Thread: Things that make you go hmmm

I've been tweeking the gray beard over the last few months hoping to have the bugs worked out before I haul it to Louisiana. The layout of the boat, seats, rod holders, etc is dialed in but the last few times out we've had trouble with the motor. With the colder weather it was starting hard and flooding easy. One trip we thought the battery was dead but when we switched out batteries we had the same problem. Pulled the starter and checked it, it was fine, then changed the starter relay. That fixed that problem but when I tried to test start it here in the driveway, I couldn't get it to start.

I was thinking clogged carb since it had new NGK plugs so today I pulled the carb off and cleaned the sediment bulb and blew out the jets. Nothing! I could get it to fire but it would not start. I checked the fuel filter. That wasn't it. I even gave it a shot of starting fluid (I hate doing that) and still nothing. My next step was to have Jeff come over and help check the spark. Before I called him I pulled the plugs to check if they were wet or fouled and for some reason, I put the old Champion plugs back in instead of the new NGK's. Hit the key and it fired right up. Hmmm. I had another new set of NGK's so I put those in it, nothing. Put the Champions back in and it fired right up again. I've never seen that before, has anyone else?

Some of your older motors ignition systems were designed around champion plugs. Especially Chrysler ( which your motor basically is ) and OMC motors. I can’t tell you what is different about them but champion is what you need to be running. I am like G I suspect the champion is a hotter plug. I know I have a old Jap mariner that will not run on anything but NGK plugs which it’s ignition system was designed around.