1997 challenger (single eng) running on one cylinder

[rockytsi]

Guys,

My challenger ran fine a few days ago (well, it bogged on start-off for a while now), until the end of the day when it started running on one cylinder. I changed plugs and have spark on both sides but it still only runs on one cylinder. HELP Please!

Also, my speedo isn't working. Any suggestions for a fix?


Rocky

 

[seadoosnipe]

Cylinder...?

Guys,

My challenger ran fine a few days ago (well, it bogged on start-off for a while now), until the end of the day when it started running on one cylinder. I changed plugs and have spark on both sides but it still only runs on one cylinder. HELP Please!

Also, my speedo isn't working. Any suggestions for a fix?


Rocky

I'd worry about the cylinder first.

The plugs? Was the one from the cylinder in question dry? You've already determined what the problem is, your carb. If you have spark, then the only thing left is fuel. If that plug was dry, your not getting any. This is all it can be. Even if it was out of sync or had a hole in top of the piston, it would backfire or something. If the cylinder is completly dead, it's fuel.

Try this. Take the plug out of the cylinder. Pour about a coke cap full of premix (weedeater gas) in that cylinder. Now, put the plug in and try to start it. If it starts on both cylinders, then goes down to one cylinder, the problem is in your carb..........:cheers:

 

[Dr Honda]

Yes... running on one cylinder is bad... but your decryption is a little vague. What is it doing to make you think it's only running on one Cylinder?

By any chance is it getting to 3500 rpm, and it feels like the engine is stuttering?

 

[rockytsi]

I was pretty sure based on the sound and the lack of power. So to be sure I removed the plug caps, 1 at a time, and tried starting it. The motor started with both caps on, but sounded poor, started with only the rear cap on, but would not start with only the front cap on. By grounding the end of each plug to metal and spinning the engine I could see there was plenty of spary on both sides too.

I am hoping to have a compression test done tonight....fingers crossed. If that goes okay (what compression should I expect?), I will remove the carbs and clean them.

BTW, thanks for the quick replies, greatly appreciated.

 

[rockytsi]

On another note, at the end of last year I accidently put standard 2-stroke engine oil in the reservoir rather than the xps 2-stroke synthetic thats recommended. Is this detrimental enough to drain it now, or should I just carry on and top-up with the proper xps from now on?

 

[rockytsi]

Is it possible that turning on the garden hose before starting on land has created water problems with the engine?

 

[voodoo]

The compression test will tell a lot, it is the first part of diagnosis on a 2stroke. Mixing oil is not a good thing, this may well have gelled the oil in the injector lines causing lean oil burnout, take old clothes and dump the oil tank onto them for campfire starters, get the oil that you can buy easiest which is the right one and use premix gas to run on until you verify the oiling system is working - replacing the injector lines would be the first thing to do after you drain the tank out.

 

[Dr Honda]

:agree:


Yep... get that oil out. Different types of 2-stroke oil don't mix. (some will and some wont)

Then, as above... check compression.


Either way... don't keep running the engine.


Oh... and the hose thing. It may not have been go for it, but if you started the engine after the incedent... then there is no prob. It would have pushed the water out.

 

[rockytsi]

Compression is good on both cylinders. 160ish on each. Gonna try manually priming the bad cylinder with gas and see if that proves that fuel is the problem. Is there any way to test the spark-plug coils? I can see spark on both sides, but maybe it's not strong enough?