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  #1   IP: 75.10.102.219
Old 12-22-2009, 10:07 PM
chuck914 chuck914 is offline
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Post Motor justs cuts out under load

My Catalina 30 has an intermittent problem with just cutting out under load. It will be running fine at around 1800-2000 RPM's for 30 minutes to an hour and then I'll watch the tach and see it slow down and then the motor just cuts out and quits. Often I can restart it and it will go another hour or so w/o issue. Other times, it starts right up and then quits immediately upon putting it into Forward gear. It's never cuts out in neutral or reverse. My mechanic diagnosed it is not a fuel problem, nor a carburetor issue as he took a sea trial with me and checked things when it was happening. He and I looked through the inspection port on the tranny when back at the dock and noticed when shifting to Forward, the entire tranny moves up and down.

Any ideas?
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  #2   IP: 206.125.176.3
Old 12-23-2009, 08:55 AM
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sastanley sastanley is offline
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Chuck,

I am guessing you are the same guy that posted this over in the Catalina 30 Yahoo group. Welcome to the A-4 forum. Anything you need A-4 related will get answered here

I had a similar issue with my A-4 last year. I suspected a fuel problem as well, and even went about tearing my boat apart while mid-week on a cruise. What I should have done was mounted the spare coil (about the only ignition part I did NOT replace over the previous winter) and I would have saved myself a lot of trouble. Since the coil is an electrical device, I found it to be very finicky in its behavior as it died...sometimes I could restart and run for 15-20 minutes, and sometimes it would not restart, or only run for a few seconds.

The part is $30...Moyer Marine sells one, or you can likely get it from a local auto parts supplier. Since we have a Delco ignition system on the late model, parts are pretty readily available. While I don't have the part numbers memorized, someone here likely does.

So as not to rule out other items, do you have the points style ignition or electronic? I had an old Civic with points and the adjustment screw was stripped & would not hold still and the points would slowly close up as I drove the car. Back to boats, I also decided to go right to an electronic ignition shortly after I bought my boat, after reading many posts about its trouble free operation. I kept the points/plate/condenser as a backup, hoping to never use them again.

I am sure some others will chime in as well.
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Old 12-23-2009, 09:59 AM
Marian Claire
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  #3   IP: 76.7.100.52
Old 12-23-2009, 10:04 AM
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Marian Claire Marian Claire is offline
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Welcome. On the home page check FAQ, general information, #14 on intermittent shut downs. I would like to know about the reversing gear movement question. I have adjusted mine before but can not remember if it moved that much. There was mention of the cover being hot in the earlier/ similar post. The oil in the reversing gear is connected to the oil in the engine so it will get warm. Dan S/V Marian Claire
More info
In searching old posts I found one reference, by Don, to up and down movement of the tranny. “The one time we tried to assemble an engine without a forward pilot bearing, we were able to notice that the gear cage assembly could be lifted up and down a bit. Also, when you go into reverse, the brake band tends to center the gear cage assembly, but in forward the gear cage is free to jump around randomly”

Last edited by Marian Claire; 12-23-2009 at 11:51 AM.
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Old 12-23-2009, 11:41 AM
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sastanley sastanley is offline
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chuck,
Here is a link to the FAQ page - http://www.moyermarine.com/faq/index.htm
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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!!)
http://www.moyermarine.com/forums/signaturepics/sigpic3231_6.gif
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  #5   IP: 64.203.32.52
Old 12-27-2009, 01:12 PM
Dave Neptune Dave Neptune is online now
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Lightbulb My 2 cents

Chuck, from what you are describing about the engine just dropping rpm and sort-of going away doesn't sound like an electrical problem. It does sound fuel related though. I will stick my neck out and say that it is fuel related whether delivery or something floating in the float bowl or a passage in the carb can be a nitemare to find out. My first check would be to install a fuel preassure gage (ther cheaper than the mechanic by far) in front of the carb just to be sure. As the performance drops off check the preassure, if it holds steady as the rpm's go away delivery is fine. Then inspect the inside of the carb completely and use an air hose to blow out ALL passages.

I know that there are some gremlins in the Cat 30's regarding fuel delivery and ignition electrical problems, check on there site also. Most engine related ignition electrical problems are OFF it dies and ON it's fine not slow and go.

Good luck, Dave Neptune
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Old 12-28-2009, 07:52 PM
riphonda riphonda is offline
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electronic ignition...?

Chuck. I had a problem like this, my boat had a new electronic ignition: boat would run great for roughly 30 min to 1 hr then just shut down. Usually this was while i was heading toward the pier, through a narrow cut, or against the tide... I chased all the systems around and finally replaced the new elec. ignition last. That was my culprit. At the same time i changed the white wire from the ignition switch and the switch itself. Problem has not presented itself again in 50 hours running. These intermittent problems that come without warning tend to be electrical: heat related, resistance related. Give us more details about the engine: what ignition? new carb? good compression? good water flow?
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  #7   IP: 206.125.176.3
Old 12-29-2009, 10:28 AM
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sastanley sastanley is offline
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Dave good point...i've cleaned up my wiring a little bit even though I hadn't experienced a problem yet.

Chuck, as Dave mentioned the wire runs in the C-30 are long because the engine is in the middle of the boat, and the panel is in the cockpit. The standard wiring harness for the motor has a couple of junctions. I found one of mine aft of the galley (near the fuel tank, under the cockpit), and the other one in the engine compartment. I can't recall if there was a third one under the cabin sole or not...the point is, you may want to follow the bundle and make sure the connections are good..I opened all mine up and cleaned them and used electrical lube on them. I think that is what riphonda & Dave are getting at...as the engine runs, a short in the wire could surface and kill the ignition. There are also easy ways to jump power to the coil, which could help with troubleshooting...if it doesn't cut off with the jumper, the circuit likely has (or develops) a short.

The biggest problem for me is staying methodical and trying each technique individually until the culprit surfaces.
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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 12-29-2009, 10:34 AM
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Shawn-
There are indeed three.
This from a Don posting...

"Unless someone replaced it, your Catalina 30 has a long wiring harness between the engine and the control panel in the cockpit which includes three 8-pin quick-disconnects. Two of these disconnects are easily inspected, one being located at the engine, and the other immediately behind the instrument panel.

The third quick-disconnect is hidden under the cabin sole and can only be found by removing the square wooden access panel through which the stuffing box of the prop shaft is serviced and reaching (a couple feet) over toward the galley stove area. In our Catalina 30, this third quick-disconnect was lying in a puddle of bilge water, and the contacts themselves were corroded to the point that two of them pulled apart as I tried to separate the two halves of the disconnect."
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  #9   IP: 206.125.176.3
Old 12-29-2009, 10:58 AM
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sastanley sastanley is offline
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Jerry, thanks for the refresher...my 'hidden' one must be the one I found behind the galley..I recall that I had to remove the drawer assembly to get to it.
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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!!)
http://www.moyermarine.com/forums/signaturepics/sigpic3231_6.gif
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