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  #26   IP: 100.15.153.148
Old 04-14-2022, 06:03 AM
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It doesn't HAVE to be Shell Rotella. Any 15w40 oil will do. Its often referred to as "Diesel Oil" because its a very common oil for diesel engines. In the States, its available everywhere, wheras straight 30 weight is somewhat hard to find.
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Old 04-14-2022, 11:00 AM
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Ok good to know, it will simplify my search
Thank you.


On a second note, I’m going through the service manual and it says to turn the water pump grease cup? Does an oberdorfer pump have one?
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Old 04-14-2022, 03:18 PM
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Welcome - don't over think the issue too much. Any good quality 10w30 will do just fine [the straight 30 spec was made prior to 10w30 availability] The real issue is time and use between oil changes and winter lay up with new clean oil. There is an old Universal motors 50 hr running rule for oil change sequences but I am not sure the engineers were thinking about A4's being in service 40+yrs after production was halted in 1979 especially engines with out filters.. Modern day detergent oils hold combustion/wear particles in suspension which in theory can decrease the oil's lubricity over time. I live in Chicago with a relatively short season - May thru Oct. I recommend to all A4's in the harbor changing oil for the winter layup just prior to haul out AND mid season, probably something like 20 -30 hrs of total running time [lake is a few hundred yards from the docks]. This assure clean oil lubricating bearings etc and is cheap insurance. As a testament I have a 1966 A4 and has never needed rebuilding and still going strong. [Use to change the oil an additional time in the spring time at launch after winter layup but I convinced myself long ago that this unnecessary and wasteful].

Relative to the amount of oil you should check the dipstick and it roughly changes with installation angle of the engine. I have a Morgan 34, pretty level [0 to 5 degrees] I use 4 1/2qts. On a lady friends 27ft Oday with about 15degree slant we use 3qts.
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  #29   IP: 24.15.213.195
Old 04-14-2022, 03:26 PM
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Added note - 10w40 is fine as well and may quiet down some older engines. Additionalyl the added thickness at summer seasonal temps offers a little more coating or "clingingness" to cylinder walls, bearings, valve guides etc after an engine has been sitting for a while. Can further help reduce "startup" wear.
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  #30   IP: 69.250.111.245
Old 04-19-2022, 10:36 AM
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Fred, Welcome. I have a project motor that was rebuilt by Moyer with that same oil extraction tube just aft of the carb. It has a copper tube in the oil pan and then the same fittings on the outside where the hose clamp is. I did not attempt to use this on my motor, as I have one of those manual suction pumps that I stick into the dipstick tube. Some folks try small drill driven impeller pumps for oil extraction, etc., that might attach to your hose.

Oil quantity..you might get 3 - 3.5 quarts out of it, but a small amount is always left because the engine is not level. 1 gallon of oil should be plenty...and use the dipstick level to get it right on refill. For the first change, any 10w-30 10w-40 will do..If the condition/age of oil is unknown, I might plan another oil change after several hours to help flush out the crankcase...don't waste expensive oil on this process.

That Sierra filter in your pic is probably an inline fuel filter..that is more important to be filtering properly and clean and replaced than almost anything else IMO. One of Tim's question marks is the 'water seperator' on the mechanical fuel pump. I am personally a fan and still run a mech fuel pump for simplicity. There is a thumb screw (~3/4" diameter??) underneath the cup that loosens the bail and should allow you to remove that cup..that was Universal's answer to a fuel filter/water separator....the theory being that any water would stay in the bottom of the cup and fuel will skim over the top. Hopefully the Sierra catches the majority and you will find the metal cup/bowl full of fuel..it has a cork or rubber gasket to seal it, and some of them have a brass screen in the top flange for filtering debris. I would remove and clean this out, and reinstall...the little 'V' shaped bale on the other half of the pump should pull fuel from the tank and refill the bowl if you get the cup re-seated correctly.

I have attached a picture of a disassembled fuel pump I rebuilt many years ago..you can see the crusty screen and rubber gasket on the right half after I removed the cup...and the little thumb screw retainer slid to right. The v shape bale pointing at you is the primer which actuates the pump when it is assembled on the motor and will prime the pump/carb..when installed, the pump is actuated by a ~1" long stud riding on the camshaft.

Keep asking Q's...a lot of us started here with an A-4 as our first inboard, so I can guarantee I knew ZERO about them before I found the Moyer forum.
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Last edited by sastanley; 04-19-2022 at 10:45 AM. Reason: fixing typos
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  #31   IP: 76.118.95.104
Old 04-19-2022, 09:56 PM
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As a long time A4 dabbler and long time lurker on this site, I can tell you that you came to the right place. I have been on the FB pages and have gotten hostility at times and have observed others as well. I don't go back there after seeing that. Here you will get help from some of the most respected senior members whom have seen it all with these engines.

A couple things I can recommend to do as some of your first jobs (I did it to both my previous A4 and my current A4) is to
  1. First look over your engine wiring and re-new any that you as suspect with proper wiring grades/thickness using clean connections and heat shrink terminals. Install fuses where you see any missing where they should go while at it. Refer to here for the proper A4 wiring specs.
  2. Second is to make sure you have clean fuel. Inspect tank for clean fuel and install a polishing filter before your carb and replace it every "x" amount of hours. Use fuel stabilizer in fuel if not using in Winter.

Love my A4 for its simplicity but more importantly, the user support and parts available for it here. Good luck with yours!
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Last edited by southcoasting; 04-19-2022 at 10:13 PM.
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  #32   IP: 24.202.236.16
Old 04-21-2022, 10:29 PM
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Talk about fast service, I ordered some parts early last week and they are already here, time to upgrade to an electronic ignition and rebuild the oberdorfer pump.
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Old 04-24-2022, 08:07 PM
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Ok so I started the engine today, started right up, that takes a look of stress off my shoulders, after I changed the plugs, the oil ( the old one smelled of gas), got the okd impeller out, wanted to install the new one (oberdorfer pump) but my snap ring pliers are too big for the small snap ring, will have to go shopping tomorrow
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Old 04-24-2022, 09:04 PM
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Great to see this post.....steady forward on your A4 adventure...

To clarify, did you mean to say that your engine oil smelled of gasoline? This is worthy of a little more discussion.

I did quick research and found this "The main cause of why your gas is getting into the engine oil is that your fuel mixture is too rich. If your fuel mixture is too rich, the combustion chamber won't ignite all of the fuel, and this will cause the fuel to run through the piston rings down into the oil pan."

I will leave it to the MVP's for more insights here. I imagine it would be useful to test spark on each cylinder, cylinder compression, and consider carburetor as well as scavenger tube functioning.

You are on your way. Well done...on progress and working toward next steps. I am refreshing and learning right beside you.
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Old 04-25-2022, 08:01 AM
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What didn’t help is that there was no anti siphon valve on the fuel line and the valve was left in the open position all winter, so I suspect the fuel went in that way, I now have installed an anti siphon valve and I make sure the fuel valve is in the closed position when not in use.
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  #36   IP: 69.250.111.245
Old 04-26-2022, 09:37 AM
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Another possible cause for fuel in the crankcase is a failed mech pump diaphragm. Fred, did you rebuild that too, or switch to an electric pump? The electric pump requires a few additional electronic switches to meet USCG regulations.

Glad you got it running, we are always happy to continue to help you become more familiar with the motor!

edit - not sure if this ever got answered, but most Oberdorfers have the grease cup..the 202mX line. It is just a knurled cup about the size of a sewing thimble screwed on to the side of the pump. Every few years you unscrew it, pack some grease in and give it a 1/4 turn every few weeks.

Arrow pointing at grease cup. If you spin it too much, grease will ooze out of the threads.
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Last edited by sastanley; 04-26-2022 at 10:02 AM.
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  #37   IP: 24.15.213.195
Old 04-27-2022, 12:52 PM
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fyi - you might have some "dried/caked" grease in there so when you turn the thumb screw it squirts out the side. Next time you service pump it is something to check. I always grease the shaft a bit when I reinstall after winter layup - helps seal bushings from damage. [ if you pull shaft you might want to file a small bevel on shaft end before reinstalling].
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Old 04-27-2022, 08:11 PM
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The item with the ? is the inlet settling bowl for the mechanical fuel pump. It sorta works, but is a good source for a fuel leak due to corrosion of the bowl. Moyer sells a replacement bowl.
You may want to consider changing to an electric fuel pump.
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Old 04-28-2022, 07:57 PM
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I thinkI found out why I can’t find the grease cup, I will need to follow the hose to know where to grease it
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Old 04-29-2022, 08:24 AM
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indeed! somebody did not want to crawl for greasing!
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Old 04-30-2022, 10:50 PM
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Oh wow...a remote greaser!
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"Holiday" - '89 Alura 35 #109
"Twice Around" - '77 C-30, #511 with original A-4 & MMI manifold - SOLD! (no longer a two boat owner!!)
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Old 05-11-2022, 04:07 PM
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What kind of grease does the impeller need?
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Old 05-12-2022, 02:31 PM
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White lithium grease/marine grease. I put a thin coat on shaft to help ease the install. You may want to take a file to the back of the shaft to slightly bevel the round sharp edge - potentially minimizes bushing damage slidding the shaft into the pump body.
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Old 05-13-2022, 10:49 AM
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Don't over think the issue - any quality 10w-30 is fine. When the oil specs were first designated by Universal engineers multi grade was not invented many decades ago. Briefly the "w" represents "winter" - the the solvents in the oil thin it out. At summer temps and operating temps the modifers in the oil is "30" weight ie thicker and meets original spec. At cold Canada temps a case can be made for the multi grade over the straight grade for better flow at start up. The real concern is changing the oil often [25 to 50 hrs] and change oil just prior to winter layup. The 40 wt is good as well and quiets down older engines.
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Old 05-18-2022, 05:49 PM
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Went out motoring today to get a feel for the new boat and the motor.
It’s very hard to shift, my thinking is that the idle is set too high, but no tach on the boat, how difficult is it to install one?
Other than high rpm’s what could cause it to shift hard?
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Old 05-18-2022, 09:06 PM
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Welcome again and my first suggestion is get a Moyer Service manual - best $50 you will ever spend. Your rpm issue could be something as simple as idle adjusting screw set wrong - literally a 10 sec fix, no tac needed [I haven't used an on board tac in 40yrs]

Relative to the hard shift the number 1 culprit is usually a rusty cable inside its sleeve - on a "72' this is really possible. You can test this by disconnecting the cable from the shift lever [maybe a clevis pin ana cotter pin] at the rear of the engine on the left side as you are looking at the flywheel. Try shifting the lever by hand and see if it smoothly with some effort " snaps" into forward. If it does you need a new cable. There is also an outside chance the cable clamp is too tight.

The reversing gear assembly ie" transmission" under the cover plate has an adjusting collar that can be made to compensate for past wear/slippage going forward. It is possible that the previous owner may have adjusted it - a one notch adjustment can solve a slippage forward problem but dramatically increases the force needed to activate the shift lever. This aspect is difficult to explain in a post but is detailed in the manual and possibly elsewhere on the site. Good luck.
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  #47   IP: 100.15.153.148
Old 05-19-2022, 09:09 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred1diver View Post
...It’s very hard to shift, my thinking is that the idle is set too high,...
The idle is unlikely to be the cause. The A4 doesn't really have a "transmission" per se. In fwd it's a 1:1 direct drive, engaged by a friction clutch as the shift lever is moved into the fwd position. And reverse engages a friction band that activates the planetary gears that provive reverse.

This is unlike a "real" transmission that must be idled down low in order to shift. In the A4 there are no gears to synchronize, so shifting can be smoothly accomplished at any rpm, although shifting at high rpm would probably accelerate wear on the friction clutch.

I would agree with Sam that the cause of your hard shifts is probably a stiff/rusty shift cable
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  #48   IP: 72.143.215.135
Old 05-29-2022, 11:00 PM
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Hello everyone, my motor is misbehaving at times, it stalls out on me when I shift at times, which got me pi med to the next dock over yesterday, what could be the issue? New plugs, oil has been changed, added marvel mystery oil to the gas, at this time the current is really strong over here, I would estimate over 5 knots so I really need the engine to be good
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Old 05-31-2022, 10:36 PM
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Please post a video link with sound of stall...would be helpful.

When my A4 was first in the water, I had to dial my idle rpm in to get into gear without bogging down or stalling the engine. My bet is idle adjustment using carb/throttle screws and maybe look at timing. Please post a video so more knowledgeable folks than I can help you as much as possible. Stay well. Great to see your post. (even if you are stalling out) sounds like you are making progress.
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