89 Ovation won't idle

dnale

dnale

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Jun 11, 2003
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Location
South Lyon, Michigan
With the new (to me) kill switch installed the good Ovation fires up. It will run as the idle "calms" down from starting for a couple minutes but then dies out. If I'm really careful I can feather it back to life but most of the times it just dies. I cleaned the carbs when I put it all together but this is the first I've had much of any fuel through it. I can't recall what I have in for jets. I thought I went everything back to "stock" settings. Any suggestions? I've heard this 2 barrel single carb can be tough. When I give it gas, it really seams to want to take off.
 
My bro (maim) has one of those carbs in his enticer 400. Same problems you have and the dealer hasn't been able to fix it. The only way we have found is to keep adjusting the idle. Since after you start it and it is warm enough to get it off the choke, it will idle fine for about 15 sec then stall. Turn the idle up one turn it will idle fine. But then after dtriving it at slow speeds(weaving trees) you stop to idle and the damn thin is reving 3000rpm at idle. Turn the idle down good to go until wot run on lake then motor is cooled off and idle like bad until you turn up the idle.

The only other thing I can think of check your oil pump. As we had a 340 that the previous owner had turn up the pump and it was over oiling and fowling plugs at idle.
 
I know it's running real rich (have oil in the gas) since this is really the first that this motor has been run since it was rebuilt.

It actually suprised me, it started on the 2nd pull but i had the throttle cable pinched and it was running wide open! Had to shut that down quick.
 
Adjust the idle mixture adjustment. With the engine running at specified idle speed (on the specifications decal under the hood), set it to where it runs the best. Richen it slightly if there is a bog on takeoff.
 
Run it at what you think would be the normal idle speed. A slow steady idle. As you are adjusting the carbs you may have to keep turning the idle speed down.
 
dnale
Do you have a extra tach cable and track for the ovation? A extra windy would be cool too? Let me know.
 
Well Friday I set out with the determination to get it idling. I pulled the carb off, did a cleaning. Adjusted the float level (I was a little off). Put it back on. Adjusted the choke setting, the throttle freeplay and the oil freeplay. It took about a dozen pulls to get the gas back into the carb but sure enough it fired!

I adjusted the idle down. I even had to tweek the choke a little so it would stay running after it was warm.

We took it out fishing yesterday. It hauled me and my brother-in-laws and our icefishing shanty out about 5 miles and back again. We're not little guys and we don't pack light! I can probably should do some clutching/secondary work because it really doesn't like to get moving. Once the belt gets hot it grabs. It likes to run over 20 mph but i'm more comfortable at 15 to 20 out on the ice.

More work to come I'm sure.
 
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