New Member

[nacra57]

I just acquired a 1979 C27 with an A4. The PO says that it was running fine the last time it was taken out. Unfortunately, that was 4 years ago. It has been moored at a marina on a Texas lake for that time.

I installed new batteries and the engine does turn over.

At a minimum, I expect to change the oil, flush the gas tank, and rebuild a carb. Does anyone have any other ideas?

I would very much appreciate any advice on bringing this monster back to life.

Thanks!!

[Dave Neptune]

First welcome to the MMI Afourian Forum.

Sounds like a good plan but first I'd do a quick compression check and check for good spark. Also be sure the C-advance is working when inspecting under the dist cap.

Don't forget to drain the gas hoses and filters if so equiped when "freshening" the fuel.

Dave Neptune

[nacra57]

Thanks for the welcome! I assume this restoration will be a long process. I hope that I can contribute as much as I get from you A4 experts!!

I will remove the plugs and check the compression and spark. As well as draining the fuels lines and swapping the fuel filters.

I will keep you updated on the progress!

Cory
C27

[TimBSmith]

On the same road as you....welcome and see my post history if any help...

You are in the right place. I am overdue posting an update on my newbie A4 journey....

I recognize the first steps you are taking because I started down the road in August 2020. In brief, my engine is running and that allows me to take the next steps tuning and shaking it down..boat came to me with no PO record at all. I recognized my hull number in a member post here....later discovered one of my boat's POs SMosher had nearly 8 years of posting history here and is an MVP. Though he is out of reach..the trove of engine specific info has been literally priceless.(What luck.)

First short run..

https://photos.app.goo.gl/xs2pFq5s5jbARf2L8

-Started by learning about A4 and working through all subsystems
-Electrical system...early lesson...I spent a lot of time studying points-based ignition before realizing I had electronic ignition. All time well spent as it actually helps with trouble shooting from ignition, coil, and distributor. Multimeter and in-line sparkplug tester has saved me a lot of time guessing about things.
-Fuel system....long road to learning and diagnosing fuel system issue. Time well spent cleaning up fuel tank and filtering fuel to confirm upstream fuel condition while I did carb maintenance breakdown.
-Compression testing. You are ahead of where I started in that you apparently had some idea how your battery bank was configured. Only today I hooked up a 100W solar panel to yet another discovery that my PO had a solar controller in the battery locker. Lesson learned...get a Remote Starter. Wire it properly(hmmm....I did my best effort first, luckily didn't fry anything).
-Knee pads. Buy a set of good ones, use them. Or maybe you have better access that I do. On my Pearson 30 I am crawling, spooning, cradling, straddling, and otherwise doing A4 ballet to get all the way around my engine. My early engine work was more painful than it needed to be.
-Always more to learn. Search...search...search..and bookmark, collect useful threads. Reach out directly to helpful people.
-Buy the MMI Manual earlier than I did...like yesterday.

https://moyermarine.com/product-category/manuals/

And I am about to buy the newsletter compendium as well.
-What a generous and talented community this is. Never seen anything like it. That said, if you mine some nuggets during your searches please share them. If you research past threads please good ones part of your post so that newbies like me can benefit and veterans have context for what you have done already. I have a running list of Moyer Gems...

More to say. I will leave you there for now...and with the best of wishes fellow traveler.

I am grateful for the support I have had and in advance for all that I will need going forward. Stay well. Tim

[JOHN COOKSON]

Sounds like a good plan but first I'd do a quick compression check and check for good spark. Also be sure the C-advance is working when inspecting under the dist cap.
Dave Neptune

+1
I agree with this sequence of steps - spark and compression - then move on to the fuel system.

Has there ever been any freezing weather during the last four years in the location where the boat was stored? If so is the engine RWC ? (RWC = raw water cooled - the engine is cooled by the water the boat is floating in) If a engine is not properly winterized and it freezes the cooling system can be compromised.

ex TRUE GRIT

[roadnsky]

Another welcome to the crew!

You would also be well served investing in the MMI Bible as well as viewing some of Don's VIDEOS

[Dave Neptune]

Cory, does your "handle" have anything to do with sailing a "Nacra"?

Dave Neptune

[nacra57]

Yes, sir! I grew up racing Nacra 5.2's and later had a 5.7 for fun.