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Old 05-12-2018, 07:07 PM
smosh smosh is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Cape Elizabeth, ME
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UPDATE not so running. Or starting.

Hello all!

I've searched and come up short and am at, as so many here have said, nearly at my wit's end!

So. Toward the end of last season, my A4 quit. Wouldn’t start. Sailed back to the mooring (slooooooowly) and left. The next day, went back out to it, and broke the key off trying to start it. Replaced the ignition switch. Actually got it started. A few weeks later, in late October, it died again. Thought it might be bad gas….water in the fuel, etc. Put it on a slip for the winter, and just this weekend am trying to get it back up and running.


I pumped out all the fuel and ran fresh fuel through the line up to the inlet to the motor. I attempted to let the fuel out of the (glass?) bowl just after the inlet, but i’m not sure how…don’t want to force what seems like a spring because possible breaking. I put a bulb in line so i could prime it…if i apply strong pressure with it, fuel can leak out the bottom of the bowl.

There is spark. The plugs were fouled, but i replaced. Even after the new plugs, the plug toward the stern (the lowest one) has oil on it. I note the engine oil is over full….previous owner (i bought it last September) had overfilled it, i guess, on splashing in September. I will extract some tomorrow.

The distributor cap is new last year. The points are old.

When trying to start, if the throttle is all the way up, exhaust comes out the side of the boat, but it doesn’t fully catch. Choke in, out, halfway…same thing. Starting fluid in the air intake…no start.

i really, really, really…really…don’t want to mess with the carb right now. In the Tartan, that side of the motor is up pretty tight to the battery tray. Not much visibility or room to work. Don’t want to start tearing things apart without a plan.

Any ideas?

i have pictures of some things…i will see if i can upload.

thank you so much...so happy this forum is here!


(by the way, i came from a Catalina 25 with an outboard...right now i am soooooo missing it. But when the Tartan is finally out again, i probably won't care at all.)

Last edited by smosh; 05-22-2018 at 06:27 AM. Reason: for update
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