Bowen Island Paint Job

[Marty Levenson]

Indigo heat exchanger

Hey all,

Tuesday we finally got to our haul out: first time off the dock in 2.5 years. Very exciting 1/4 mile ride in the harbour, and she ran perfectly.

During tests at the dock the day before, though, I had overheating problems. When I emailed Tom at Indigo he responded immediately and we went back and forth with emails through the day sorting out the problem. Unbelievable service: he has always backed up what he sells. Turned out I had installed my old 140 degree thermostat in my new Indigo therm housing....part of the heat exchanger kit I installed. When i put the proper 180 degree therm in all was well.

Shawn - thanks for the bottom painting tips. We have done this many times before, but there is always more to learn!

-Marty

[sastanley]

marty, sounds good...keep us up to date!

[Marty Levenson]

another water leak

While she ran great to and from the haul out, I noticed a tiny amount of water seeping from the head under the lifting bracket near the #2 spark plug. Nothing major: evaporating almost as soon as it was visible.

My plan for the short term (next two months) is just to sail (finally!) and keep an eye on the leak. Beyond that I will have to decide what to do.

Later I want to fix the problem, either this winter or next, so we can cruise with confidence again.... depending on how that leak develops. The head has never been off our 1967 A4, so that is unknown territory. My first planned move will be to try removing just the head bolt holding down the bracket, so I can get at the leaking area. If that goes smoothly, I would do another grind/clean/etch/ thickened epoxy fill repair (as I did above the water jacket inspection plate). Another possibility is that the head bolt is leaking, so that hopefully that would be easier to resolve. If head problems look too major, I do have a new MMI head to substitute. Hoping not to go that route, as I am still traumatized from months of dealing with head bolts on my other A4.

Any ideas or short or long term solutions gratefully appreciated!

-Marty

[Marty Levenson]

spare alt aboard?

Hello,

I have our old, working alternator on the boat, and wondering if it makes any sense to carry it as a spare. Do they ever die suddenly. or is it a slow death? Would it make sense to carry one on a multi-day cruise, but not day sailing?

Unrelated forum question: I have hunted for the "start new thread" button, but seem to be blind....give me a hint?

Thanks,
Marty

[ndutton]

Marty,

The alternator could die instantly but in truth unless it's been abused it's pretty robust. Often times the telltale symptom is a low battery and it takes a while to be noticed.

However, what good is a spare if it's not at your fingertips? There's a limit of course. Spares that would never be changed underway are of no use on board. As an example, why carry a spare head or manifold for a daysail or even a weekend? With an alternator, starter or even a spare carburetor, a couple of bolts and connections and you're back in business.

To start a new thread click on the forum category in which you want it to appear . The start new thread button is found on the left at the top of the list.

[Marty Levenson]

spares + threads

Thanks, Neil, for both answers.

I guess I am a pants and suspenders person after all, so will leave the alt on the boat. (along with spare carb, fuel pump and pieces needed to change from electric FWC back to mechanical RWC if the electric pump dies.)

-Marty

[Marty Levenson]

tips on assessing a block?

My old A4 is in the boat and running well so far, but in my shop I have my beautifully painted cracked block A4 with new head and manifold and all the goodies. So, I'm in the market for a "new" block, with plans to get an excellent spare A4 ready to go. Any tips on assessing a block would be greatly appreciated.

[hanleyclifford]

After all you've been thru I think you know how to examine the face of a block to check for cracks around the studs and cooling passages. That's really the critical part of the examination since it should be a given that you will be re-sleeving. When you go to buy the old engine make them let you pull the head first or no deal.