Ballpark on how much a shop would charge?

[volguy99]

My 1987 2.4 200 is complete rebuilt

carbs

I run it on the hose for 40 mins and then took it to the lake on trailer in gear (load) for about 30 mins..

pulled the plugs and 5 have good oil on them 1 didnt


How much do you think a shop/dealer would charge to check and make sure its oiling good?

[volguy99]

Looked in hole with flashlight... the top of 5 pistons dont look new anymore...one top looks new "dry"

[pyro]

Whoa, slow down. The oil comes from the fuel supply. If it has a dry plug, then you might have a carb issue to look into. The plugs won't always be oily. Right after running hard, the plugs may be a somewhat dryer brown color, and that's OK. They should all look similar though. For now, spend the money on a OEM factory manual instead of taking it to the dealer. These motors are simple! If you ask the shop an "oiling" question like that, they're going to see a sucker from a mile away and take every advantage of it.

The hole in question may also just not be firing. The constant fuel washdown will keep the oil from concentrating on the plug and piston. It won't appear black unless there's some ignition going on to burn away the bulk of the fuel in that cylinder.

Verify ignition...

[volguy99]

Its firing good...just put the plug against the block and tuned her over ...real GOOD fire.

[pyro]

Ok, then maybe it is geniunely "dry." Carb or reed issue perhaps?

[volguy99]

Maybe it is getting fuel...hell i dont know....while it was running it sounded like it was and that part of the block was warm..

is there a way to tell if its getting gas in that cyd while running it on a hose?

[pyro]

A clean plug and/or piston top can also be due to a gasket/water leak washing it clean. There's many possibilities here.

[kimswang]

1. Check compression and compare to the rest of the cylinders.
2. Take airbox off and start engine - check carb on affected engine. If no fuel or different from other cylinders - take it off and clean it. Replace all the items in a carb kit, mount and test again.
3. Post the result.

[Naiscoot]

Well not sure where you are but down here in South Florida it’s around $80.00 an hour. If you go down to the Keys it's a bit more and anywhere that has a captive market. Some guys charge a minimum of one hour and some will break it in half. My experience has been the higher the rent the higher the bill. But finding a good mechanic regardless of location will pay for itself in the long run