Return to the home page...

Go Back   Moyer Marine Atomic 4 Community - Home of the Afourians > Introductions

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1   IP: 209.124.164.147
Old 03-09-2013, 07:06 PM
Administrator's Avatar
Administrator Administrator is offline
MMI Webmaster
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Chestertown, MD (Langford Creek)
Posts: 2,198
Thanks: 1,335
Thanked 365 Times in 182 Posts
Introduction/question from rhcranejr

We found this posted off-forum by new member rhcranejr:

Quote:
I am a complete newbe when talking a4 so please be kind. i just bought an e27 with an a4. so my question is what should i do if the boat has been on the hard for 3 years. i have ordered plugs and wires what else should i get?
Reply With Quote
  #2   IP: 24.224.152.244
Old 03-09-2013, 08:06 PM
Mo's Avatar
Mo Mo is offline
Afourian MVP
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Halifax NS,
Posts: 4,470
Thanks: 292
Thanked 411 Times in 272 Posts
Smile

Quote:
Originally Posted by Administrator View Post
We found this posted off-forum by new member rhcranejr:
First tidbit of advice is: Buy the MMI manual. You can call Ken or order it online. It will help your a great deal.

The big concern with boats that were on the hard is:

1. Winterization if stored in a cold climate.


Problems that could be associated with a bad winterization:
-broken fittings
-ruptured strainer
-ruptured hoses
-ruptured manifold
-ruptured muffler
-cracked water jackets etc
...if it was properly winterized should have avoided having to deal with any of these issues. For the most part, people winterize their engines so the problems should be minimal.

2. Water getting into the boat and actually staying there.

Problems associated with water in the boat.
-rust on and inside the engine...water actually gets in the engine if the level is high enough up the flywheel. There are cases where the crank was literally rusty due to water incursion into the engine by a flooded boat on the hard.
-engine may be seized
-starter usually damaged and need replacement
-sometimes altenator damaged and needs replacement
-wiring that was in the water usually need replacement
-all grounds etc pretty much need to be looked at and cleaned or replaced as necessary.
-rust everywhere

If there was any water in the oil :
-There is no way to tell exactly what the damage /rust situation is inside without a tear-down...so if you don't do that I'd change oil very often the first year.
-install a base pan plug with a magnet on it as well. It will help keep debris due to deterioration of metal out of the bearings etc.

If you are wondering if there was water in the boat look for a water line inside the boat...that is hard to remove and will give you a very good idea of what you will be up against.

OK now for the good news. for this is the part you have control over since you are the new captain and chief engineer.

-pump out fuel tank and clean the tank if possible...that is very important because a dirty tank will cause allot of grief.
-ethanol deteriorates old lines...may have to replace rubber fill hose and rubber section of fuel line with ethanol compatible line and hose.
-all new fuel filters; you should have a filter /water separator and an in-line filter as well.
-remove and take apart the carb..clean it with brake cleaner or combustion chamber cleaner. Remove jets and blow air through those; may run some small wire through them to ensure clear; try to maintain gasket integrity; very careful removing float..don't bend it etc...the pin slides out and will go back the same way; remove needle valve and clean it and the port as well...MMI has a video for this I think...not hard and doesn't take that long.
-taking for granted a good fuel pump you should be fine on the fuel side.

Ignition:
-Electronic Ignition? (two wires coming out from the bottom of the distributor cap) or Points and Condenser (one wire coming out)...EI you shouldn't have to do anything except ensure good connections at the end of the wire to coil. You should replace points and condenser, if that's what you have, after sitting for such a long time.
-Coil should be OK, if it has Electronic Ignition might want to ensure a resistor is between the EI and coil...you can follow up on that as you move on and the members here will bring you up to speed on that.
-check all wire connections.
-plugs new is good.
-wires may be good but you said you had new ones.
-turn the engine over and see if you have spark...nice blue snappy spark, not a lazy orange spark.


Change the oil before starting.

Ensure thru valve for water intake works, and set up a water supply. Once the engine starts you ensure it has water right away. To do this you may already have a "t" set up to draw from a bucket. In such a case you close the thru hull from the water intake and open the valve at the "t". If you have this set up there will be a short hose (usually a normal water hose) or fitting there. If you don't see anything like that remove the hose from tru hull and put it into a bucket....
Other considerations:
-grease cap on water pump needs to be cleaned, re filled and screwed in a bit to supply grease to the pump.
-after you have started the engine and it pumps water...check the water pump area for leaks.
-after you have completed the above leak check consider a new impeller as you have no idea how long that one has been in there.
-I'd personally remove T-stat and put cover back on with silicone for a gasket...that's just me because I don't use them anyway, that's up to you.
-if it doesn't have a BY-Valve setup you might want to consider one.

Try starting it and see how it runs. If the engine runs now look around for:
-ensure it has water supply and is spitting water out the stern.
- check for fuel leaks
- check for exhaust leaks
- check for water leaks
- check the oil and ensure there is no water getting into it....it will have a gray color.
- close monitoring of temp...


Guys feel free to elaborate and relate your experience on some of this stuff.
__________________
Mo

"Odyssey"
1976 C&C 30 MKI

The pessimist complains about the wind.
The optimist expects it to change.
The realist adjusts the sails.
...Sir William Arthur Ward.

Last edited by Mo; 03-09-2013 at 11:04 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #3   IP: 99.124.190.130
Old 03-10-2013, 08:19 PM
Al Schober's Avatar
Al Schober Al Schober is offline
Afourian MVP
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Uncasville, CT
Posts: 2,002
Thanks: 16
Thanked 578 Times in 405 Posts
Nice post Mo - agree completely.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:06 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.


Universal® is a registered trademark of Westerbeke Corporation

Copyright © 2004-2024 Moyer Marine Inc.

All Rights Reserved