Hi there ! Newbie here, I have a Prather Funcruiser with I believe a 25 homelite that Im trying to get going. There is a pinhole (Which I think is an exhaust recirculation port) just above my header flange . Currently the motor is not starting and when Im pulling the cord Im getting fuel shooting from this port above the exhaust. Would this cause a problem with compression ? Should this hole be filled or plugged ? and if so any advice on doing that.
Also whats the deal with with the Walbro carbs? I see some with the primer on top and pump side down as well as the opposite, bulb down and pump up. will these run in either position ?
I have searched thru all the great threads on the forums I believe would contain this info but haven't seen anything about either of those.

Thank you in advance for any input,

Hi,

Welcome to MGB. It would be good to see a picture or two of the port you are talking about on the header, but I'm guessing that's a water inlet. Many of those style boats have water cooled (by injection) headers. The boat will start without that water injection, so thats not your issue but you should get it plumbed correctly if indeed that is what Im thinking. As for the Walbro carbs, they work fine in just about any orientation. If you are seeing gas come out of port on header, sounds like flooded engine to me. More specs and pics on what you have would help us help you more. Carb model, engine model, pipe/header combo...ect.

Thanks for the reply, Actually the hole im referring to is on the head passing thru into the cylinder just above the exhaust port. Ill try to get some pics soon. The carb btw is a Walbro WA167

Im not sure what a hole above the exhaust port could be...I have little to no experience with the Homelites... there is a good amount of info on this page though ...maybe something there could be of help to you.



As for the WA167...good little carb.

Good to know !
OK I needed a new primer bulb so while I was there I picked up a carb rebuild kit. I took it apart and to my surprise it was completely clean and new looking inside, but I cleaned and replaced everything while I was in there. I think one of my problems was the pulse hole not lined up properly with the intake plate/carb gasket so I raised it a little while tightening it back down.
As for the exhaust recirc pinhole I was talking about no one seemed to know anything about it so I tapped the outer portion of the head with an 8/32 and installed a set screw, also recut a gasket to cover it as well. doing this raised my compression from 90 to 100. I checked with wide open throttle as done on V8s not sure if that is correct for these little motors but that's the way I did it. I then set Lo to 1-1/2 and Hi to 1 as I've seen recommended here and it started on the second pull. I tried tuning it a bit but I couldn't get it to idle properly once I changed from the initial settings. It idles great at initial but bogs out with throttle response. Once I got a smooth transition to WOT it wouldn't idle. Every time I set it back to initial it idles great. I've had it idling now for about 30 minutes (with an occasional rev to make sure it backs down good) and have been reading some more on tuning. took some pics and gonna do a little editing and post them shortly.

Not there yet but much better spot then I've been in for a while. At the very least I know it's runable and can work on getting the electronics going after it runs outta fuel.

Thanks to you and this site for the help.

Here's some pics, I high lighted the port I mentioned and the fix(?) You can see the pin hole with my flashlight shining in the plug hole. Also noticed that the rebuild kit had gaskets to line up with that port as shown. And a few others as asked for to aid in support. Not positive but maybe you can verify it's a 26cc ?

Hmmm just heard it stall, hopefully my tank is empty, had to have been about 45 minutes by now.

Please let me know if I didnt add the pics properly.

I would have blocked off that hole also. Im not sure what it was initially for but certainly was not meant to be left open.

As for your engine not transitioning from idle to fast, that could be so many things, but most likely carb/fuel related. Here is a good chart to check out for some things to verify. Troubleshooting Chart

I wish someone with more Homelite experience would chime in here and be more help to you...

If I recall correctly I believe most guys started with 1 1/2 on both the hi and lo needles on a 167 carb. Doug

The divider in the exhaust port tells you its a 25cc, the hole above the exhaust made it easier to start when it was a trimmer motor, tapping and plugging the hole was the thing to do. Looks like it has a metal cover that reduces the crankcase volume(stuffed). The 167a walbro is the carb everyone used and I still have one, I did have a lot of success with a wa813, my homelite liked the extra fuel but you have to open up the isolator block to fit the larger diameter. Needles 1.25 high and low to start and tune from there, wouldn't be surprised if that is the source of your problem as they are getting pretty old and methanol fuel ruins the membranes inside the carb, you can rebuild it cheap though. You can find a lot of info about homeys at modlepowerboat.com, hop up a homelite, have fun, they are a blast!

Yup its a compression release.

Compression is a on the low side.