New A4 owner with a problem maybe

[rrranch]

I am the new owner of a ranger 29 sailboat with an Atomic 4 engine. First off, it has been expertly maintained it seems and everything from stem to stern is spotless. Including the engine. I am here for peace of mind though. My wife and I were on our first sailing venture into Corpus Christi bay by ourselves yesterday and as luck would have it the wind was way too strong and in our face for the return 20 mile trip to our slip, so we motored. In the choppy ship channel going into 20 knots of wind I was getting 4.5-5 knots so I probably shouldn't complain but as we turned into the intercoastal waterway and on the last 4 miles to home and it got calmer where I could better feel and hear the engine I can swear the RPM was dropping about 200 RPM maybe then it would come back up. It did it several times and I started getting concerned but it ran fine and got us home.
Temp stayed right on 160 the entire trip, oil pressure was about 25. I had fresh 93 octane in the tank which I made sure was clean of rust and water free before filling it. Oil was just changed with castrol 10w30, I know it's supposed to be 30 wt and I will fix that this week. I just adjusted the forward engagement on it and gave the turnbuckle a couple turns for a better reverse on the cable because it was not getting reverse on my first trip into our slip. That works perfect now. It has a folding 2 blade prop which was cleaned 6 weeks ago. No unusual vibrations or anything.
Sorry if I am being overly cautious or paranoid. I have an old farmall here on our farm too, a Super C, and the engine is very similar. When that one won't hold RPM I have a problem. I don't believe the A4 has a governor but it still worries me a bit. Should I check anything or could it be normal?

Oh, it has an electronic ignition of unknown brand so far. fuel water separator and is raw water cooled. It's original to the boat which is a 74 model. Previous owner only ran 2 gallons of fuel through it in the past year so it hasn't been used much at all in the past 7 years at least. Only records I can find on engine work is a new water pump and impeller about 10 years ago. Another new impeller last year too. And the electronic ignition and complete tune up about 3 months ago. That RPM dropping was just really weird. I don't have a tach though on the engine so maybe it was just the varrying load on it by the wind coming on and off as we passed all the little islands. I don't know.

[Bold Rascal]

Welcome rrranch

Sounds to me like you have a great boat and a great engine....Enjoy!

Not sure how well things grow in the water down there in CC but up here on the Chesapeake I go for a swim every couple months to clean my prop...

Again, Welcome and Enjoy the boat.

[ndutton]

Congrats on the boat, it sounds like a nice one.

I'd check a few things just to be sure:

• Apparently there's no record of a carburetor rebuild in the past 7 years. I'd recommend one now, it can only make things better.
• I didn't read that the fuel filter had been changed if it has one. I'd either change it or install one.
• Also given the past seven years of non-use, I'd remove the fuel pick-up tube from the fuel tank and examine the lower end for signs of long term tank contamination and a tiny filter screen inside the lower end. If there's a screen there, get rid of it. Let the filter mentioned above handle things.
• Check that the fuel hoses are alcohol rated. If not, plan on changing them, you'll be glad you did.
• Replace the O-ring on the fuel fill deck plate.
• Check the throttle cable connections at both ends including the outer jacket clamp for movement. That alone could account for your reported symptoms.
• Before anyone else says it, get the Moyer Manual. It's the best money you'll spend. There's a section on oil pressure regulator adjustment.
• Since you have electronic ignition, check out the recent and lengthy "coil input" thread. We have learned a few things that could prevent a problem in the future.

Welcome to the group. If that sounds like a lot of work, it isn't. It's just normal boat maintenance stuff

I worked at the Jensen plant when your boat was built, the West coast plant. We had an East coast plant too but I don't remember if Rangers were ever built there. Rangers were well built. Dick Van Dyke toured the plant when his Ranger 33 was being built, Gregory Peck came through when he was searching for a boat for a movie he was producing, The Dove. He wound up using a Ranger 23.

[JOHN COOKSON]

Low Oil Pressure

Temp stayed right on 160 the entire trip, oil pressure was about 25. I had fresh 93 octane in the tank which I made sure was clean of rust and water free before filling it. Oil was just changed with castrol 10w30, I know it's supposed to be 30 wt and I will fix that this week..

Oil pressure of 25 with the engine warmed up at cruse RPM is on the low side.

If you need to adjust the oil pressure after changing the oil, first check the end terminals on the wires on the sending unit and the gauge to be sure they are clean, tight and bright. If you have a mechanical (direct read) gauge burp or flush the line.

Attached are guide lines from my late model owner's manual.

TRUE GRIT

[smosher]

I thought I also had a oil pressure problem, it ended up to be the ground was corroded

Steve

[rrranch]

Thanks everyone. I will check all of this. I did just drain the fuel water separator and it had a bunch of water in it so I changed the filter too. The last owner never put more than a couple gallons at a time in it but I'm keeping it full now. I know that is not good but it seems ok. The carb looks like someone has rebuilt it recently. It's too clean. I do need to replace the fuel lines though and move the filter and fuel shutoff where I can reach them easier. What is a good hose to use on them?
The F/W separator on it now is unknown brand with a steel canister, filter inside and a drain valve. Boy was that valve stuck! I got it free now and it works ok but I do want to put a good name brand filter on it like I did to my tractor. That one never lets any water through. I forget the name on it though. I use baldwin filters in it and it has a clear bowl.
I have a ton of different mechanical test gauges in my shop, thanks to being a mechanic for so long. I didn't know oil pressure was adjustable. Nice to know. I'll check it and see if it needs it.

Oh, we went sailing yesterday and it ran great but I noticed the exhaust riser is wet. It's wrapped with header wrap and it was wet but not dripping. I wonder if I need to replace the pipe. Also it has a stainless steel can that the sea water goes into before going into the exhaust. What is that for?
Thanks again!!!

[hanleyclifford]

If your exhaust riser is wet it's a good bet your hot section is leaking under that wrap. I would plan on a new riser soon made with black iron pipe you can buy at any plumber's supply.

[smosher]

The stainless can is your waterlift muffler.

The way the exhaust system works, is the engine water is injected prior to the waterlift muffler, and the engine exhaust pushes the water out by pressure.
If the wrap is wet this means that there's a break in the exhaust piping normally 1 1/4". With this break water can back up the exhaust pipe and ultimately into the engine, b/c some of the exhaust pressure is lost to the break. This can be very easy to replace if you can get the exhaust manifold bolts out.

I had the same problem and water did fill the engine. I ended up cutting off the pipe and taking the manifold to a machine shop to remove the bolts. I bought the exhaust coupling and the water injection fitting from Moyer, and duplicated the piping at a hardware store.

Steve

[rrranch]

I guess I know what I am doing on wednesday when I get back to the boat now. I don't want water in it! I probably have what tools I need in my truck tool box but can anyone tell me what I need just to be safe for the exhaust. And if that header wrap needs to go back on or not? I never had good luck with that stuff back in the 80's on cars. Headers actually rusted and broke under it. I guess a pipe wrench and a couple cans of PB blaster are top on the list. Also an easy out set and drill bits. Just in case.

[sastanley]

rrranch, The header wrap is more of a heat shield/dissipation thing on a boat. And I never had good experience with it back in the day on cars either. The newer stuff is a little easier to deal with, but most importantly the pipe underneath is much more substantial (& cheap) black iron as compared to the thin walled header tubes on car motors.

If I recall, a 9/16" wrench will get the manifold bolts off. Pretty much a good 1/4" - 11/16" wrench & socket set covers 95% of the A-4 components..Sometimes motor mounts (mine are 1") or maybe the oil pressure regulator nut (I think it is 3/4") may be a little larger. I use 1/2" & 9/16" a lot!

[Loki9]

The wrap is there to protect wires, cables, and anything else that might come into contact with the hot exhaust pipe. A good anti-fire feature, I would not skip it.

[smosher]

I was playing with my temp scanner and the exhaust pipe was over 350F, wrapping it would be a good thing.

Steve

[rrranch]

I guess I'll put it back on then. Or buy a new wrap kit from here if I need it. Do you all use any sealant on the pipe threads of that exhaust pipe? Hopefully I can get this fixed cheaply.

[hanleyclifford]

It is not necessary to use any pipe sealant or antiseize material since the assembly will lock itself up in a short time and should be considered expendable. Wrapping the hot section should be considered essential for safety reasons.

[rrranch]

Can anyone tell me if there is anything common for the exhaust that I can't get at a hardware store? Sorry for the stupid question but we're home on our ranch right now 500 miles away from the boat. We're down there every week and I guess if I get into it and have to order something it won't hurt it sitting another week.