Engine work

Night Breeze is powered by an inboard gas Atomic 30HP engine. It's a simple, flathead motor.

Motoring Night Breeze from the original marina to her new home turned out to be quite an adventure! Since we weren't sure how reliable the gas guage was, we went ahead and topped off the tank. This turned out to be a mistake! The tank, and at lease fuel filter bowl, appear to have been accumulating sludge in the bottom for a while. Adding new gas not only stirred up the sludge, but also now left me with a FULL tank that needs to be drained and cleaned. <sigh>

We were able to start the motor and begin the several mile trip down the lake to the new marina. After about the first mile, the engine died and refused to restart. At this point, I'm still not certain what caused the motor to die. It's quite possible that the engine died of oxygen starvation due to the extreme amount of exhaust from the leaking riser (see the page for that project).

We ended up sailing the boat under jib only from that point the rest of the couple of miles to the new marina. It was a chilly, overcast winter day with a strong breeze out of the north just short of raising white caps. I used the jib so that I would have better control of being able to get the sail down if need be. The only problems were that a) we knew from the test sail that the furling line was the wrong size and jammed in the fair leads, requiring a trip to the foredeck to get the sail in or out, and b) the port jib sheet was severely compromised.

Long story short, the jib sheet made it all the way through the tack-fest into the wind going up the lake. The outer core had completely parted, which made tacking an additional challenge, but at least the inner core held.

When we got to the new marina, the motor miraculously started and ran long enough for us to get it into the slip.

And then no more.

We were able to negotiate a slightly better slip, and needed to move the boat - but no dice. The motor refused to run again. Thankfully, there was no wind on the night of the designated move - so we could "line" the boat out of the first slip and into the new slip without difficulty. But we had to get the motor running for the haulout that was planned for 2 weeks away. (The jib sheet and furling line were also immediately replaced so that sailing would be a much less adventurous option!)

I consulted with my boat neighbor that had a lot more experience with motors than I do (this wouldn't take much).

Bottom line, we did the following:

1) Replaced the spark plugs. The originals were Champion RJ14YC.

The Autolite equivalent for these is #86.

While replacing the plugs, I noticed that the motor cover actually rested ON THE PLUGS, and therefore did not fit like it should. Anyone sitting on the aft part of the u-shaped settee would be resting their weight on the engine cover, and thus directly on the SPARK PLUGS!!

I did some research and discovered that the original plug spec'd in the manual for the Atomic was the Champion J8. And... eventually found a spec for the J8 vs. RJ14YC that showed the J8 to be maybe 1/8" shorter. Unfortunately, even when I was able to locate the equivalent Autolite #295 plugs - while shorter, they still hit the engine cover. It was time to make a new engine cover.

I used a piece of 3/8" marine ply cut to the same shape as the original cover. I then cut a slot in board to clear the plugs, added a 3/4" piece of pine with the same slot, and topped the works with a 1/4" piece of plywood to cap the slot (and allow for inspection if desired). The new cover was sealed in epoxy and varnished. Not beautiful, but it should be covered by the seat cushion most of the time anyway.

The wisdom on the Catalina 30 site indicates that the RJ14YC plugs are a little hotter, and have been suggested by the Moyer Marine web site. I now have my choice of either plug. Both seem to be fine. Both clear with the new slotted engine cover. And I have plenty of spares...

2) Fuel

My boat neighbor noticed that there was a substantial amount of trash and varnish in the bowl of the existing fuel filter (which looked automotive, not boat, in nature). The previous fuel filter was attached to the barb leading to the fuel pump.

With the new plugs, we had plenty of spark. We tried cleaning the bowl of the fuel filter, and even removing the filter part, and just couldn't get the engine to start and run.

I finally REMOVED the fuel filter entirely. I plugged the fuel line coming from the gas tank. Instead of the existing gas tank, I brought out a new 3 gal. portable gas tank. The portable tank has a priming bulb, making it easy to get gas to the engine. Since it's a new tank, with new gas, and a very short run, I currently still have no fuel filter / water separator in the line.

After replacing the plugs and providing a clean fuel supply from a portable tank, the engine will now start and run. It does seem to be sensitive to choking. It wants plenty of fuel supplied at the beginning (using the primer bulb). It also seems to want the key to be turned to the "on" position for about 15 sec. to let the fuel pump kick in before starting. Once it turns over, the choke should be reduced from FULL by about 30%, and gradually pushed in entirely as the engine revs up. This will take a little longer if the engine is VERY COLD.

If the engine has run, but has been off for a while (during sailing), start with the choke completely pulled out, but then push the choke in entirely as soon as the engine makes any effort to start. Again - be sure to have the key in the "on" position for ~15 seconds before attempting to start.

3) Wires

The previous wires are in marginal shape. I was able to order new wires from Moyer Marine that should fit the boat, and will be installed as soon as the opportunity allows.

Fall, 2012

As fall approached, I continued to experience engine problems - difficulty getting the engine started, and having the engine die when trying to shift between forward and reverse.

Doubts about the reliability of the engine lead to further investigations into electric power.

Enter "Whamo" - another local boat mechanic. Whamo was able to finally get the motor running. Items worked on:

1) Carburetor - Whamo removed, cleaned, and rebuilt the carburetor. This made a world of difference!

Note - as part of the tuneup, the throttle cable needed to be adjusted. An additional hole in the lever on the carb which the cable attaches to allowed sufficient range of the throttle to hit low speed.

2) Alternator - The alternator was dead. A new (?? not sure if it's really new... but at least it works!) alternator now has the battery voltage up to 14.4 volts.

3) Re-wiring - Examination of the wiring indicated a couple of problems.

* Wiring of the fuel pump was corrected to match original wiring.

* Connector in port locker is bad, and needs to be replaced. A bad pin was wired around.