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  #26   IP: 216.80.24.55
Old 06-04-2018, 07:40 PM
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If you want your A4 to be reliable, the addition of some upgrades to the original design go a long way toward reliability and easier maintenance. Whether done by you or a professional

electronic ignition with proper new coil
water strainer in water intake line, freshwater cooling
water fuel separator AND inline fuel filter

Most problems on these motors are very simple.
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  #27   IP: 104.156.210.130
Old 06-04-2018, 08:41 PM
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Guys, your intentions are honorable but I think GEM made it clear more than once he had zero interest in dealing with the engine issues himself. I appreciate it's not our way but I think there comes a time when we have to accept it's his way.
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  #28   IP: 99.30.185.198
Old 06-04-2018, 08:51 PM
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Over the nine years that I have owned my Catalina 30, I have replaced, repaired or serviced just about all things A4. One of the most difficult of the projects was removing that lower water pump bolt. In the case of mine, it was like unscrewing a carriage bolt from the head end. Like Jerry, I laid on my side for what seemed like an hour before I was able to "cold chisel" some rotation out of that ***** bolt. Almost all of the work has been done "proactively" rather than
"reactively", not wanting to wait for any of the "30+" year old systems to fail. One of the parts that I'm talking about is the block electrical connector that is or was burried somewhere under the engine in virtually all C-30s. This is just speculation, but this may very easily be at the heart of Gem's problem. I'm sure that there are many qualified mechanics around that are not even aware of the existence of that corrosion prone connector.
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Old 06-04-2018, 10:24 PM
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I am seeing Neil’s wisdom here. The first steps of Zen and the Art of Anything that Must be Maintained are the beliefs that problems can be fixed, and that you can understand how to fix them.

Without those core beliefs, the next step, that you can actually fix them, is not relevant.

We cannot presume those beliefs.
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Old 06-04-2018, 10:31 PM
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Seems like GEM gave up from the result of two bad mechanics...too bad..

edit - It has only been two days..maybe he'll come back and get invigorated. C'mon, GEM, we can help you, but you will need some GoJo hand cleaner when you are done!! If you are not willing to get your hands dirty, then good luck, sir.
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Last edited by sastanley; 06-04-2018 at 10:35 PM.
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Old 06-05-2018, 08:48 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sastanley View Post
Seems like GEM gave up from the result of two bad mechanics...too bad..

edit - It has only been two days..maybe he'll come back and get invigorated. C'mon, GEM, we can help you, but you will need some GoJo hand cleaner when you are done!! If you are not willing to get your hands dirty, then good luck, sir.
I suspect that is a common A4 issue. There seem to be a lot of mechanics with no ability to work on these engines and plenty more with no desire. I can sort of understand why too. The *newest* A4s are over 30 years old at this point, excepting Moyer remans, and tend to be owned by financially limited sailors (me included!). So from the viewpoint of a shop that charges someplace between probably $70 to $100 an hour, they know the owners are not likely to pay for the time to fix the engine correctly and if they do a half-donkey quick repair they will be getting called for "warrrany" work every time anything breaks on the boat*.
* I once changed the starter on an ancient Gray Marine engine - located at he aft end of the boat - and then got sued for breaking the anchor windlass - located at the bow. In court my defense was I never got within 30 feet of the thing and I won
OTOH we are blessed with AMAZING aftermarket and community support. Have an old diesel from decades ago? Some of them have no support at all and no one who even remembers working on them. If my boat had come with the optional diesel, a marinized and dieselized MG Midget engine, I would be ordering parts from an antique tractor place in England if they still have any left

Last edited by joe_db; 06-05-2018 at 08:52 AM.
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Old 06-05-2018, 09:22 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ndutton View Post
...I appreciate it's not our way but I think there comes a time when we have to accept it's his way.
Agreed.
I just couldn't help myself after reading about the "professional" mechanics.

Like you said earlier, maybe a diesel is in his future.
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  #33   IP: 24.152.132.140
Old 06-05-2018, 09:37 AM
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Whatever is best for him, that's all that matters.

Not everybody has the same comfort zone in terms of abilities and learning. I learned this many years ago from the mother of my daughter's schoolmate. The girls were in middle school and the district had adopted a fuzzy math program all about self esteem rather than mathematical mastery. We parents attended an evening program hosted by the math faculty and administrators intended to present and explain the program. About halfway through their presentation I wrote a note to my wife and handed it to her as I left, "This is crap, I'm outta here." She showed it to the mother sitting on the other side.

The following day we were discussing it and I told this other mother, "Your time and effort would be better spent working on math skills with your daughter rather than fighting with the school district administration trying to get them to revert back to solid math teaching which they'll never do." She said, and I'll never forget it, "Maybe you can do that but what are the rest of us who don't have the math skills supposed to do?"

I'd never considered her position, that mathematics wasn't as natural to everyone as it was to me. My ignorance borne of arrogance was on full display.
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prior boats 1987 Westsail 32, 1970 Catalina 22
Had my hands in a few others

Last edited by ndutton; 06-05-2018 at 10:42 AM.
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  #34   IP: 75.147.56.13
Old 06-05-2018, 04:48 PM
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"This forum is not to find mechanics but to get the members able to keep the A-4 tuned and running reliably."

I understand - you can own an A4 but you had better be a good mechanic because shore-side support is thin on the ground. And since I can't turn a wrench, that leaves me in a "bit of a pickle".

Slipping a diesel into a 1984 Catalina hull isn't the best use of 20K. My wife has suggested a deep water bath and turn the boat into one of those "fish reef" things. My neighbor helpfully suggested that he could tow the boat ("really fast") behind his Chapparal with the idea, I suppose, that I'd throw it into gear at some point and jump start it.

Back here on earth, the engine worked after the first gentleman repaired it - for 5 hours (by the engine timer/tach I had installed). Didn't idle very well, but we had no problem starting it. Shut it off on a Sunday and went to start it on the following Friday and...nothing. No amount of choke, throttle, or harsh language would get that engine running. Called the original guy only to find he had gone on a 6-week walkabout to South Carolina. No one else in the business would touch it. When he got back, he wouldn't either - unless I had it towed back down the coast to him.

Many phone calls later, enter contestant number two. He poured raw gas into the cylinders. Still nothing. He said we had the water intrusion problem, (since I was unaware of the "don't leave the cooling water valve open when cranking" rule). That, in turn, led to the cylinder head work we had done over the winter. Lapped the valves, fixed stuck valves and replaced two valve springs. Put the boat in the water in the spring and we went to start on Saturday and...nothing. Again - no amount of choke, throttle, or harsh language would get that engine running.

Finally - after all afternoon Sunday - we got the thing to start. The mechanic came out and adjusted the carburetor - something about "mixture" - and idle.

I like the idea of an electronic ignition with proper new coil someone suggested. What's the story on that?

"Sorry to hear of your troubles and even more sorry you feel incapable of learning the engine yourself."
I understand my limitations. The people to feel sorry for are the guys who work as professionals who don't understand theirs!

Last edited by GEM555; 06-05-2018 at 04:57 PM.
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  #35   IP: 75.147.56.13
Old 06-05-2018, 05:17 PM
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"The *newest* A4s are over 30 years old at this point, excepting Moyer remans, and tend to be owned by financially limited sailors (me included!). So from the viewpoint of a shop that charges someplace between probably $70 to $100 an hour, they know the owners are not likely to pay for the time to fix the engine correctly and if they do a half-donkey quick repair they will be getting called for "warrrany" work every time anything breaks on the boat*.

I think that is especially true here in Maine. The season is so short and they gotta make hay while the sun is shining. I can direct you to yards that will do good work - if you have buckets of money to spend and don't look too closely at the billing. But if you have a budget and think things should cost what you are told they WILL cost? "Not so much".
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Old 06-05-2018, 06:17 PM
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Gem,
The engine is no good, so get a certified & guaranteed rebuilt engine? If you go that route, I suspect the new engine will have the same issues! You say the engine ran for 5 hours - IMHO you do NOT have an engine problem. My guess right now is an exhaust system issue, allowing water into the engine - but you haven't given us any good diagnostic information. Could also be a fuel tank that has a half gallon of rain water in the bottom (caused often by a bad O-ring on the fuel fill), or an electrical issue (perhaps a corroded ignition switch).
Please, go through the 'no start' checklist and let us know the results. We look forward to helping you fix your engine. We also look forward to the day down the road when you're helping folks fix their engines, and are telling folks what a great engine the A4 is!
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Old 06-05-2018, 06:24 PM
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Well I am glad you responded, I had an inkling that you were gone for good on this forum. Glad to hear that you are not made of money, too. It is much more fun and challenging to be on a budget.

Please forget that you are mechanically ill equipped. If you can read and walk and chew gum you can get this engine to be reliable.

This is what I would do:

1) check to make sure your gas is good. Now how to do that you may ask. On top of the Catalina gas tank there is a round plate with a bunch of screws. Behind this plate is the gas gauge, commonly called the sender unit. Once the screws are removed, take out the sender. Put a skinny plastic tube, about three feet long, down into the lower forward corner, and take out a sample by sucking on the tube for just a little bit to suck up about 18 inches of gas - careful not to get a mouthful. Quickly place your finger over the mouth end of the tube to keep the gas in the tube by "nature abhors a vacuum" effect, and then put the dirty end of the tube in a clear glass and release your finger. Is the gas that you sucked out of the bottom of the tank clean? Contain water?. If good pure yellow gas, you should be good to go with this. If not fixing involves draining and removing the gas tank, and cleaning it up - easy and cheap to do on a Catalina 30.

Note: The pickup tube for the gas sits an inch or so above the bottom of the gas tank. If all is still - not bumpy - the pick up tube will suck up good gas. However, when it does get bumpy, and all of that water and crap gets suspended where the pick up tube can get to it - engine stalls and won't start because crap and water got into the carburetor. With a good clean fuel system, one very seldom have fuel issues.

2) Buy a Moyer marine carburetor. For $320 in my opinion, nothing can add more reliability than a fresh new carb. Old carbs can be rebuilt, but sometimes a carb just wears out. I was never good at getting old carbs to be reliable. New carb: $320.

3) Get an electronic ignition unit from Moyer Marine. This eliminates all mechanical points that can get corroded etc from sitting over the winter or in a humid environment. It is easy to install - just follow the directions. I believe a screw driver and a pocket knife is all you need. $112 from Moyer. Read the directions before going to the boat just to be sure you have everything you need.

3) Get the Moyer Marine ignition coil. It has the proper resistance for the electronic ignition - $50. Otherwise the electronic ignition will allow two high a voltage to get to the coil, causing it to get hot and short it out. Resistance is needed to cut down the voltage a little so the iginition coil will last for years.

This spend of under $500 solves 99% of all issues - clean gas, good carburetor, and a strong stable spark and you should be good to go. Especially because you had internal work done on your engine already.

There is nothing more frustrating that not believing your engine is reliable. Likewise, there is no better feeling than going to the boat with confidence that it will start and be there for you when you need the engine most.

Best
Jim
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  #38   IP: 71.244.230.46
Old 06-05-2018, 06:51 PM
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Wait, you guys are financially limited sailors (me included!)? I only came here to improve my social standing by hanging with the well-to-do's...
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  #39   IP: 24.152.132.140
Old 06-05-2018, 07:09 PM
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Don't discount systems ancillary to the engine (fuel, exhaust, control wiring). You can have a brand new engine that won't start or run if the boat's systems are in poor condition.
  • Contaminated fuel - speaks for itself
  • Blocked exhaust inhibits the engine's ability to breathe
  • Control wiring - I could write for days on that subject but for starters unique to Catalina, get rid of the Medallion trailer plugs in the wiring harness (nod to Thatch for mentioning it earlier)
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Old 06-05-2018, 07:56 PM
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Gem, as has been mentioned, the Atomic 4 is more closely related to antique tractor motors, or as I've seen antique Jeep engines, than anything built today. That said, if you're still considering finding a mechanic, I might suggest you look away from the "professional" marine mechanics and contact a couple of antique car clubs or the folks at the Maine Antique Tractor Club for suggestions on mechanics.

A flat head four cylinder, naturally aspirated carbureted gasoline engine is a marvel of simplicity, almost as easy to work on as a 10-speed bicycle. However, if one looks in any town of reasonable size, you will find a bike repair shop, so that means there is market for that service because there are folks that either don't have the time or skill to work on them.

If you change your mind about working on your own, as unlikely as that may seem now, you will find a world of support, sometimes a bit too enthusiastic, but friendly none the less, from the folks here and at Moyer Marine. There is something primally satisfying about taking a "dead" A4, walking through the repair process, and finally firing it up. You also gain the confidence that comes with the knowledge you can keep the lil' beast running on your own for decades.
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  #41   IP: 173.30.41.140
Old 06-05-2018, 07:57 PM
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Oh, FYI, I was born in Skowhegan and my sister still lives in Cape Elizabeth. 😀
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Old 06-05-2018, 09:00 PM
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Gem,

I just sent you a PM. Check your messages.
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Old 06-05-2018, 09:26 PM
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Ok, you guys talked me into it.

I am going to try for the electronic ignition with proper new coil someone suggested. "You...DO know we just got that engine running?" was all my wife said. Well, she also said "Just be sure you have your health insurance card with you".

As for gas, when we got the boat, I had the tank emptied and a spin-on canister-type fuel filter installed.

I'll let everyone know what happens.
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Old 06-05-2018, 11:00 PM
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GEM, a BIG problem with the C-30 is the fuel fill location. Up there on the side deck, rain water rolls over the fuel fill all the time on its way to the scuppers under the track. A bad o-ring easily allows rain water into the tank. Please confirm this is sealed and not letting water in. A new o-ring is a few dollars. (my fuel fill was cross threaded..I discovered that my new o-ring was not even seating on the deck part of the fitting.)

It might be a few big things, or a few small things..we just need to work thru them one at a time. Each fix will give you more confidence & faith in the motor, or maybe even a new skill to troubleshoot and fix the next thing. I can guarantee you I knew ZERO about this motor when I got my C-30 almost ten years ago. More veteran members will attest to my flailing the first few months..

P.S.> 1984 was one of the last years you could get an A-4 in a C-30 (or any boat). Because of the boat's design, (and prohibitive cost aside) none of the diesel options fit very well, and come with their own compromises. The C-30 galley was designed for the compact A-4...We are actually pretty lucky that the engine is where it is...we have good access to most parts..I think the only ones luckier might be Tartan owners that have a box over the A-4 behind the mast.
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Last edited by sastanley; 06-05-2018 at 11:15 PM.
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Old 06-06-2018, 12:24 AM
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Baby Steps

Gem, Even the most seasoned mechanics on this forum didn't learn the idiosyncrasies of the A4 overnight. Even if you never turn the wrenches on your engine yourself, reading the threads concerning the various systems will at least put you in a better position to discuss things when you do find the right mechanic. By the way, there are numerous threads related to A4 powered Catalina 30s, and the problems that are particular to that combination. As Shawn pointed out, because of the location of the fuel fill, it is extremely important that the cap is watertight. Fortunately engine access to us C-30 owners is about as good as it gets. As you have seen, based on the responces, there are a bunch of guys willing and able to help you through the learning process. Things as seemingly simple as a proper starting routine can go a long way in making an A4 a good experience rather than a bad one.
Tom
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Old 06-06-2018, 09:16 AM
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GEM,

I'm glad you're still here checking in. I know you asked for a good A-4 mechanic in Maine and I also understand why. If I knew of one, I'd surely offer his or her name. Instead of a good contact, I will humbly offer a few thoughts.

If you think about the way we use our marine engines - any sailboat auxiliary power - we ask a lot of them. Infrequent use, damp homes, often very hot, salt water cooled, with fuel that might sit for weeks or months. Long, cold winter layups to running hard five or six hours a day. It's a tough world, whether it's an A-4 or Perkins.

When I got my current boat, it had a MMI reman A-4 recently installed. The PO threw a lot of money at it but never could get it to run well. He became frustrated and let the boat sit on the hard for a year. Facing another year of yard fees, he let the boat go cheap. I didn't know anything about the A-4 until finding this forum as I was researching the boat I was looking at buying. This forum and the participants herein gave me the confidence to buy this cosmetically ugly but structurally lovely Tartan 30 with the idea that I could figure out what was wrong with the engine. I read the MMI manual and started probing the engine and associated systems: fuel, electrical, cooling, and finally the exhaust. Turns out, the inner liner of the exhaust hose between the engine and waterlift had collapsed in on itself, choking the engine. I replaced the old exhaust system and haven't had a single engine issue in the since buying the boat in 2010. (DISCLAIMER: I did have a fuel issue where rainwater was getting into the tank, but that's not an A-4 specific issue.)

My point is, you will probably encounter a bit of "mama bear" attitude from the participants here because we have developed a particular affection for these amazing little engines and we have great loyalty to this forum's namesake and administrator. I have no doubt this forum could walk you through troubleshooting your problem because this is the forum's raison d'etre. At the moment, my little A-4 runs flawlessly, but I read this forum very nearly daily even though I post very occasionally. I learn something very nearly every time I log on.

Our sport of sailing means different things to different people. Knowing how to diagnose and repair my auxiliary engine is simply another step towards my ultimate goal in sailing - self-reliance and freedom. I wish you luck in your search for a good mechanic. If you eventually wish to troubleshoot your engine yourself, this forum will be with you every step of the way.
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  #47   IP: 216.64.160.21
Old 06-06-2018, 10:56 AM
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Gem555, I'll offer up something else, and I'm guessing some others here would do the same. Once you're at your boat, ready to get some grease under your fingernails, you're welcome to call me and I can help step you through the process of figuring out what's wrong. If you do want to take advantage of this offer, drop me a PM and I'll give you my phone number, along with a list of items to have with you. We could even do a video call.

Now I'm certainly not the most qualified one here to make such an offer, but like the other stories you've read here I started as an A4 neanderthal, and with the help of this forum and Ken at Moyer, I've progressed through to a ground up rebuild of an A4 and feel like I've got a pretty good handle on these little beasts.

Let me know ...
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Old 06-06-2018, 10:22 PM
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Com'mon Gem! you can do it!!!! GEM, GEM, GEM,
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Old 07-02-2018, 03:59 PM
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Still down...

So! The engine is still quite sick and I am still having issues. It starts running on three cylinders until the fourth "kicks in". I suspect water is entering the engine somehow but haven't got a clue what to do now.
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Old 07-02-2018, 05:06 PM
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Before I elaborate on my previous opinions/comments, is there budget remaining to get this boat operating reliably for you?
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Had my hands in a few others
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Atomic 4 Training in Maine next Saturday MAINE ATOMIC4 Announcements 1 12-11-2008 11:08 AM


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