Salutations fellow A4 owners

[25yearslater]

I have finished a complete restoration of a 1976 Oday 27. Everything is virtually new except the A4. So, yesterday the rascal left me stuck sailing for several hours as I awaited a tow. The only indication of trouble prior to this was motoring in at idle it would just stop. Restart was easily accomplished. Last week while lowering the sails with her running at idle it began running what seemed rich. There was a smell of unburned gas in the air. This week the trip out was uneventful but after a rolicking sail the old gal just wouldn't start. A drip of gas was coming from the side of the throttle. So this morning I checked spark, excellent. Changed plugs, old used but nothing extraordinary. Removing the electric fuel pump fuse a few rolls and viola away she went. Does anyone suppose the engine flooded due to a stuck carb float as there was a large amount of fuel pooled in the throat? Better to buy new or rebuild old? Thanks.

[hanleyclifford]

Sounds like you have an intermittent fuel restriction. Did your restoration include cleaning out the fuel tank? What sort of fuel filters do you have? We're kinda nosy here - welcome.

[25yearslater]

Actually the tank, separator, lines and pump are all new. I have the carb opened up and found some type of sediment has accumulated at the bottom of the float bowl. Perhaps yesterdays bouncing stirred it up enough to clog the jets/float valve. Also I have as mentioned replaced the mechanical pump with the new electric pump and the fuel conditioning filter. Thanks for the welcome.

[sastanley]

Fuel from the throttle? There is some type of seal in there inside the carb, where the throttle arm & butterfly connect.

Welcome..sometimes we have to be picky about the terms so we can help diagnose. We need more data!!

Nice work on the restoration. I have a 1977 Catalina 30 I've been working on for 5 years. The engine is original and I have not yet had to pull the head or block from the boat, but just about everything else at one time or another.

[ndutton]

Did you replace the fuel hoses? 1976 hose will not be happy with ethanol.

[25yearslater]

Yes and yes. The gas was dripping from the throttle shaft where the arm connects. Good chance then that the seal has failed. The fuel hose is the new A1-15 and was replaced with everything else. I replaced and uprgraded to the electric pump when the sediment bowl had two pin holes from water corrode through. The bowl had a substantial amount of rust but I never considered it beyond that point. My mistake.

[ndutton]

Sounds to me like the float valve was not closing likely due to the debris you found. This presents two questions that once answered will prevent the problem from recurring: where did the debris come from and why didn't the filtration catch it?

BTW, the shaft seals are included in the rebuild kit.

[sastanley]

25yl, some of us don't consider the electric fuel pump an 'upgrade'.

However, if the bowl has rusted thru, that certainly requires replacement. I like Moyer's SS bowl.

\/ \/ \/ \/ Mechanical fuel pump hoarder

[25yearslater]

Thanks ndutton. I am inclined to think the float stuck open as well. The contamination I am fairly convinced resided in the bowl considering the engine ran fine previously but upon a good shaking ended up in the jets and float valve. That would explain the stopping after a sail and excellent operation prior to heading out. I did order the rebuild kit just now. I had soldered the holes in the sediment bowl to get it going while awaiting the new pump and it is clean which seems to indicate a clean system to that point. Just checked that now as well. I am pretty sure you guys have confirmed my suspicions. I'll keep everyone posted on the results. Thanks again for the responses.

[25yearslater]

Thought you might enjoy seeing the subject vessel.

[ndutton]

Do you know if your boat was manufactured in Fall River, MA. or Costa Mesa, CA? About 1975-76 Jensen Marine in California began producing certain O'Day models of which the 27 was one. Jensen and O'Day (and Ranger and Luhrs and DeFever) were owned by the same conglomerate, the basis for the relationship.

Like Jensen needed to produce yet another boat in the general 27 foot range. At the same time and in the same facility they (we) produced the Cal 25, the Cal T/4, Cal 27, Cal T/2, Ranger 26, Ranger 28, Ranger 29, Cal 29 and Cal 2-29, then along comes the edict from Bangor-Punta Corporation (the conglomerate) to produce the O'Day 27. That made 10 products more or less competing for the same consumer dollar. We were our own worst enemy.

[JonnyQuest]

Welcome 25YL!

This is a great place for A4 goodness. Looking forward to see how things progress here as well as in our Odyssey in restoration at SBO.

Fabulous work!

[25yearslater]

Hey! Jonny! Great to see you here too. Looking forward to many conversations here and continuing on SBO. I hope with the help here I can get the last thing, the engine, as good as the rest. In fact I'm certain of it.

[25yearslater]

So I got the new jets, gaskets, etc in the overhaul kit for a late model Zenith carb. Upon removing the old I discovered the early model jets. Yeah those with the extension tube on the end. Puzzle and more than a little frustrated I went ahead and installed the new ones. I have just now returned from installing the carb and that little beastie fired up easier and with more authority than I ever experienced previously. No bogging down when I put it in gear as it used to. All I can surmise is that a previous owner had screwed up and purchased a late model gasket after screwing up everything else. Even the workmanship was substandard. Gobs of sealers and damaged slots in the jets from lousy tools or carelessness. Glad I didn't give up on this and buy a Kubota replacement. I'm sure this A4 will be very dependable from this point forward.

[JonnyQuest]

Glad you got it figured out so quickly and are up running well.

I don't think it's been mentioned but do you have a fresh water cooling heat exchanger on YOT? It's my next bigger money outlay for the A4.