What Will A Flow Meter Tell Me About A 3-Cylinder Chrysler?

I have a carburetor flow meter that reads the volume of air taken in at each carb while it's running at idle speed. Obviously, this meter is no good for anything above idle.

The meter reads in dm(cubed) per minute. And I was wondering if marine mechanics use an instrument like this for diagnosic purposes. And how it could be used to diagnos the health of a motor.

I tried it on my 90 HP Chrysler at idle.

Background on the motor:

Compression:
Top: 135 lbs.,
Middle: 133 lbs.,
Bottom: 135 lbs.

Flow meter readings: (dm = decimeters)
Top: 1950 dm (cubed) per min., (69 cu. ft/min)
Middle: 2050 dm (cubed) per min., (75 cu. ft./min.)
Bottom: 1950 dm(cubed) per min. (69 cu. ft./min.)

I was wondering if a problem with the reed valves could be detected using this??

Attached is a photo of the meter. It's made in West Germany.

Never heard of one being used on an outboard.
The reeds stop fuel/air from going back out the carbs.
So I don't think the flow meter would be much help.
Maybe if the comp was low on one you'd get a lower reading as it won't draw as much air.
Same as a compression tester.

jj05,

If a reed is cracked or bent and not closing properly, won't that reduce the air flow thru the carb?

Also, it occured to me that if the carb linkage was out at idle (allowing a throttle valve to not seat at idle), it might have a hign flow reading.

I also tried tweaking the idle screws to see if it had effect on the meter, and it did a little. So maybe the meter could be used for a fine tune of the idle screw.

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(Attached is another view of the meter showing the rubber cone that fits up against the carb and seals it so all the air flows thru the meter)

The reed valves are " check valves "------------------If you had a broken one than air would be going into the crankcase and coming back out as well.

It might be some use but there is no reference material to compare to.J