1992 Ski Nautique
- Jeff Carroll
- Oct 16
- 1 min read
Updated: Nov 3
Sort the comments below by OLDEST to see a chronological timeline of the work we have completed so far.
This unique 1992 Ski Nautique is in for a nice upgrade. We'll be installing a Quick Fuel M-600 carburetor and freshening up the engine a little. Of course we'll also be doing a bit of cosmetic refresh as well. The dash will get new circuit breaker switches and horn button, we'll do some wiring cleanup, some decals will be replaced, and a few other little things will be done.
Here's the starting point:
Today's test run was MUCH better!
We started by setting the base timing to 10° BTDC. This was also severely out of adjustment, set to about 20° BTDC! We then set the idle speed to the PCM-recommended 700 RPM in forward gear. We adjusted the idle air mixture screws to achieve max vacuum, and readjusted the idle speed to 700 RPM again. Then we gave it a test run, and were rewarded with an engine that ran extremely nicely.
I think it is ready to go home with the customer now!
We had a not-so-great test run yesterday. With the new carburetor, we expected outstanding performance, but instead we had poor acceleration with popping and backfiring through the carburetor. We found that the engine was about two quarts OVERFILLED with oil (not by us). We also found that the spark plugs were severely fouled, either from the old carb running way too rich, or from excessive blow-by from the two extra quarts of oil. We took it back in, changed the oil (adding the proper amount of 15W-40 oil with high zinc (required for these old flat tappet Ford engines) and a PCM brand filter), and put in new Autolite 104 spark plugs, properly gapped to .045".
The owner of this vessel has asked us to take care of a couple more things. One thing we noticed was that one exhaust riser was MUCH hotter than the other when running. This normally indicates a riser gasket that has been installed backwards. PCM riser gaskets intentionally block one of the exhaust cooling ports, forcing water to flow across the ENTIRE riser, not just follow the path of least resistance. If these gaskets are installed backwards, blocking the port farther away from the rear of the riser instead of the port at the rear, the riser runs MUCH hotter than normal. That was the case here, so we pulled it apart, cleaned everything up, and installed a new ga…
The final pieces for this one arrived today -- new custom dash plaques. This REALLY completes the look!
The Quick Fuel M-600 carburetor and CGA flexible fuel line were mounted today. They look great. Looking forward to water testing this one!