Yesterday, while we were motoring back in after a nice, albeit too-short 2-hour sail, I said to my wife that it was pretty gratifying to think that our little boat engine started up and ran so nicely after I had it torn down to every last nut and bolt in my workshop at home. I felt pretty good about myself, I have to admit.
I think it's got a very slight lifter tap - I really don't relish the thought of removing the manifold and valve cover to try to isolate it and check the clearance on all the lifters - I already have done it twice before I put the engine back in the boat. So I think I'll just run it as-is for now and keep an ear on it.
Of course, I'm still not 100% done (is there such a thing)? I need to add a battery monitor, which I currently (see what I did there?) don't have. And I probably should educate myself a bit more about the charging system and put a meter on it to see what the alternator actually is putting out and how the batteries are doing.
And I need to do something about the slightly leaky exhaust hose, which spits a little bit of water into the bilge as the engine runs.
And I still need to do a little fine-tuning of the carb, mostly to make sure it will stay running smoothly at idle.
But in the mean time, it's gratifying to push the button and have the engine fire up and rumble right along and push us easily and smoothly through the water, and think "I did that."
I have to say, though, that I don't want to be a "tinkerer", and I'm not too A.R. about the exact numbers or pinching the utmost fuel economy out of it. As long as the oil pressure looks good and the temp is generally in the right range, and it runs well and sounds right, that's good enough for me! I just want to be able to push the button, put her in gear and not worry about every little detail.
I think it's got a very slight lifter tap - I really don't relish the thought of removing the manifold and valve cover to try to isolate it and check the clearance on all the lifters - I already have done it twice before I put the engine back in the boat. So I think I'll just run it as-is for now and keep an ear on it.
Of course, I'm still not 100% done (is there such a thing)? I need to add a battery monitor, which I currently (see what I did there?) don't have. And I probably should educate myself a bit more about the charging system and put a meter on it to see what the alternator actually is putting out and how the batteries are doing.
And I need to do something about the slightly leaky exhaust hose, which spits a little bit of water into the bilge as the engine runs.
And I still need to do a little fine-tuning of the carb, mostly to make sure it will stay running smoothly at idle.
But in the mean time, it's gratifying to push the button and have the engine fire up and rumble right along and push us easily and smoothly through the water, and think "I did that."
I have to say, though, that I don't want to be a "tinkerer", and I'm not too A.R. about the exact numbers or pinching the utmost fuel economy out of it. As long as the oil pressure looks good and the temp is generally in the right range, and it runs well and sounds right, that's good enough for me! I just want to be able to push the button, put her in gear and not worry about every little detail.
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