New to sailing & the atomic 4

[sandspur]

I have been looking at sailboats for about 5yrs, Have never been on one but have had power boats, after Dreaming about sailboats I found one that I fell in love with & got it, Its going to take some work to bring it back to life [ paint, wiring , cleaning ect. ]
I am a diesel mechanic by trade so I should be able to do it with a bit of help & research. The boat is a 1970 Pearson 33 that has not been run in over a year with an A4 so I will be bugging this fine community for all the help I can get. thank you

[lat 64]

Welcome

Sandspur,
I just posted to your inquiry about valve angle. I didn't know you were a mechanic, my answer was kindof remedial. Sorry.

I joined the forum last fall and all winter there was good disscusions for breathing life into these old motors. I have not used the search feature on this web site, but I hear it works well.

These motors are not cheap to get parts for but at least you can, and MMI has solved some issues with them and offering upgrades to some flawed parts.

cheers,

Russ

[roadnsky]

Search Topics

Sandspur-
To add to Russ' response, I'd encourage you to spend a few minutes (which will easily become hours if you're not careful) using the search feature.
Just type in a keyword (valves, water pump, carb issue, etc) and dig in.

Certainly feel free to just ask questions and you'll get a wide array of opinions that will eventually trigger the right synapse for your solution.
Also, PICS can save a lot of time and avoid misinterpretations.

Finally, welcome to the sailing fraternity and this forum!
-Jerry

[sandspur]

lat 64 not a problem,
I appreciate any & all input,

[dvd]

Good Luck with the new boat. I've had my boat with an A-4 for about year and a half and I've grown to love and appreciate these little engines. I recently ordered, from moyer, and installed the electronic ignition igniter, new cap, rotor, plugs and wires. The thing runs great. Starts everytime and never misses a beat. I dont consider the parts available from moyer expensive. Marine parts have always been expensive and I think the prices available for parts, if compared to diesel parts coupled with the ease the motors can be worked on make the whole thing a bargain. Another thing that I have noticed is that A-4s run so much smoother and quieter than diesel engines of the same vintage. My buddies with diesels have become secretly jealous of my nice clean smooth running A-4 set up. Also, boats with diesels are ususally way more expensive than the same boat with an A-4. The only reason for this is the gas engine stigma. EG. gas engines blow up the boat. Can't say that i've ever heard of one blowing up but that appears to be the consensus among boat owners and future boat owners. I think we'll just keep this our little secret.

DVD