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The boat has been in the water for several weeks, starts up great but when I shift into forward the engine stalls out. I had no issues with forward gear but made adjustments to the reverse gear. Is it possible to have the forward gear adjusted to tight? When shifting the prop places drag on the engine then it stalls out. If I rev the engine it will not stall out but I am concerned about damaging the engine, not to mention the pier and my hull when I pull in and out of dock.
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Allen,
The most important thing to recheck (assuming that the engine worked OK prior to your reverse adjustment) is that you didn't get reverse too tight. You can check this adjustment by simply noting the width of your neutral zone. If you have little or no travel between reverse and the time you begin to engage forward, you should loosen up a bit on your reverse adjustment. As long as your forward clutch assembly is not slipping at high power settings and it is not unbearably hard to in and out of forward, the forward adjustment is OK.
Don -
Don,
I have plenty of play in neutral (shaft stops) and reverse is working great. I have no problem shifting into forward when the engine is off, but when at idle I start to move the shifter into forward the motor dies out. I don't have a tac on my control panel "yet", so I don't know how many RPM's its turning. Should I be able to shift into gear at idle?Comment
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Absolutely you should be able to shift into gear from idle. Maybe your idle rpm is too low. If your motor is not properly timed it might also stall when put in gear.Comment
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Kurt,
Thanks, last night I went through the timing again, started the motor and made some small adjustment, don't think the timing is the issue. I do not have electronic ignition on this motor but I am rebuilding another motor that does so the plan is to pull it and install over the weekend. This issue is tough to troubleshoot while on the mooring, I have two anchors off the stern and every time I go into gear it starts to drag them, I have no issues with power once I make it into gear. I will let you know how I make out.Comment
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Sorry to change the subject, but it sounds like what you need most is two new anchors.
Chip Hindes
'74 Newport 30' S/V "Scarlett"Comment
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Thanks Chip! I have three A-4's one on the boat and two in the garage maybe I should use the one on the boat as an anchor.Comment
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Hmmm, Allen, you sound more like a curator than a sailor.Comment
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I think we got off the subject. Since last week I installed my electronic ignition and timed the motor, this had no change on the stalling issue. I found an old thread in the forum that sounded like the same issue so I went in and adjusted the forward and reverse clutch adjustments. I can now shift into forward without the engine stalling, I have no forward propulsion now but the good thing is it doesn't stall out. By changing the forward adjustment by one place I go from stalling to slipping. Any suggestions?Comment
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I think this is the part where Don chimes in and says that the adjustment notches on the collar are a bit too wide and some engines find themselves in a permanent twilight zone between slipping and stalling.
One answer is to tear the engine apart and install Don's piece that Universal designed towards the end of the A4 production run which allows finer adjustments (it's part OREV_05_306). He says "Installation should not take more than an hour at a local machine shop." However, getting the engine to the local machine shop and back inside your boat takes a lot more than an hour.
Another answer is probably to err on the side of stalling and just remember to goose the engine when you shift into forward.Comment
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