getting my cracker water ready after 6 plus yrs

[wingnut]

so im wanting to get back into racing a bit and i'll probably start with my cracker to ease into it. i figured id go thru it and replace a few things. water and fuel lines. rx battery and spark plug. what else would u recommend i go thru. cable is lubed. pushrod seals are good. anything im missing? this is the first gas boat ive owned. any help would be great. thanks carl

 

[SayMikey]

Carb diaphragm

 

[moparbarn]

Gas bag too, if you're not using a hard tank.

 

[bzubee]

Read the rules for this class and make sure your boat has the correct engine and the hull is legal there have been changes to the rules. Also check your drive cable and PROP NUT!

 

[wingnut]

ok, so a few dumb questions. the diaphragm i take it is under the cover on top of the carb with the four screws? also the new bag i have has two outlets and the old one had 1 . can i leave the port they stick the needle in at the hospital and just place my fitting in the open one?

 

[moparbarn]

Yes & yes Speaking of the diaphragm, you might want to get a kit for the carb. The check valves/flappers in the pieces under the aluminum cover on the opposite side are probably hard also. Match the new pieces to the old ones carefully, as the kit may fit more than one carb & have extra parts you don't need/won't use.

 

[wingnut]

thanks moparbarn. another Q for ya. how in the world do i get the brass fuel tube in the bag? its beyond tight. im sure you'd want it that way but theres gotta be a trick to it

 

[moparbarn]

Put it against a block of wood, a little 2 stroke oil on the bag & fitting & PUSH!! I have had to clamp the fitting in a vise between 2 blocks of wood (to keep from marking it up).....hint - push from the end of the tube part of the bag away from the fitting.

 

[wingnut]

thanks, i'll give it a shot tonight

 

[wingnut]

welli got the bag done. worked just like you said. i went to change the diaphragm with the rebuild kit i had but the parts look different. holes were all in the same place but there was a few tabs the old one doesnt have. how specific are the carb parts? the engine is a mrd 4-e

 

[wingnut]

sorry didnt see the post about all the carb parts. i'll have to pull it off . never rebuilt a carb before, first time for everything i guess

 

[bzubee]

Also google non alcohol gas or Pure Gas for a web site that shows stations for your state and city that carry Non-alcohol gasoline or use AV Gas or Coleman fuel and you will not have near as much problems with the carb and starting your engine.

http://www.pure-gas.org/

 

[Dennis Somers]

Ethanol free or not, automotive pump gas is terrible hobby fuel. Its additive packages vary from region to region and season to season. It's storage life is short at best, and it stinks in your boats and wherever you store them.

100LL Avgas, Coleman, or one of the newer small engine fuels, are all very clean, store a very long time, and don't smell bad. Trufuel is one, that like Coleman is clean, but has a much higher octane ( 92-93 VS 55 ). But they can all be run in stock to full mod Zenoah type engines, with no needle changes. The Coleman and Trufuel are expensive, but well worth the extra. They are also available from many outlets ( big-box stores incl. ).

 

[Ron Jefferson]

Dennis,

What do you consider to be a long time to be able to store fuel? I'm considering using 100LL as it's readily available in my area but wasn't sure how much to buy at one time. I don't burn a lot (maybe 2-3 gallons per year) of fuel but didn't want to buy too much at once for fear it would go bad. Would 6 months be too long a shelf life for AV gas?

 

[dave roach]

delete

 

[Dennis Somers]

Ron, I'm no fuel expert, and I don't have access to Avgas. But everything that I've learned about it suggests that when tightly stored in steel containers, it will be fresh for many months. We have used auto gas from 87 to 94 ( ethanol and eth.free ), 110 ( lead/ethanol free ) race gas, Coleman, and Trufuel 4 stroke ( we mix with synthetic oil ). The race fuel that we got from a pump, we stored in normal plastic "jerry cans". It lasted from one season to the next, perfectly. The Coleman of course, comes in steel cans and seems to last a lifetime. The Trufuel comes in 32 oz. steel containers and lasts at least 5 years unopened, and 2 years, opened. The key to storage seems to be tightly sealed in steel.

Your consumption of Avgas would probably suggest maybe a 5 gal. buy per year would be plenty. I'm sure it will last longer ( properly stored ), but no matter the fuel, fresh is always a good idea.

 

[wingnut]

i will probably try the coleman fuel. just gotta find time to tear into the carb. tygon for coleman fuel too?

 

[Dennis Somers]

Yes. No changes needed for any of the fuels mentioned.