1972 E27-Fixing Everything

[CajunSpike]

Never been to that area and it actually sounds like it would be a good time.
:-)

I actually was pretty shocked how bad that impeller was, when I saw it.

I'm doing this to document the various issues that I come across and solutions, as accurately as possible.

I've been helped by so many people, I'm hoping the tales here may help somebody in return.

All work in this last discussion is done by laying over the motor on a cushion. Get in there, do something for a few minutes, then get out and rest for a bit.
Repeat till done.

[CajunSpike]

Today's update

Since was rainy and overcast, that made a good day to go work on the boat.

Got the motor mounts all turned straight, where one was crooked. All bolts into the floor thru the mounts and tightened.

After an hour of trying to get the 2nd exhaust manifold bolt installed but failing, a slip neighbor came by and offered to help. I held the exhaust stack in position and within 2 minutes he had the 2nd bolt screwed in and tightened.
I thanked him profusely cuz it had been driving me crazy not to be able to get that bolt in.

Left a water line loose and cranked the engine over. Saw water dripping from the line. This was to prove the new impeller was working. Tightened line.

Tried to crank engine. Was doing that skipping style noise like it did when I first got it. Sorta wanting to start but sorta not. Pulled a plug, no spark.

Pulled the cap off the distributor to find the rotor was not locked into position. Apparently when I installed the magnetic ring for the pertronix, I didn't put it low enough on the center post. Took a deep socket and tap tap tap, till it was bottomed out. Reinstalled the rotor(which locked in now) and cap. Hit the key. It fired instantly. Ran rough but I knew that was because I had turned the timing when installing the pertronix kit. Did a little left/right distributor adjustment till I found a relatively smooth idle.
Put it in fwd gear and got a knock knock noise and knew what it was immediately.

I had bought 3 new coupling bolts that were too long. Left one in place with extra washers but it looks like when you go to fwd gear, the extra length is just enough to scrape on the trans housing. That's the knock knock as the shaft rotates. Went to neutral and didn't try again. That bolt has to come out and the original bolt put back in.

So in this adventure I've gone from knowing not much about the prop coupling to having it back together and working with only minor issues.

May actually get to take it out for the 2nd time some day!

[CajunSpike]

Last night

Spent the night on the boat.
Removed that too long coupling bolt. The scrape marks on the end of the bolt confirmed my theory of what the vibration in fwd gear was. The bolt was just barely scraping on the back of the trans.

Found the original bolt, installed it tightly with fresh lock washer.

Reinstalled the engine box ventilation fan.
Loosened the distributor timing lock bolt.

When morning came around, I hit the starter. As usual it took a little choke and it spun to life. Did some timing adjustment and settled on a spot where it sounded the best.
Dropped it into fwd gear. Boat moved fwd and there was NO obnoxious sound from the engine/tranny. Just sat there and spun the prop shaft peacefully. Engine did not sputter or stall when put into gear. Reverse behaved the same.

The Pertronix kit seems to be working right. Bought the kit for $70 and the coil separately for about $50. Later found the same coil for $12, model UC12.

Went thru the cabin and picked up all the tools and trash. Cleared off the cabin table and put up all the stuff that was laying around.

I've been thru all the major engine systems but been lucky to only find trivial(for the most part) things to fix. The A4 itself works when it has what it needs.

Trying to decide if its worth the effort to repair/replace the fresh water tank. The tank water drain line is completely broken open.

Also there are a few electrical things that don't light up when they should.
That's going to be just checking power feeds I think.
Thanks for all ya'll help, comments, and input.

[sastanley]

great update bill. We can continue on with the non-engine parts discussion. I am not 100% up to speed on those issues, however. I don't have a tank drain line for my freshwater system...are you referring to the feed that supplies the faucets? ?

[CajunSpike]

Yes to your question.

On this boat there is a plastic 14 gallon fresh water tank under the v-berth.
I found there is a garden type hose attached to the tank inlet. Don't know where the other end of that fill hose is yet.

The tank outlet is supposed to connect to a pump then to the sink, presumably.

The plastic tube from the tank outlet to the pump inlet(?) is totally fractured and cracked open.
Put any water in the tank and it'll go straight to the bilge.


You can also see two thru hulls connected to each other. Probably the remains of some removed function.

If I do replace that tank outlet tube, I still need a way to sanitize the tank assuming its intact.
Also need to see how that pump is powered. I can see a push button on the cabinet near the sink but not sure its the pump power switch.
Just have to trace the wires.

As for the electrical devices, there are 3 instruments viewable from the cockpit. None of them have ever powered up since I've had the boat. Its entirely possible they are just so old, they are dead.


There also is a depth meter in the cabin attached to what appears to be some type of alarm speaker. Also have not gotten that powered up.
There is a working VHF radio and a non working AM/FM radio.

Looks like the boat was rewired in its life. The main circuit panel has modern type switches and hand made wiring behind it.
One of the main panel circuit switches/circuit breaker is tripped. But when you try to reset it, it doesn't stay set. Not sure if its faulty switch or problem in whatever circuit its connected to.

Most of the exterior hull lights work. The mast light and the red bow light do not work.
The interior 120v plugs I've used, also work.
There are 12v plugs too, but not checked yet.

Don't feel that any of these issues are Ericson specific. Its just that with all the experience out there, SOMEBODY has already faced and fixed these problems.

[roadnsky]

You can also see two thru hulls connected to each other.type of alarm speaker.

...Its just that with all the experience out there, SOMEBODY has already faced and fixed these problems.

Yep. Been there done that on almost every one of those "issues".
water tank / sinks and faucets / DC wiring and panel / AC wiring and panel / replaced ALL gauges (engine AND boat) / replaced thru-hulls and valves

My advice...
Make a "punch" list with each of the projects listed by their priority of needing attention.

And, if it were my vessel, I'd put replacing those thru hulls and that gate valve at the very top of the list.
(Especially if you're already on the hard)

[ndutton]

You may want to do more than just fix what's there. Example: there's no way the water tank is factory original (plumber's tape, really?). It's an ill conceived and poorly executed previous owner nightmare and the bow is the last place you want to add weight anyway.

Consider that if the PO did that, what else did he do?

[CajunSpike]

Not surprisingly, part of my concern is that I haven't seen a boat like this before. Its hard to know whats right or how it was supposed to be. Yes you can rig and repair anything but is that how it really was designed? I have no clue how many owners there were before I got it, but know of at least 3.

Just taking one step at a time.

Boat is currently in the water. Haven't had the engine running reliably enough before this stage to even get it to a marina for haul out.
Was towed to current location around January 18.

I've left the slip 3 times in 7 months.
1)Went motor around the marina just on test run. Shifting was so difficult, went back to dock. Replaced rusty shift cable.
2)Actually went out past the marina walls on 4/29(about an hour) using outboard fuel tank. Things seems to work decently, nothing quit on me.
3)Went out for 3 hours 5/20, after fuel system replacement. Really good day, but prop shaft backed out of coupling on last minute reverse to back into slip.

And if the water tank is not in the bow, where is it on your boat?

[ndutton]

And if the water tank is not in the bow, where is it on your boat?

My tank location may not apply because I have a completely different brand and size boat, therefore might have spaces you don't. For the sake of conversation however, my potable water tank is amidships under the stbd settee, holding tank is opposite on the port side. The water tank on my buddy's E26-2 (same interior as yours) is under the stbd settee.

Are you a member on the Ericson Yachts Owners forum (EYO)? Pretty good bunch of guys over there. They can provide a wealth of brand-specific information.

[CajunSpike]

Got myself together and took the E27 out on the lake for several hours. Wind was light and went down hill from there. After a few hours of not much happening, motored back to the slip. Got to about 20 feet from the slip still in motion and idled way down where upon the motor died. After a few frantic non responsive cranks, I gave up and grabbed a bypassing rope with the boathook.

Managed to get the boat stopped with only a small scrape to the side against a neighbors anchor. No other impact or rough damage occurred fortunately.

Somebody saw what was happening and helped me get the boat tied up. By that time, the heat index of 104 was too much for me. I just locked it up and walked away. Didn't bother even hooking up the electrical line.

Engine ran great the whole trip but again in the last few seconds, it had an issue that may have been bad if I had more speed up. This is exactly why I literally float/crawl in the slip area.

I have no answers at this point since I didn't stay after tie up to check anything on the engine.
Guess I'll save that for next visit.

This was first trip with pertronix and I put 3 more gallons of fresh gas in the tank. Only had 1 or 2 gallons in it before the refill.

[sastanley]

Bill, since I removed the PCV valve, I've been able to set the idle much lower. This works great, EXCEPT, when I bring the throttle down and take it out of gear during a 'stop the boat' event. It sometimes stalls on me. I am still working to figure out the cause...the solution so far has to break my old habit and get the throttle down enough to safely take it in and out of gear, but not low enough for it to stall.

[JOHN COOKSON]

. I am still working to figure out the cause...the solution so far has to break my old habit and get the throttle down enough to safely take it in and out of gear, but not low enough for it to stall.

Maybe a stuck or sticky advance mentioned in another thread?
You're on the boat. I'm in front of a computer screen........
Let us know if servicing the advance solves this issue.

TRUE GRIT

[tenders]

It's a little tricky to determine if stalling at low idle is a problem with the carb settings, the idle setting, the timing, or not a problem at all. Low idle is all about precision, and some people revel in how low an idle speed they can get in neutral. It is an impressive accomplishment, but if you have everything set up perfectly with a fully warmed up engine, by definition it isn’t perfectly set up any more with a cold(ish) engine. Yet that’s what you have after a few hours of sailing.

So if she idles slowly in neutral but stalls in gear once in a while at those very low idle speeds, I wouldn’t worry much about it (although personally I would adjust the idle speed cam on the throttle so that it never happens). Just don’t run the engine in gear at those low idle speeds in close quarters. Run a little faster and shift between neutral and forward as necessary. I consider this a good practice anyway during docking maneuvers; you shouldn’t need to shift from forward straight to reverse unless there’s some sick crosswind.

Of greater concern to me is why she didn’t start right back up after the stall. This would drive me nuts in fact. With a little more throttle and no choke, I expect mine to fire up instantly after a low-speed stall, even in gear. I’d guess of course you gave her more throttle first - perhaps your carb is running a bit too lean? A slight timing/advance adjustment might help but I can never recall which direction applies when. Is it possible your OPSS is seeing low oil pressure at low idle and turned off the fuel pump?

Edit: new Pertronix, hmmm. Makes me think a timing adjustment may be in order. Your coil is a 4-ohm Moyer, I presume? Much written about the need for that here.

[CajunSpike]

Haven't had a problem stalling issue before this event.

I intentionally idled up the carb/adjusted the mixture so it would not stall when I pressed the throttle full back either in gear or in neutral.

About the only thing that comes to mind was that it was still in gear when it dropped, at a very low rpm.

Only had about 10 seconds before the boat hit something so there was only time for 2 quick cranks before I gave up and grabbed the hook. Engine was on both batteries and spun quickly. No hint of start.

I normally do a bump in gear-bump out as needed to keep the motion going when close to the slip
This time was going along and idled all the way down and it died. Did not get a chance to bump to neutral.

After my testing before this outing, It blew me away that it would not fire up when needed.

So I guess next weekend, its back to basics with spark and fuel checking if it does not fire up on its own.

I got the pertonix kit from an ebay seller, new in box.
I got the coil from Moyer. Did not ohm check it....yet.

I'll throw a maybe in there. Was rushed but I vaguely remember the choke MAY have been left partially open. At the slow idle it was, that may have overwhelmed the air flow killing the engine.

Will find out next weekend, when I try to restart it.

While I was installing the new plate for the pertronix, I put some light oil on the distributor spring advance mechanism. It moved freely with no sticking...

[tenders]

Sounds like you’re doing everything right but, maybe, the choke, which could explain the stall and the failure to immediately restart. Especially if you didn’t have time or presence of mind to give it more throttle before re-cranking.

May I ask why the choke might have been partially out? Except when the engine is very cold, as in October/November cold, my choke is either all-out to start and run for a few seconds, or all-in to run.