle adjustment you can open the low speed needle a little at a time to see if it quits bogging. Just remember where you started. I use to race karts that had 2 cycle carbs on them, and taking off out of the pits I always had to open the low speed needle to give it some more fuel to keep it from bogging.

boxcar

[Trevor]

This carb isn't that complex though.  It basically just has a needle and seat.  As you open the throttle body the diaphram is sucked in which in turn presses against a lever which opens the needle valve to control fuel flow.  There is no jetting to speak of.  No pilots, mains, starter jets, airscrew, etc...  The fuel just goes through the needle valve and is atomized directly into the throttle body.  The idle can be increased but that is pretty much the only "low end" adjustment.

I put it back together and fired it up.  The cleaning seems to have cleared things up.  Of course I'll actually have to drill a few holes to see if the problem is cured.  Under load is when it really was a problem last season.  Sometimes I couldn't even get it to drill.

Trevor

[Fishrmn]

I'll second the Sea Foam.  I keep a can of Deep Creep, which is the aerosol variety of Sea Foam around too.  It's a good starter fluid for two strokes.

Fishrmn

[akdg]

Trevor, I had the same problem two years ago and did all the same things you have done. I even bought a carb kit and manuel.  Someone on here suggested trying a new spark plug (even though mine seemed to be working fine when tested against the block).  Well that was the problem, and it has been running like a champ ever since!   If you haven't put a new one in it might be worth trying.  Good luck.  AKDG

[jackpine]

?Sea Foam----Deep Creep?

Never heard of them. Is this available at your local auto parts store???



Fran 8)

[Skiff]

Trevor - Last year my auger ran lousy, stalling out and running poorly at speed.  Turns out it was 2 troubles - one with the gas cap not letting air into the tank, and a problem with the spark plug gap.  I think the gap was the biggest problem of the 2.  If you have a Jiffy, make sure the gap is 0.030" (30 thou).  Even 4 thou off can make a difference when the temps are really cold and the gas is slow to ignite.  Here's an old reference from the archives:    http://www.iceshanty.com/archives/forum2/index.php?topic=14312.msg115508#msg115508

And always use gas stabilizer unless you use your mixed gas up quickly.

[Trevor]

I'm actually running a 2hp Strikemaster.  Shares the same engine and carb though as the 2hp Jiffy.

Thanks for all the input guys.  I have already installed a new plug and verified the gap, so no problem there.  Good air flow at the cap vent as well.  I'm thinking the spring on the throttle linkage may have somehow been stretched.  Even with the throttle governor backed all the way out the engine would not rev high enough.  I moved the spring to the second position and man what a difference.  I actually had to turn the governor back in so it wouldn't over rev.  Has lots of snap on the bottom now as well.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed though because last year it seemed like it would run awesome at home then crap out at the lake ...

One other thing I might do yet is pull off the muffler and clean the exhaust port, if it needs cleaning that is...

Trevor

[Icenutter]

I'll also give a thumbs up to Sea Foam.  I add it to every can of gas I use.  Keeps the carbs clean and acts as a stabalizer.  Good advice on the plug.  I change mine every year even if it doesn't need it.  Always take a spare on the ice with you.