New to Trojan family !

[gordd]

Hello everyone : From Mississauga close to Toronto Canada and New to Trojan family , with purchase of 1974 f25 cabin cruiser express , 318 /225 last summer.
Its project boat and already did body work on bottom and repaired soft spots on front and mid deck.
Had issues with starting motor which is still work in progress. I got it to point where it cranks but still wont turn over so its pretty much trouble shooting and step at a time . Bob From Beacon marine has been great so far with on phone and email help and I even purchased original manual from him .
Am ready for forum and hopefully can get some advice from great people in here, that already been thru what I am going thru .
I am totally new to boating and although have some experiance with working on cars new to restoration project as well .
here is link to video of attempted start up april 19 20013 . Maybe can get some input

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1ha41xiiGg

[gordd]

Sorry about sound quality but was done with phone ...

[prowlersfish]

First welcome to the forum . I don't have sound on my computer so I can't be much help . But some things to check , good spark , is the fuel good ? old fuel can cause issues , It looks like new wires is the firing order correct ? ( it maybe a reverse turn engine . What work have you done to it ?

[Big D]

Welcome aboard fellow canuck. First place to start is with a fully charged bettery. I recommend nothing less than a 1000 MCA. Check the basics; is the carb getting fuel? it's not uncommon to have to prime the fuel system first. If you're really careful, are confident in what you're doing, and can ventilate properly, some guys would pour just a little fuel into the carb. If she runs for a while after that, then it's a fuel delivery issue. Sometimes doing this a couple of times is enough to get fuel to the engine. Make sure fuel cocks are open and check to see if you have anti-siphon valves at the top of the fulet tank where the fuel hose to the engine attaches, looks like a regular fitting but the sometimes glog and stick preventling fuel flow. If she doesn't catch, then it may be an ignition issue. A low battery will also cause this as the starter is preventing the ignition system from getting enough voltage to generate a decent spark. If you are getting spark and fuel and have checked the items Paul has described, check that the distributor is set up properly; firing #1 at TDC on compression stroke. Also check that you indeed have compression!

[gordd]

Thank you for welcome .. well this morning got it started with quick start for cpl seconds but obviously no fuel pumping to carb. Fuel was drained by previous owner and not sure how he did it . When try to prime it to carb nothing happens , so assuming one of valves may be shut off still . I see 2 one on top of tank and another one by filter .. maybe someone knows where all the shut off valves are . for cpl seconds that ran , engine actually sounded good considering it did not run for years.

[Big D]

There should only be two shut-off valves max for that vintage; at tank and main fuel filter unless another owner installed one somewhere. The in-line canister fuel filter just before the carb is suspect also. When you crank the older engines, it`s not uncommon to have to pump the throttles several times before and while cranking the engine to get fuel there. To eleiminate the engine from the vessel in hopes of narrowing down the problem area, hook up a remote portable gas can to the fuel pump. Keep the tank on top of the deck or swim platform is better for safety. If she runs, then the problem is from the tank to the engine. Again; ventilate, ventilate, ventilate.

[gordd]

I will try that next BigD.. only put 10 gallons in tank so may have to add bit more as well. Will change filter and inline canister anyways just to be sure. 2 valves , one on top of tank and one that conneccts to filter by starboard side of hatch opening are in line with fuel line so assuming thats open position . I cant budge them anyways now either way so soaked them in wd40 to free them up a little. Like said new to all this , but dont mind experimenting and most mechanics up here are starting to get busy .

Right after buying it.

Cabin cruiser2.jpg (100.63 KiB) Viewed 6703 times

[captainmaniac]

Also... don't try to run it on land without water supply to the engine for cooling... I noticed your first attempt to start it was while on blocks. I hope I am insulting you by saying a boat engine is not a car engine - you need raw water to be available or forced into the intake on the bottom of the boat before you start an engine or you will overheat and seize it up pretty quick. If you didn't know that, then you need to get a lot more answers before you proceed.

[gordd]

Ty you Captainmaniac .. I did know that but know you can run it for few seconds without. basicly enough to turn it over .Bob from beacon told me should be good for about 10 to 15 seconds .. when I am ready to run it fully will hook up the hose:)

[The Dog House]

There should only be two shut-off valves max for that vintage; at tank and main fuel filter unless another owner installed one somewhere. The in-line canister fuel filter just before the carb is suspect also. When you crank the older engines, it`s not uncommon to have to pump the throttles several times before and while cranking the engine to get fuel there. To eleiminate the engine from the vessel in hopes of narrowing down the problem area, hook up a remote portable gas can to the fuel pump. Keep the tank on top of the deck or swim platform is better for safety. If she runs, then the problem is from the tank to the engine. Again; ventilate, ventilate, ventilate.

+1 on what Big D said. If the engine will run using a portable tank, the problem may be your fuel filter. Have you changed your fuel filter? It looks like you have the same fuel filter that is on my boat which is a Fram CCS1136.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/ ... CCS%201136

To change it, first close all of your fuel valves. Next remove the small screw at the bottom of the housing to drain the fuel in the canister into a container. After the canister is empty, use a strap wrench on the body of the canister to unscrew it from the top, mounted part. Once you have the canister off you can easily remove the filter element. Clean out the canister and install the new filter element with the metal part at the bottom and the pleated paper at the top. Reverse the procedure to reinstall.

Now that there is ethanol in the fuel the fuel filters need to be changed every year. I also carry an extra on board just in case. Good luck!

[gordd]

The Dog House .. so far I can not budge valves unless doing it wrong . Your basic on off doesnt move it unless one has to push down and over or pull up and over .. or undo screws on top of valve .or they could simply be stuck and need lot of wd40 to move . I do have extra filter in boat and looks like same as yours . but will also get cpl extra just in case . Will change canister by carb as well while at it . Fuel line it self looks good but think sensor might be off.. guage shows half , tank has been drained before purchase and I only added 10 gallons so will have to look at that as well after firing it up.. ahh joys of boating lol but love it so far

[Big D]

.... Will change canister by carb as well .....

Make sure you replace with the same type that has threaded ends for metal fuel lines. Do NOT adapt a rubber hose type that gets clamped on.

[The Dog House]

The Dog House .. so far I can not budge valves unless doing it wrong . Your basic on off doesnt move it unless one has to push down and over or pull up and over .. or undo screws on top of valve .or they could simply be stuck and need lot of wd40 to move . I do have extra filter in boat and looks like same as yours . but will also get cpl extra just in case . Will change canister by carb as well while at it . Fuel line it self looks good but think sensor might be off.. guage shows half , tank has been drained before purchase and I only added 10 gallons so will have to look at that as well after firing it up.. ahh joys of boating lol but love it so far

I know what you're saying. I learned so much about engines, DC electrical systems, AC electrical systems, gauges and senders, etc. this past year. It can be frustrating but it is also an amazing learning experience. The guys on this forum have taught me more this past year than I learned the previous 15 years I was boating.

There shouldn't be a trick to the valves. In-line with the fuel line is on and perpendicular to the fuel line is off. They should turn with just a push. Try pushing both ways (to the right and to the left). If neither way works, then something is definitely wrong with the valve. I'm not sure how hard the valves would be to replace, but it's something you might want to consider. If the valves are not moving freely then maybe there is a blockage in the valve(s) that is restricting the fuel flow.

Regarding the fuel gauge, does it show half full with the ignition turned off? If so then the gauge is bad. When I bought my boat my fuel gauges showed half full with the ignition turned off, the ignition turned on, full tank, empty tank, etc. (they always read half full). I replaced my fuel gauges with Faria American Standard fuel gauges and now my gauges read 1/4 F when full and F when there is 8 gallons remaining (they work backwards). My fuel gauges are working backwards because the Trojan sender does not use the American Standard resistance values (my Trojan was made before the standard existed). I'm going to try European Standard gauges because according to my calculations they should be close to correct. Stay tuned.

Good luck, and feel free to ask lots of questions. Also post lots of pictures. We LOVE pictures.

[gordd]

TheDogHouse .. I am trying to do simmilar myself .. learn as I go .Lot of research , questions and hopefully not to many oopss lol. I don't mind doing the work and getting dirty lol I just want to make sure its done right cause I imagine on water there is no tow trucks lol . Yes shut off valves are head scratchers cause they not budging for now . I will let it soak for bit and see what happensand they are facing in line with fuel line so open , but still want them to work proparly. before I dig to far into the wiring and making engine clean I want to make sure it runs well and its worth doing it. From 5 second start sounds like should be ok .. so fuel delivery and proper 2 battery hook up next .. and slowly from there.. I am hoping for test voyage June or so if all goes well. I like what you did to yours .. great job

[Commissionpoint]

My fuel gauges are working backwards because the Trojan sender does not use the American Standard resistance values (my Trojan was made before the standard existed). I'm going to try European Standard gauges because according to my calculations they should be close to correct. Stay tuned.

So ya got senders which run from a range of 240 ohms to 33 ohms for the US spec, and then you have the 10 ohm to 184 ohm senders which I think are the ones you are talking about being close to your stock arrangement. To know for sure you can measure resistance with a full tank and then again an empty (as close as possible) tank to see what these values are. Selecting a gauge that runs in these ranges should be made easier once you know what the resistance values of the sender are. If Its the same senders as what I have I can tell you the empty value if you want as my stbd. fwd. tank is bone empty at the moment.