Last year, after launch in the spring, the A4 would not start. The engine was not getting fuel and not having time to do much diagnosis, I ordered a fuel pump from Moyer. After getting back from a 3 day trip (I was a pilot then), I picked up a primer bulb at West Marine and headed for the boat. My plan was to install the primer bulb but hold off on the fuel pump. Well, the primer bulb did not do the trick so I rapped the carb hard with a screwdriver and, the float being stuck, the engine started right up! Well, this is not the end of the story as the title might suggest.
My wife and I were returning from our first cruise together on the July 4th weekend when the A4 suddenly died on Lake Ontario. We were about 8 miles from the nearest port with very light and unhelpful winds. After about 2 hours of trying to figure out the problem I thought to flush some fuel through the carb in case something was clogging the jet. So, I hot wired the oil pressure safety switch and turned on the ignition. The fuel pump was silent! We were able to motor to safety using the fuel primer bulb already installed. A couple of days later I installed the fuel pump previously purchased and motored back to our home port, almost 3 hours distance, with no problems other than there were again light and unhelpful winds!
Knowing that the primer bulb, when pumped about 5 times every 3 or 4 minutes, will keep the A4 running, probably for hours if needed, is a great insurance policy in the event of fuel pump failure. I'm grateful to Don Moyer for this and his other numerous helpful tips on the venerable Atomic 4.
My wife and I were returning from our first cruise together on the July 4th weekend when the A4 suddenly died on Lake Ontario. We were about 8 miles from the nearest port with very light and unhelpful winds. After about 2 hours of trying to figure out the problem I thought to flush some fuel through the carb in case something was clogging the jet. So, I hot wired the oil pressure safety switch and turned on the ignition. The fuel pump was silent! We were able to motor to safety using the fuel primer bulb already installed. A couple of days later I installed the fuel pump previously purchased and motored back to our home port, almost 3 hours distance, with no problems other than there were again light and unhelpful winds!
Knowing that the primer bulb, when pumped about 5 times every 3 or 4 minutes, will keep the A4 running, probably for hours if needed, is a great insurance policy in the event of fuel pump failure. I'm grateful to Don Moyer for this and his other numerous helpful tips on the venerable Atomic 4.
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