new member

[Shelby]

hi
i am a new member with only 2 posts but i have been watching the forum for a few months. i have a question. does mvp mean the advise should be followed? i notice sometimes mvps do not agree. when that happens i get lost.

[Dave Neptune]

Nada

Shelby, MVP means nothing other than we've been at it for a while. The variations in opinions of the knowledgeable participants are primarily due to the fodder being put forward for comment. The fodder is from those learning the nomenclature and nuances of a flathead gas engine nothing more. You will find that in most cases the issue does get resolved and something is learned by all.

Dave Neptune

[Al Schober]

Shelby,
Like all of the internet, the advice you receive must be evaluated by you to see if it makes sense. Personally, I try to explain why I have a certain opinion - and my opinions are based on my experience, which may vary from other folks giving their opinions based on their experience.
In a case where you get varying opinions, please feel free to pose another question asking for explanation - it's not often you get to see the fur fly on this BB, but when it does, it's entertaining and enlightening.

[Shelby]

thank you for the responses especially the mvp explaination. until i know this forum better i think i will search don moyers posts when the members have different ideas.

[Mo]

Basic engine, easy design, easy to work on, not rocket science....the greatest hindrance is the outward appearance of the engine. The actual troubleshooting is straight forward and usually people need help with a a specific procedure once in a while. People purchase boats and take on an atomic 4...there is learning process and although not all opinions are the same...the same people keep coming up with the right answers eventually.

I've noted cases on here where the person asking for help eluded to the fix of the issue nowhere near a causative factor in the problem...issue was they didn't want to admit that someone nailed the problem right off the bat and they didn't follow instruction...hence, they didn't nail the problem right away. Not all dragged out posts are indications of poor information or advice...allot of it stems from people not following instruction, doing too much at once, missing key points or juncture in troubleshooting. When I'm helping troubleshoot I like things done simple and I try to do it without costing any excess damage, money in parts, and personal or paid labor. That's my goal here and I think it's the goal of many. This is a great site.

I doubt there is an Atomic 4 owner who hasn't heard of Don Moyer. Don himself helped me out greatly in 2007...as a courtesy I've become involved in the preservation of the Almighty Atomic 4, and the boats in which they reside....the engine and boats ... Mo is sort of retired (especially in summer) and putters(in winter)...just today a person "again" said..."he can fix your engine, sew you up, or take you appendix out...when he goes cruising YOU go cruising". LOL now I sneak away and find new spots

PS: The sentence: "he can fix your engine, sew you up, or take you appendix out...when he goes cruising YOU go cruising". LOL now I sneak away and find new spots Two guys standing on a second floor veranda pointing me out to a new member as I sneak a smoke (I quit)...sort of like Waldorf and Statler. Can't catch a break!!

[JOHN COOKSON]

hi
. does mvp mean the advise should be followed? i notice sometimes mvps do not agree. when that happens i get lost.

On the forum we try to diagnose and suggest a course of action to fix an A4 (and lots of other boat related stuff too) by siting in front of a computer screen. We never get to see or touch the engine. Naturally there are many times when opinions will vary between members. This does not make either member(s) right or wrong. When there is a divergence of opinions or advice it is up to you, the poster, to evaluate the free advice that has been offered.
One thing you can take to the bank is you will never get incorrect advice. This forum has a certain "self correcting" manned about it.
The one thing that we do request is that the OP (original poster) let the rest of the forum know what the final diagnosis was and what was done to fix the problem. We learn by sharing.
Welcome to the forum. You'll do well.

TRUE GRIT

[Administrator]

Hi, Shelby:

You raise an interesting question. One which I don't recall having been mentioned in the 8,500+ threads on this forum.

Two comments:

This forum is not formally moderated, meaning that once a new member is validated, if he/she submits a new post, it's immediately visible to all. The only exceptions are those which we delete at our sole discretion if we believe the content to be improper/unacceptable. I can remember a single post being deleted because it was making an argument equivalent to water running uphill, and a few being deleted because of language, but that's about it, and I try to read them all. We do see differences of opinion, and that's fine, and we do see posts which are, shall we say, factually inaccurate. These latter ones make us flinch, but we count on the forum being self-policing, with the cream eventually rising to the top.

Regarding our MVP's, it's all about the "V." These folks have demonstrated over time that they bring significant value to the forum. There is no magic formula, but we think we know one when we see one. Experience (on the water and otherwise), education, attitude, willingness to contribute, responsiveness to questions, etc. They all play into it.

HTH.

Bill

[JOHN COOKSON]

hi
i have a question. does mvp mean the advise should be followed? i notice sometimes mvps do not agree. when that happens i get lost.

Do not mix up tentative and final diagnosis. An illustration will help.
Member X puts up a post reporting that when he went down to his boat the other day fuel was dripping out of the carburetor.
Member A, who recently had the same problem, took the carburetor apart and found there was a hole in the float.
Member B, who also recently had the same problem, took his carburetor apart and found that crud was in the needle valve blocking it open.
Member A says "you may have a hole in the float." Member B posts "you may have KRAP in the needle valve holding it open.
At this point both are right.
Member X takes the carb apart and finds a lot of KRAP in the carburetor - the final diagnosis. This is why we like feedback.
Shelby: At this point what would your further advice to member X be?

TRUE GRIT

[Shelby]

not ready to advise anyone of anything yet but i would follow where the evidence leads. if krap was found in the carburetor i look for where it came from staring at the carb and searching upstream. i understand posting theories and working thru a problem but once in a while it is not clear. i have not been inside the gear box but on a topic there was a strong difference of what direction a bearing should be. i was lost until the post from don. without don i would not know which way to go. both sides gave reasons for doing it their way and all the reasons made sense to me.

[hanleyclifford]

hi
i am a new member with only 2 posts but i have been watching the forum for a few months. i have a question. does mvp mean the advise should be followed? i notice sometimes mvps do not agree. when that happens i get lost.

If you listen to a couple of "mvp"s you're likely to get three or four opinions. Remember what you paid for them. Welcome.

[lat 64]

There are several VERY experienced a-four owners on this forum.

After a few posts, the discussion will start to zero-in on the diagnosis.
Give the group lots of data to help with that.

It's a fun and cordial bunch. I've met a few in person and am better for it.

Cheers and welcome,

Russ