Engine Won't Start

[PeterMulhern]

The A-4 in the Ericson 32 I just acquired (from my mother-in-law) started up and survived a 3-hour motor to my community marina two weeks ago. Near the end of the trip the engine started to overheat. Coming in to my new and unfamiliar slip I grounded and had to power off in reverse. While I was otherwise occupied, the engine temperature soared above 200 degrees and my plastic muffler melted.

I replaced the muffler and tore the cooling system apart. To get at the water pump I removed the distributor and the alternator. I believe I have found the problem with the cooling system but now I can't get the engine to start again. The starter turns it over briskly and it coughs a bit, but that's all.

I did my level best to get everything back together in good order. The ignition is an electronic upgrade from Indigo. I found TDC for #1 cylinder (both by orienting the roll pin after feeling for compression and by looking for the edge of the cylinder through the spark plug hole) and oriented the distributor so that there was 0 voltage across the coil at TDC. It didn't start. I checked for compression. It was good on all four cylinders. The scent of fuel and wetness on the plugs indicated that fuel was reaching the engine. I checked for a spark between the high voltage cable from the coil and the block. It was good. I double checked that the spark plug cables all connected to the correct plugs. It didn't start. I checked to ensure that the choke was fully closed. It didn't start.

The plugs are new this spring but they looked quite black (not oily just sooty). I know that running cool can cause fouled plugs, is it possible that overheating messed up the spark plugs? I'll try a new set of plugs.

Assuming that doesn't work, which seems like a safe bet at the moment, I'm at an impasse. Any suggestions?

[PeterMulhern]

Update

I tried changing the spark plugs. No effect. It occurred to me that I might have backed some water into the engine by running it briefly after the muffler melted and obstructed the exhaust. I cranked it without the spark plugs to see if any water spurted out. None did. I drained the carburetor out the main passage plug. There didn't seem to be anything there other than clear, clean fuel. I squirted some Marvel Mystery Oil on the cylinders through the spark plug holes. None of this made the slightest difference. The engine still cranks but shows no sign of catching.

I'm back to my original working assumption that I messed up the ignition when I removed the distributor. Unfortunately, however, I don't have the slightest idea what I might have done wrong when I put everything back together. I'm not much of a mechanic and I would greatly appreciate advice from anyone who knows more about engines than I do (which is to say almost anyone at all.)

[Simon]

Engine Starting

Peter,

This is a long shot ...but! The same thing happened to me a number of years ago after removing the distributor. The issue that solved the problem was to remove the distributor and reinstall but this time take note of position of rotor shaft and turn it so that it is installed in a different orientation. Failing that check your wiring(plugs to distributor) if they were removed from the distributor.
Good Luck

[Don Moyer]

Peter,

My best guess is that you may have inadvertently altered your timing. I'm attaching a small guide to assist you in the important step of finding Top Dead Center (TDC) of the number one cylinder. The essential steps from that point are:

1) Check to be sure the tip of the rotor is pointing directly away from the block. If it is not, loosen the hold-down bracket, raise the distributor and reinstall it so that the rotor is pointing directly away from the block.

2) Rotate the housing of the distributor until the alignment tab on the breaker plate is located directly below the tip of the rotor.

3) Connect a 12 volt timing light across the primary terminals of the coil, turn on the ignition switch, and rotate the housing slightly from (2) above until you find the spot where the timing light is just turning off. NOTE: This light is not a strobe light but a simple 12 volt test light for continuity.

4) Be sure the plug leads are installed so that number one from the flywheel end of the engine installs into the post directly over the tip of the rotor, then in a clockwise direction around the cap the leads install in the sequence 2, 4, and then 3.

You can read more details regarding the timing process in our MMI Service and Overhaul Manual in Chapter 3.

Don

[PeterMulhern]

Thanks and another question

Many thanks to you both. Simon, merci beaucoup, je me souviens. I actually got the thing going!

The problem was in the timing. I had tried to reinstall the distributor without taking the distributor cap off and aligning the rotor. I was assuming that if I put it back the way I took it out and checked to make sure that there was no current across the coil at TDC when I did, all would be well. I was trying to avoid taking the cap off because some dipstick put it on with the sort of one way screws you see on public restroom stalls. I guess the guy who installed the electronic ignition figured it was maintenance free and decided to entomb it forever. Weird. Anyway, a bit of patient work with vise grips did the trick. With everything properly aligned the engine started right up and ran well.

Until five minutes later when it started to overheat -- again. Water was running through the engine normally. Unfortunately the cooling water that comes out of my manifold takes a loop through a water heater before it comes back and empties into the exhaust. Somehow that loop has gotten blocked up trapping water in the engine and causing almost immediate overheating. When I disconnected the water heater loop from the manifold and ran a length of hose from the manifold over the side, the engine ran well at a normal temperature.

The water heater is brand new. It was the last thing the prior owner had done on the boat. It cost about $1100 installed. But I don't have much use for it and it blocks the only access I have to the back of my engine (something I'm acutely aware of right now). I'm toying with the idea of just bypassing it and sending the water from the manifold directly into the exhaust. Is there any downside to this plan other than the wastefulness of discarding a brand new water heater?

Thanks again for your help

Peter

[Newenglandah]

Water heater havoc

Before completely writing off your fancy water heater, try to see if it has some way of cleaning it. I could see it getting gunked up after sitting for a winter. Try removing it and clearing out the water passages. Another thing I'm thinking is if your impelor has started to fail the increased back pressure from the water heater may be impeding the flow of water through your exhaust. Changing out your impelor is a good preventative measure anyway.

[Kelly]

watch out for the dates

Good advice, but check out the dates on those earlier posts. I hope Peter wasn't holding his breath waiting for a response!