old boat..new owner..needs tlc..might as well start a thread about it and its A4

[msauntry]

Once you see how small that main jet orifice is, you can imagine it doesn't take much to plug it up and start causing "issues". Good news is a couple of filters can take care of that pretty easy, even if your gas tank is questionable. The main fuel/water separator is the first line of defense and a small fuel filter right before the carb can take care of anything else.

[sastanley]

Yeah..I imagine the fuel is pretty old in the boat too..I was able to get almost 5 gallons in to top off for winterizing, but I suspect that maybe only 4 or 5 gallons per year has been burned the last few years. The stuff that came out of the main jet drain plug was very brown and full of sediment..I am actually surprised I didn't have more trouble...my rationale for not messing with it was that is was running, and if I start screwing around with it, I might dislodge something in the middle of the creek!

I am going to be adding the fuel filters this winter..(I've already picked up the polishing filter, just need to get the Racor next.) As far as I can tell, there was ZERO fuel filtration in this boat..I haven't found one yet.

msauntry...something else i noticed in one of your posts farther back (#21) - do you have a strainer inside the boat for the raw water as well? Is this typical or common practice? I have the thru-hull fitting and about 3' of hose to the water pump inlet...that's it...the thru-hull does have a humped bronze fitting on the hull, but I'd call it more of a sea-nettle or small fish deterrent, rather than a strainer.

[rigspelt]

do you have a strainer inside the boat for the raw water as well? Is this typical or common practice?

It certainly is common practice around here. Lots of floating weeds. Wouldn't be without one.

[rigspelt]

Electronic ignition is on the list..I read another thread that said the way Moyer sends out the kit, you can remove all the 'manual' parts and slap the ignitor assembly right in there

Almost: might need to carefully Dremmel a path in the distributor cap for the wires, but I don't see that on the Pertronix Ignitor instructions http://www.pertronix.com/support/man...itor12vneg.pdf. I had EI on a previous boat and loved it, so it was the first thing I did with this A4. MMI sells a modified distributor, but I got the Pertronix Ignitor and a new cap at a local auto store up here, then we modified the standard distributor in a few minutes.

[sastanley]

Nice..thanks for the info...this is on the list...but down on it a little bit since the engine runs OK...first on the list is proper seacocks & thru-hulls..I think this Catalina 30 still has the original 'pipe nipple' thru hulls
-Shawn

[sastanley]

pictures!

Someone else on the board commented about how pretty everyone's engines looked..maybe MarkS, if I remember.

I wanted to assure him that not everyone's been able to make theirs look so good...I am just trying right now to keep mine running!

I took this yesterday while I was down on the boat cleaning up more P.O. stuff.

Check out those fresh plug wires!!! - I taped up the one so I could remember where it went when I took the plugs out for the winterization MMO treatment.

[Mark S]

Stans,

Our engines are comparable in appearance, give or take a few spots either way. I wonder how close we are to the point of no return. Watch out when you deal with your thermostat! I took mine out over the weekend and now need to replace the studs. That's the way it is with old engines -- you make an improvement in one area and that leads to six other things that need to be done. I'd like to install some of Steve Markowski's plumbing engineering but I cringe thinking about what that will lead to.

Mark

[sastanley]

Mmm..more yuck!

Mark,
You are right, what is the 'point of no return?' with these motors? it seems that except for the block degrading to the point that the water jackets are compromised internally that Don & gang have been able to come up with a solution for just about everything else.

Here's another pic: the water pump is entirely green from likely years of water dripping out of the raw water intake connection. The drain tube near the alt belt broke off years ago and was repaired with Marine Tex..

One thing I did NOT do when winterizing was pop the thermostat..I simply clamped the bypass hose and let it suck in antifreeze from the intake..how much went elsewhere I dunno, but I can guarantee that this is the first year it has ever had antifreeze in it, so it has to be better than nothing, which is basically what was done in prior years. After these pics were taken I spent about 30 seconds trying to pop the thermostat housing loose and take a gander inside, but not a chance...so I started squirting penetrating stuff onto all the studs/nuts/bolts that I expect to be working on over the winter.

I understand exactly what you mean though..each little fix ends up being 3 more projects to repair what broke!

-Shawn

[s/v Dearbhail]

Rough looking

Shawn that is one rough looking A4!

I'm certainly not an expert with the A4 but mine is looking pretty good these days. When ever I tear into something on the engine, the alternator, starter, side plate,,, I always try to wire brush any rust I find and touch it up with some paint. I keep a can of red rustoleum onboard and a couple small paint brushes just for this job.

It makes it much easier to find an oil or water leak too.

About that thermostat. my housing was totally shot on the inside. I replaced it back in May.

[sastanley]

you're not kidding!

I saw some pics of yours in other threads..looking pretty good!

And yes, she is rough, but she still runs, and better than she did when I got her. - I worry a little bit about taking parts off, I may get into more trouble than I want to handle..meaning some of the crud may be holding her together

We'll see what I can do with it over the winter...the rest of the boat is almost as rough as the A-4, so I will have to prioritize my tasks...the first mate will likely care very little about motor aesthetics, but she'll want nice fresh cushions and a clean galley with a working stove I am sure! Anyone got some old Princess alcohol stove parts laying around?

For some more fun, here is her 'good' side..the relatively recent MMI manifold..I removed the carb and took it home to clean, and stuffed paper towels in the openings to keep out the crud.
-Shawn

[s/v Dearbhail]

Thanks Shawn, she is a work in progress.

I just received some new parts from Don and his crew so I'll be pulling the alternator, starter, accessory drive and water pump off this week. I'll give anything that needs it a good cleaning and paint, then reassemble it with the stuff from Moyer Marine. That takes care of the top and stbd sides of the engine. I'm not having as much luck reaching the port side. There is no access at all.

Mark
s/v Dearbhail

[sastanley]

update!

Ripped all the seacocks off the boat today...gonna try to take advantage of West Marine's 20% off sale this weekend to pick up exhaust hose, marelon seacocks, engine hose, fuel hose, etc.etc....their 20% discount ends up being about the same price as I can get that type of stuff on the internet.

Wow 75 degrees here today in Southern Maryland! Breezy though...I also spent some time up the rig of my step-father's Tartan 3000 this morning to ring down the busted VHF antenna before it gets hauled next week...it was sporty even in the slip!

[sastanley]

fuel pump

OK, well I started to take apart the fuel pump yesterday evening, and have been cleaning up the water pump. I am more surprised than ever that the engine even ran given what came out of the pump!

here are a few pics of the pump/screen, & some of the fuel I pumped out of it before pulling it apart. it looks like mud. I don't know how anything got by that screen. i guess I am lucky the boat made it to the travel lift.

[adab1402]

a clean bilge is a happy bilge

gloves ,goggles ,tsp a bucket of warm water ,and away you go . ps dont be like me and find out both manual bilge pumps are kaput . make sure at least one works .after the lockers and bilge are spotless paint em with bilge paint and you,ll be so proud . two coats minimum fair winds adab1402

[sastanley]

bilge paint? Oooo...a new product I haven't heard of to cover up the P.O.'s neglect!