Arwen's meanderings

Hi everyone and welcome to my dinghy cruising blog about my John Welsford designed 'navigator' named Arwen. Built over three years, Arwen was launched in August 2007. She is a standing lug yawl 14' 6" in length. This blog records our dinghy cruising voyages together around the coastal waters of SW England.
Arwen has an associated YouTube channel so visit www.YouTube.com/c/plymouthwelshboy to find our most recent cruises and click subscribe.
On this blog you will find posts about dinghy cruising locations, accounts of our voyages, maintenance tips and 'How to's' ranging from rigging standing lug sails and building galley boxes to using 'anchor buddies' and creating 'pilotage notes'. I hope you find something that inspires you to get out on the water in your boat. Drop us a comment and happy sailing.
Steve and Arwen

Thursday 7 May 2020

Cleaning the carburettor on a Tohatsu four stroke 3.5 hp outboard engine

I will post a video and more photographs of the process but suffice to say it was going so well. Carburettor had been extracted without incident. I'd managed to remove the float. I had stuck wire through holes, used carb cleaner spray. 






Problems started when I couldn't remove the main jet - it just wouldn't budge and I almost stripped the screwdriver slot. I have no idea how to get that out. I wonder if I just leave it in a bowl of carb cleaner overnight and maybe that will clear it? If anyone knows a solution to getting this jet to move, please let me know. 

The carburettor was cleaner than I expected - no evidence of gumming  so that's a good point.

So where did the disaster happen? On the very last turn of the right hand bolt as I tightened it back onto the inlet manifold.



The bolt sheared off!
Bugger......as they say..........


2 comments:

Steve-the-Wargamer said...

Gah...

steve said...

Literally, the very last thing on the engine this year - the last tightening of the last bolt and I would have completed my very own service for the first time and discovered a major fault. The very last half turn...............gutting does not do adequate justice to the emotions felt!