Kenios and Neil, thanks for your replies, it's great to hear your ideas.
A little more background: I bought this engine and fitted it to a Kyosho Rampage, a late 80s buggy based on the same chassis as the Ford RS200. I went for it because they are reputed as good reliable engines - I wanted something that was keeping in the period, wouldn't be too fussy, and a little quicker than the OS 10 that the Rampage originally came with. Oh, and it was also cheap!
I had it running a little better today with the glow plug (unidentified) it originally came with, but it isn't keen on idling, on any needle setting. I have used silicone around the carb joint to seal against air leaks, and I can't see any blowing around the cylinder head, but there is a small weep of oil from the output shaft - between the bearing and flywheel.
Neil - it is the one with the red pullstart. I haven't investigated the carb yet, and you make a good point - it is 20 years old. I'll take it to bits tomorrow...
Kenios - I've bought a couple of plugs to try - an Enya #3 and a Taylor, with an idle bar, as an experiment. I have also considered a new engine replacement, as I would rather enjoy driving this buggy than tuning it every run. I would need to make sure it fits okay though.
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