503 is ailing - Antigo in Jeopardy

[tweivoda]

The 503 is back in the garage. I thought a quick change of the spark plug would do the trick. No such luck. I'm confused. I've got great spark from the plug and and I smell gas in the carb but nothing, not even a pop. I trust it must be a fuel issue though. The fuel filter is new and when I disconnect the fuel line at the carb the fuel flows freely out of the gas line.

I have a friend who is pretty good with these old engines and will give him a call. I've got four days to get it figured out.
Terry,

[Go Go Diablo]

Terry,

Antigo is not in Jeopardy. If you have to, we will fix that 503 on the trailer Friday night, but either way, you are bringing it.

Keep your troubleshooting simple. We know it ran before. You mentioned you let it idle then it died. I'd think it is fuel too, but I've been fooled before. If it is a lack of fuel problem, a little carb cleaner down the carb before starting would test that. If you put carb cleaner down the throat and it fires, look at fuel. Try another plug. If you have a recoil, try the recoil instead of the starter just to see what happens. Try another plug. If still no fire, don't choke it and hold the throttle wide open and spin it over. Try another plug.

Do you get the feeling I'm plug paranoid?

GoGoDiablo Terry!!!!

[Roy Teske]

Plugs have fooled me before. You can have spark outside the cylinder but none inside. The first time, I did a lot of unnecessary checking. The second time, I handed the guy a new plug, and away it went. Good luck. Roy.