Soon to be new owner of an old Atomic 4

[gregorygraham]

Hello all,

This is a great online forum. I am very impressed with the resources here and the helpful discussions. Now down to business. Here is my situation: I am in the process of buying a 1977 Northern 29 sailboat. The transaction should close after I have a marine survey performed on November 15th. The A4 in the boat is original. I know the boat has been in salt water for at least one extended period. It was sailed from Lake Ontario down to the Bahamas and back, approximately 20 years ago. The engine starts easily and seems to run quite well, however:
1. the blower didn't seem to work; and
2. the engine itself looks quite rusty.
I know a lot about sailing, but next to nothing about engines. I'm feeling rather intimidated. The resources and knowledge base on this forum have reduced my anxiety level, but I'm wondering whether you A4 veterans could provide me with some specific issues to raise with the marine surveyor and/or the owner. The deal is conditional on the marine survey.

Any thoughts or suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated.

The boat is currently at Port Credit in Ontario and has apparently been serviced regularly by Bristol Marine in Port Credit. I plan to keep the boat at a small boat club in Ashbridge's Bay, which is on Lake Ontario in Toronto. I have arranged for the yacht broker who listed the boat to winterize it for me after I buy it on November 16th (if I'm happy with the survey). I thought it better to have pros do the initial winterization until I can learn more about engines.

Although I have no experience with engines, I am quite prepared to absorb and apply the knowledge available on sites like this to ensure the engine is maintained with a view to it continuing to work satisfactorily as long as possible.

Greg Graham
Toronto

[lat 64]

Fix the blower first

The blower is key to safety.
fix it soon! Some of us leave the blower on during motoring, not just for starting.

You can learn a lot about things just by cleaning and scraping the rust and touching up the paint.
A place to start for new owners is the FAQ list on the home page:

http://www.moyermarine.com/faq/index.htm

Take some photos of your new toy and maybe someone can spot things wrong. Stranger things have happened.

Cheers,

Russ

[JOHN COOKSON]

Welcome to the forum.
An A4 will accelerate "almost explosively" if they are running right. So check to see if the idle seems normal and the acceleration is almost instant in gear.
Check the temp gauge for hot running after ~ 10 minutes or more at cruise speed. 160* or under is good.
Listen for any mechanical noises that shouldn't be.
These are only summary tests not tests of specific systems.
A compression test would be ideal if you have the opportunity.

TRUE GRIT

[ndutton]

All in fun but oh, so true

Welcome Greg. I'll start you off right with your first zinger:

I am quite prepared to absorb and apply the knowledge available on sites like this to ensure the engine is maintained . . . .

There aren't any other sites like this. Dis be da place!!

[TomG]

Greg, welcome and congratulations! For a first time A-4 owner, you can't go wrong with a purchase of the Moyer Marine A-4 Manual. You can really give yourself a great foundation on the A-4 by reading this manual. Call Ken and order one today! Good luck. This is a fabulous forum to diagnose and fix any A-4 issue.

[hanleyclifford]

If you take some pictures of the engine and post them here we can comment on condition, accessories, modifications etc.

[gregorygraham]

Thanks for your kind responses Afourians. I will take a few photos during haul out day on November 12 and post them. Yes, I'll order the manual once the purchase deal has closed.

I am told by the current owner and have observed during the test sail I took with the boat that the "trick" to this engine is to start it up with the idle high. It starts right up and then the idle is brought back down to normal.

I'm mindful of the blower situation.

Thanks again gents.

Greg Graham
Toronto

[tenders]

That isn't a trick...that's how gas engines start!

Remember that rust takes up 8-10x as much volume as iron, so a lot of rust involves a little iron. Mere rust is not that big of a deal, although there is nothing stopping you from griping about it during negotiations.

[Sony2000]

Are you buying the Magy Mae?

[gregorygraham]

Sony 2000,

Yes. Is Magy Mae known to you?

Greg

[gregorygraham]

Tenders,

It was explained to me as a quirk of this particular engine. The yacht broker couldn't start it. Next day the owner came out and pushed the throttle lever to the max and it started right away, no problem.

Re the rust, that is re-assuring.

Greg

[edwardc]

This is not so much a feature of gas engines in general as it is of ones that use an updraft carb, like our A4s.

In fact, one of the diagnosing symptoms for a "too rich" condition is that it starts cold with little or no throttle and little or no choke.

[gregorygraham]

edward c,

Are you saying then that this does not surprise you?

gg

[edwardc]

Greg,

That's exactly what I'm saying. When my mixture is adjusted very close to the optimun 14.7:1 Air-to-Fuel ratio (as verified with an Air:Fuel ratio gauge), it needs at least half throttle and full choke to start when cold.

So it sounds like you're off to a good start (pun intended ).

[Sony2000]

I just looked at the ad. A lot of boat for the money.