Hello All!

[RedPoint]

Hi everyone. My wife and I bought a 77 Catalina 27 at the end of last season. We live up in North East Md at the top of the Chesapeake. This is our first sailboat (other than sunfish and lasers). The boat is in fair shape and the a4 seems to be as well. I have had boats since I was ten years old and am reasonably mechanical but this is my first inboard of any kind. Looking forward to learning! I ordered the manual yesterday. We have the boat in the water and get out out once or twice a week or so.
We are planning our first multi day trip with our kids in a few weeks. We did an overnight this past weekend and did have an issue with not being able to restart the engine after it has been running a couple hours. We had the same problem the only other time we ran the motor a long time. Solenoid too hot??? It does nothing when you turn the key...I don’t even hear a click. After it cools down it starts right up. I hope to get it figured out as well as stock some spare parts before the trip. Glad to have found this forum!

[Peter]

Welcome and congrats on the boat purchase. Many very wise folks on here will help you through pretty much anything.

I think a too hot coil would not prevent the starter from running.

I think I would get a voltmeter out next time you have this issue. Places I would check for voltage. Do not leave ignition on for a long time while trouble shooting or you run the risk of burning the coil.

1) +ve terminal of coil - should only see voltage here when key is on
2) +ve terminal of starter solenoid - the BIG one - should see volts here all the time
3) +ve terminal on starter solenoid that connects to ignition switch - - should only see voltage here when key is turned to start

Hope that helps and also hope others chime in.

Peter

[Surcouf]

I had an issue with my coil overheating recently, after moving it closer to the exhaust (my fault). Engine stopped suddenly, and restarted 15 minutes later after cooling engine compartment with all hatches opened. Engine was able to run without further issue with main hatch open to cool coil.

If you engine ran properly, shutdown "at your demand" but did not re-started, it is less likely that it is coil overheating.

[edwardc]

The "no click" symptom tells me that your solenoid is not getting enough power to pull in.

Although this can be caused by corroded wire connections, in my experience, it is usually caused by poor contact in the starter's commutator due to worn conntacts or worn brushes. The solenoid feeds half its power directly to ground, and the other half thru the starter motor itself. Failure in this path means the solenoid doesn't get enough power to pull-in, producing the "click" you normally hear. Thermal expansion and contraction means this problem comes and goes with temperature.

Unfortunately, the only permanant fix is to rebuild or replace the starter. Replacement is a straightforward job that any beginner can tackle.

If you're out, and the starter won't turn, there's a hack you can try. Using a screwdriver, carefully short the large main battery terminal on the starter to the small solenoid lead for about 1 second. This bypasses the small amount of voltage drop that is normally present on the starter wiring, and will sometimes provide just enough extra power to the solenoid for it to pull-in and the starter to start cranking. Once the starter is moved off the bad spot, you should be able to start with the key as usual.

I used to have a VW camper van that did this all the time, and used this trick for years to get it started when hot.

[amizerin]

If the starter is the problem I'm wondering if starting the engine with a cranking handle will do the trick. It should start easily since it's hot.

[JOHN COOKSON]

If the starter is the problem I'm wondering if starting the engine with a cranking handle will do the trick. It should start easily since it's hot.

Yes.

It is a good idea to practice this start procedure so you will be familiar with it when it becomes necessary to do it.

ex TRUE GRIT

[RedPoint]

Hey thanks everyone. I was not thinking the coil as it did not shut down, just failed to crank after running a few hours.
I have also had a few VW Campers! I spent a while doing the same jump the starter trick with a screwdriver...getting burned by the exhaust as I did it. What a pain!
I like the idea of getting a hand crank. I am sure this forum and youtube can help me learn without busting a hand. I am putting in an order for a few spare parts to carry aboard and will add it to the list.

Thanks all!

[Sam]

In my 40+ years of owning my A4 I have been lucky never needed to hand crank a start. What I did do is have a socket for an ratchet wrench milled with two slots [Moyer now sells similar] to aid in setting points. Always thought if I needed to it would be safer than a fixed crank - especially with only about 180 degree swing available?