A4 mechanic in the Cleveland area for once-over!

[midnightsailor]

Ahoy!

I am new to the forum, and it's good to be here.

I live just east of Cleveland and have an atomic 4 for my Catalina 30 which runs very well. I will be sailing up the St. Lawrence next summer and would like an experienced mechanic to go over the engine and make sure all is well. My mechanical knowledge is limited and there is a shortage of qualified atomic 4 mechanics.

If you have a contractor/employee/friend/whatever in the Cleveland area
(Fairport Harbor actually), feel free to send them my way.

I appreciate your time and here's looking forward to next spring,

Matt
330-703-6288

[Dave Neptune]

Suggestion

Matt, unless someone has a really good guy they can recommend I suggest you look for a volunteer Afourian in your area and offer up a dinner for some tutalage. Most marine mechanics today will look at an A-4 and say we'll sell and install a diesel for you though.

I have a dockmate who has a nice sailboat and has had it as long as I have had mine, that's 27 years now. He is now complaining that he needs to replace his diesel as it is getting problematic, that is his second one. When I bought my Volador the engine was already 14 years old and seized. I freed it up and she still runs like a top~that's due to good care and maintenance of an almost indestructable motor that's not even fussy.

Dave Neptune

[JOHN COOKSON]

Forget the mechanic. Most of them don't know a mammalian orifice from a mineral excavation.

Here are some quick summary checks on the A4:

If the engine is raw water cooled is the fully warmed up running temp 150-165 degrees? If fresh water cooled is the warmed up temp 180-190 degrees? Moyer manual page 2-10.

Is the warmed up oil pressure ~ 40 PSI at your cruise power setting?

And here's a good summary test of the three things necessary for the engine to start and run correctly (fuel, spark, compression):
The engine should accelerate "explosively" from idle to high RPMs. This is true both in and out of gear. So give it a try. If there is a nice smooth power curve with no hesitation or backfiring or anything else that is abnormal you should be good to go.

Others will add to this list.

Welcome to the forum.

TRUE GRIT

[JackConnick]

Time to learn about your engine.

I live in Seattle, which has some of the best access to the marine industry, and I found almost nobody who wanted to work on the engine.

Right on this website, Don has posted some of his old newsletters that have a good overview of common problems. His manual is a must-have. Members here are more than happy to help.

It's not all that hard to learn about and when you're stuck out in an anchorage, having the basic knowledge to get yourself home is invaluable.

Jack

[Bold Rascal]

Welcome to the forum Matt

Buy the Moyer manual as suggested and keep it simple. You'll be just fine.

[CalebD]

I 2nd the "good luck finding a competent & dependable A4 mechanic" idea.

You might be in luck though. Fairport, OH is where Tartan (actually douglass & McLeod) built my Tartan 27 back in 1967. A4's went into most T27's. Might still be someone around who knows the A4.

Otherwise, you just really need someone who knows engines as well as some of the folks here - doesn't have to be a marine mechanic - per se. A gear head who knows what a flat head 4 cylinder engine is might be useful.

Mostly, what the choir has been preaching: you can learn to do it yourself too. 10 years ago I didn't know the engine even had a cooling pump! I'm still learning and my engine and this forum (Afourians!) are still teaching me stuff.

A little grease under the fingernails to save $80/hour for a mechanic is a no brainer for me.