engine problems details inside

[Fr0z3N]

Hey so here's some background on the situation, I'm a licensed mechanic and I do some small engine work lawnmowers and snowblowers

I have a friend of mines 02 challenger 1800 which he didn't winterize (left the plug in) and when I got it, the engines were literally submerged in water possibly all winter long. They are both fresh rebuilds last year, and he said he has always had problems with one of them. I was able to get them started up and one of them to idle and run normally, the "good" one. The other one I could only keep running with a minimum of 50% throttle and only while playing with it at the engine, by hand. Both engines sounded like they had a loud "tick" or knock at first. I've seen heard the noise before on a dirtbike I serviced, cleaned the carb, new gas, new plug and no more "tick".

One of the engines the tick went away after running it for a bit after it was all cleaned up.

The other engine doesn't start at all now, not getting any fuel when I pump the carbs by hand. I've removed the carbs, haven't totally opened them up yet. Both engines new plugs and I didn't replace the gas (it smelled good, but I did top it up with new gas)

Has anyone heard of this or have any advice where to start?

I felt like the "bad one" had a lot of resistance while running which is why it needed 50% throttle or more to keep it running, but it cranks over exactly the same as the good one. (Could just be the carbs weren't pumping much fuel? So it was getting too much air not enough fuel)

 

[wfo speedracer]

Completly go through the carbs , sometime when you submerge an engine the water travels up the pulse line into the fuel pump, once it's in there there is no way for it to get back out , the pump wasn't designed to work that way and it will not pump fuel to the carb.

 

[Fr0z3N]

Completly go through the carbs , sometime when you submerge an engine the water travels up the pulse line into the fuel pump, once it's in there there is no way for it to get back out , the pump wasn't designed to work that way and it will not pump fuel to the carb.

Ok just to clarify, is the fuel pump on these on the carb? Or is in the seperate black box with 3 hoses on it bolted inbetween the exhaust and engine? Does each engine have their own fuel pump or is there one main one?

If its on the carb am I safe to assume its the thing thats pushed in when the butterflys open?

 

[wfo speedracer]

Separate on boats usually , at any rate pull it off and make sure water did not get inside it.

 

[Fr0z3N]

Separate on boats usually , at any rate pull it off and make sure water did not get inside it.

Bought a rebuild kit for the carbs and went over everything ended up replacing one diaphram, pulled apart the pulse pumps and cleaned them, everything looks good. Changed some clamps swapped the good pump off the running engine and got both engines running (still one with a slighty hard start the bad one)

Went out on the water and the boat was running great until the bad engine went out i think because the temp sensor wire came off but would t restart due to no fuel.

The good engine died on the way in same thing, no fuel.

So I'm lost what do I do from here? Technology tells me put on an eletric pump and call it a day but every thread i read on here says do not do that.

Ideas? What do i do now? Both engines not getting fuel