New 2hp Elgin…Need idle screw…

[20mercman]

We picked up a 47-49 Elgin 2hp motor at the Okauchee lake meet of the Midwest Chapter yesterday. We are working on getting this together. It is in pretty good condition, but had a bent flywheel and some other minor issues. Ironically we picked up another one just like it at the meet last year, but was missing the tank and carburetor assembly. We were able to use the flywheel from the parts motor, but we are still missing the idle adjustment needle. This is a Tillotson MD-2A carburetor. Does anyone here have one, or know where we can find one? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Steve

[frankr]

As far as I can remember there are only 3 kinds of those MD needles, concerning the business end. There are the short ones that control air, the long ones that control fuel and the left-hand thread ones that correct the backwards rotation for rich -lean on the short ones. And then of course there is the outside end that varies to accommodate cowling etc. Knowing these features may help with your search.

[20mercman]

Thanks Frank for the reply! This is the short one that controls the air. It is missing, so I am only going by what I have been trying to look up on the net, but it is an air screw, at the top of the carb opening facing out. There is a hole in the shroud to gain access to adjust it after the high speed has been set.

Steve

[frankr]

That is by far the most common type, so it should be fairly easy to find a replacement, even if the outer end is different. Heck, it should be possible to make one.

[20mercman]

Thanks for your help Frank! We used one from a Mk-5 carburetor. Just finished up putting it back together this evening, and ran it in the test drum. You have to admire these old Elgin motors. They are so well built and simple. We paid $15 for two of them last year, a 2.5hp single and a 3.5hp twin. The original 2.5 is a parts motor for now, but the 3.5 was running that afternoon. The latest 2.5 we paid $5 for it, and if you add the cost of the parts motor from last year, I have $10 in it. These both run so darn nice, it is just funny. Same old coils, same old condenser, same old water pump….cleaned up the carburetor, and they run like a sewing machine! I love my Mercury’s, but there is no way I could get one of them of that vintage running for a few pennies of carb cleaner, some gasket material and cleaning the spark plug!

Steve

[raglover]

I may have a needle. Shhoot me a pm with your email. I will look tomorrow and send a picture

[frankr]

quote 20mercman:

Thanks for your help Frank! We used one from a Mk-5 carburetor. Just finished up putting it back together this evening, and ran it in the test drum. You have to admire these old Elgin motors. They are so well built and simple. We paid $15 for two of them last year, a 2.5hp single and a 3.5hp twin. The original 2.5 is a parts motor for now, but the 3.5 was running that afternoon. The latest 2.5 we paid $5 for it, and if you add the cost of the parts motor from last year, I have $10 in it. These both run so darn nice, it is just funny. Same old coils, same old condenser, same old water pump….cleaned up the carburetor, and they run like a sewing machine! I love my Mercury’s, but there is no way I could get one of them of that vintage running for a few pennies of carb cleaner, some gasket material and cleaning the spark plug!

Steve

Yeah, I have a 2.5 in great running condition that I can hardly give away at aomci meets. Like you say, they aren’t worth much. A great bargain.

[jerry-ahrens]

I have a1954 7 1/2 that I bought out of the corner of a guy’s garage. He told me that his father [a minister] purchased it new for use at summer church camp meetings. It needed coils condensors and points cleaned, along with a carb cleaning. I think it’s one of the best running outboard’s I’ve ever had. I can’t get over how easy it starts. I’d like to find a bigger Elgin or West Bend to play around with.

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