[racsan]

dont know much about these things, but grabbed a deal i thought too good to pass on. a 1988 marathon, gas engine.
chassis tag- 507803
88L24

engine tag-model EC25-2PG
motor # 88-09185

no roof but new wheels/tires, owner said hed not had time to work on it in last year and wanted it out of his way, i was able to get it for $200. says it has a new carb and fuel pump. it has spark but doesnt seem strong, and when you let off the pedal, the spark dissapears, even though engine still rolling. compression shows 70. seems very low to me. i mixed up some fresh fuel in a seperate can and hooked up a boat primer bulb to carb, had either ready and tried to start it. it did try to start and mase a little smoke but never would run. ive heard about possible crankshaft seal issues, and i used to work on outboards so i could understand that being possible. ive also heard about harbor freight engine conversion. not sure if i should go any further with this or try to flip it myself. have pictures but there on a phone that doesnt seem to want to upload to the forum. ( this is my 2nd attempt at a post) any thoughts or suggestions on this? wife wanted something to drive around neighboorhood garage sales, but im not sure if this will be up to the task, dont even know about parts availability. theres been some welding done to the starter/generator braket and the exhaust, so its got some hours on it. guess if nothing else the tires/wheels are worth what i paid, though if i got it going id see about swapping them for some 4.80-12 tires. (dont need the floatation and it would go faster that way) i'll probably take the motor apart just out of curiosity. is the throttle cable supposed to "push"? it seems strange its not a "pull". heavy sucker to push around, thats for sure.