I heard a little knock when putting it in gear and thought I would pull the gearcase for a quick inspection. Thats where I found the black sludge. If I had ran the engine longer I'm sure it would have came out of the prop. So I checked compression @ WOT and all were between 105-107 psi. However, all the plugs were fouled. Could the knock just been a spark knock because of the fouled plugs? Is the sludge just unburnt fuel being dumped? The engine sat for awhile before I got it. Previous owner tapped into the main wiring harness causing a short that resulted in no power for everything at the control. Fixed that (really needs a new harness) and some burnt jury rigged wires at the starter relay. Thats where I'm at. Water pump is working fine. Should I put in new plugs, the gearcase back on and see if the condition continues? The short knock when putting it in gear and the sludge in my concern. Any ideas what I'm up against? Just needs a tune up? Thanks for any help.
Will
Will