Worlds hardest starting Mule

[m56-mike]

All
so i bought a non-runner from a guy in Utah about a year ago it is a 4-wheel steer 2-cylinder unit. it had a nonfunctioning starter and alternator kit i replaced the starter... It had been a father son project, and they had been "fixin" lots of stuff. They had heads shimmed that did not need shims 2 bad magnetos a huge air leak in the intake tube. compression was just ok...
So I rebuilt it.. New heads cylinders matched pistons new lifters (from emory good correct stuff). New carb rebuilt fuel pump the whole 9. Presently has a new old stock carb installed. New pickup tube assembly in good clean fuel tank.
long story longer it has tons of compression 120's per side. It runs like an animal, once running, has good power no leaks no smoke. However, i have to crank forever to get it to run... Especially cold it's like it's kind of running it won't quite go then finally it does, then it runs like a sewing machine... it starts ok warm not perfect but will start. It has about 6 hours on the rebuilt motor//

What i know
-timing clicks between the marks of 28/18 with the factory marks lined up
-Fuel squirts out of the bypass tube 13" high while cranking
-choking makes it worse
-holding the throtle wide open when cranking makes it worse
-John Emory says the mag tests perfect

What i have done
-2 different carbs
-2 different fuel pumps
-lots of different Plugs
-Timing marks are lined up Mags flat i have tipped it every which way
-ive unhooked the switch mechanism and the hour meter ive been told they can short out
-Ive blown air into the tank forcing lots of fuel to the system while cranking
-plumbed a 3psi Fuel pump in line before the filter supplied fuel from a nurse tank.. Same deal
-Ive tried to hold and pin the throttle in every position assuming perhaps the governors not doing something correct

What are we missing here boys ready to push it off a cliff

don't those mags retard timing at low rpm to promote starting?? Ever see that goofed up?

 

[NDT]

Sounds like the only thing you haven't eliminated as a cause is the plug wires. Suggest you grab some solid core ignition wire and stuff it in the plugs and mag and see if that changes anything.

 

[SolaAesir]

I'm not a great (or even good) mechanic, but this

-choking makes it worse
-holding the throttle wide open when cranking makes it worse

would have me making sure it's able to get enough air. Things getting worse frequently means you're exacerbating the existing problem.

 

[M813rc]

Mules, in accord with their name, can be stubborn.

Back when I drove Mules in the Marines, our standard start procedure was -
Leave the accelerator pedal alone
Full choke
Ignition switch off
Four pulls on the starter rope
Ignition switch on
1/4" to 1/2" of choke (depending on the likes of the particular Mule)
Pull the starter rope and it fires right up

My personal Mule has electric start. Following the same procedure, but substituting a 1-2-3-4 count while pushing the starter button instead of the four rope pulls, achieves the same results.
Mine likes 1/4" of choke.

If I don't follow that procedure, I can crank on it all day and it won't want to start.

Cheers