clinton trouble

[catdaddy]

hey im having some trouble with a clinton a 400. ive tried several carbs on it and cant get it running very well i can get it to start but cant keep it running. i am getting good fire to the plug and have tried several plugs. any suggestions? this little engine is to cool to toss out. i saved it from my father in law's scrap pile when he was cleaning out his old storage building. thanks

 

[Rotore]

tune the carb, clean it and check timng

 

[Russ2251]

Timing not an issue unless magneto removed.
Not easy to get to as it is under flywheel.
First thing to do is to check integrity of seals.
Clinton A-400 carbs have a relatively small venturi and must be closely matched to the original. Small bore Tecumseh carbs come to mind as an immediate fix.
Will pass a 5hp Briggs if running right.
Here's one of mine:

 

[catdaddy]

i tried a carb off of a snow blower that had a 3.5 hp tecumseh engine. that engine runs fine. the clinton woulnt run at all with that carb. i have the original carb but the valve that threads into the bottom of the fuel bowl is missing. thats awesome that these little engines can smoke a cart with an engine with double the hp rating. i want to put it on my sons go cart th 6.5 tecumseh has seen better days

 

[Russ2251]

When it does run, does it run better with choke partially closed?

the valve that threads into the bottom of the fuel bowl is missing.

That is high speed adjust needle. Carb kits are readily available and should include high speed needle.
Crank seals and bushings are probably worn out.

 

[catdaddy]

yes it does it will start to rev up and then just die just before it quits it willl start to rev again. it doesnt want to idle at all. its weird it acts like some ane hits the kill switch and the flips it back on again but like i said earlier its getting plenty of fire a pretty blue spark. ill order the carb kit and see what happens.

 

[Russ2251]

it acts like some ane hits the kill switch and the flips it back on again

Called "surging" and indicates a very lean condition, indicative of a faulty/leaking crankcase seal. Engine can (will) destroy itself from lack of lubrication.
All 2 cycle engines require a good air tight seal to run properly.
What oil and what mix ratio are you using?

 

[catdaddy]

32:1

 

[dave1701]

hey I have clinton trouble too. Have you seen Hillary lately?

 

[catdaddy]

ok here is an update on my 2.5 hp clinton 2 stroke. i was checking the gasket on the crank case and found that one of the flaps on the reed plate has a small chip on the corner. where could i find one of those? on the flip side my son and i went to harbor freight and picked up on of the 6.5 hp engines. we put it on his cart today and it runs pretty slick alot better than the old tecumseh. my youngest son has a 36 volt atv would love to put the clinton on that since the battery went bad on it.

 

[Russ2251]

Got a pic?

 

[catdaddy]

ill get one later today.

 

[catdaddy]

here is a pic of the reed plate and the little atv i would like to put the clinton on. the last two are of my sons cart an his new engine.