22R Engine Issues

If you want to attempt repairs or adjustments yourself, I recommend that you invest in a Chilton, Haynes, or factory repair manual. The factory manual will be the most detailed but it will also be the most expensive. The Chilton or Haynes manual should have sufficient information for most do-it-yourself tasks.

Regarding the oil loss, are you getting blue-gray puffs of smoke from the exhaust pipe? Check the spark plugs to see if they have an oily film on them. Check the coolant for signs of oil mixed in, and check the oil for a milky appearance. Also smell the oil on the dipstick to see if you smell gas mixed with the oil. If all of that stuff is OK, then start looking for an oil leak. Check the oil pressure sender, the front seal behind the lower pulley, and the inside of the distributor cap for signs of oil leaks.

I would identify the source of the fuel smell in the engine area ASAP because of the risk of fire. Follow the lines back from the carburetor to make sure that there are no fuel line leaks. Look for a glass window about the size of a nickel on the side of the carburetor. There will be 2 tabs about halfway up in the metal piece that holds the window, and you should see fuel about even with the tabs. If the fuel is not even with the tabs, then you may have an internal leak or a problem with the float. The float is a plastic piece in the bowl that works like the float in a toilet tank.

If you no longer smell gas, then why did you ask?

However, my exhaust puts out no color

Check the dipstick when the vehicle has been parked for a while.

I was unable to check the spark plugs

I looked at the lines going

If you are not smelling raw gas, then don't bother spending a lot of time looking for gas leaks.

I also looked at the lower pully in the front of the engine (i.e.

One of the reasons you should wipe up spills is that you can identify leaks later.

When you spoke about the distributor cap

When I spoke about the distributor cap, I meant the distributor cap. There is no such thing as a spark plug distributor in your engine.

And I also didn't see anything such as a floater in the carb, but

I did not suggest that you look check the carburetor float because I knew that you would not be able to see it. I did suggest that you look for the sight glass on the side of the carburetor because you should be able to see that.

Anyway I put

What did you take apart?

If you wouldn't

I am not aware of any sources of on-line manuals for your engine, so, as I recommended beforem, you may have to spend some money and invest in a Chilton or Haynes manual.

The distributor sends electricity from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. through the distributor cap.\

No problem asking questions, that is how you learn.

My carb which you probably

I am not familiar with side-mounted carburetors on the 22R engine. If the sight glass is so cloudy that you cannot see through it, then there is a pretty good chance that the carburetor needs cleaning. Some carburetor/fuel injector cleaner that you add to the fuel tank may help clean the carb out a little.

I guess the main factor that

If a carbureted engine is difficult to start, then I would check to make sure that the choke is setting properly when starting the engine after it has sat for several hours.

Remove the air filter housing, what I think you are calling the carb pan, so that you can see down into the carburetor. There is a flat plate that pivots in the middle that controls how much air gets into the carb. When the engine is cold, depress the throttle pedal all the way to the floor once and then release the pedal. If you look into the carb, the plate should be in the closed or choked position. This lets more fuel into the engine relative to the amount of air to aid in starting. If the plate is open, then the choke is not setting and you have to figure out why.

Several things can cause hard starting. If the automatic choke does not set, then the engine will not get enough fuel to start, or if there is a problem with the bowl, or the ignition system does not work well, you will have difficult starting.

Good luck!