Rebuild of Atomic 4 and Dripless Packing

[John Bouchard]

As I mentioned in a different thread, I rebuilt an Atomic 4 (which I found fairly inexpensive, and it had freshwater cooling) and replaced the A4 that came in the boat. I should have taken more pictures along the way, but greasy hands dissuaded me from picking up the camera too often. When re-installing the rebuild, I took the opportunity to easily replace the old stuffing box and installed a dripless packing.

For what it's worth, here are some photos of the rebuild nearing completion, the engine newly installed (you can see the new motor mounts), and a good picture of what the dripless looks like.

This just for info for anyone that's interested, and it might touch off some Q & A...?

John B.

 

[Cory B]

Congratulations! It looks great!

I also rebuilt an A4 on our old boat. Rebuilding an engine (a increasingly lost art) gives you a sense of accomplishment that you'll carry with you for a long time. That said, I don't plan on doing it ever again!

 

[rwthomas1]

Wow! Very nice work! I really like older stuff. IMHO, properly maintained, it will outlast you and I. Sure, it may not be as efficient and powerful as a new Yanmar but if it was cheaper and does the job, why not? Pretty to look at too. RT

 

[John Bouchard]

I agree with you, Cory! And, yes, I don't hope to do it again real soon! I honestly, though, like poking around with things and make them better. At least during the winter months - then when Spring strikes... I'd rather go sailing!

John B.

 

[timday5]

Re-install

Nice! During re-install, did you haul the engine as a unit into the boat, or dis-assemble it first?

 

[windjunkee]

Very Nice!

We had an issue with our A-4 last month where the exhaust system blew. It had corroded all the way through the pipe and elbow joint above the water injector. When removing the exhaust, the flange cracked and the manifold studs were stuck. When removing the manifold, we noticed the head had a crack in it reaching all the way into a spark plug hole.

So, we ordered a new head, new manifold, new electronic ignition and rebuilt the exhaust. We also had to replace about half the studs because they were just plain stuck. We're doing all this in the water, so there was no chance to pull it out and put a dripless stuffing box. However, on the bright side, with the entire top of the engine off, it was relatively easy to access the stuffing box and we found that there was still room to torque it down to minimize the flow into the bilge. We're looking forward to a few more years of steady work out of the engine before we need to dive in again.

Jim McCone
Voice of Reason E-32-2 Hull #134
Redondo Beach, CA

 

[jkm]

Someday I know I'll have to deal with the rebuilding of my A4-hopefully far down the road.

Last weekend I tore my '04 Honda 2hp down to a pile of pieces (didn't have a workshop manual). Last fall my connecting rod broke. Couldn't get an answer from the shop on why it happened.

Even a simple project like a 2hp is satisfying.

Now where did this washer go?????


John

 

[John Bouchard]

Tim,

Someone had asked me a while ago whether I had hauled the engine out in one piece prior to working on it... so I have pasted my answer here - and all you need do is reverse the process to put the whole assembly back down on the motor mounts!

... you need to uncouple the shaft, undue all the fuel lines, fuel and choke cables, the exhaust hose, water intake hoses,etc. I also removed the large cockpit drain hose on the port side for easier access. Remove the large nuts on the motor mounts.

In order to raise the engine up and off the motor mount bolts, I used a couple of different length crow bars and a bunch of odd ball lengths of 2 x 4's and assorted odd pieces of wood - each time I could get one corner or other raised an inch or so, I would insert a piece of 2 x 4 to hold it up... eventually the engine was sitting on a couple of 4 x 4's straddling the pedestals that the motor mounts are attached to - to just clear the bolts.

The next step is to "pull" the engine/transmission forward to clear the compartment. We did this by "lifting" the assembly slightly and then sliding it on a couple of longer 2 x 4's (supported by some large blocks of wood on the cabin sole. My buddy and I used a "come-along" attached to a 4x4 beam sitting across the companionway - and began to lift a bit, slide forward a bit...once you are trying to "lift" at the same time, it actually slides out fairly easy.

Once clear of the compartment, a boom truck was hired to lift the engine/transmission assembly more or less straight up and out the companionway.

We left the blocks and 2 x 4's right there until we were ready to reverse the process.

Trying to disassemble (or re-assemble) the engine in place would be lengthy and tedious, and unnecessary. On just about every A4 that I've seen is a lifting eye that is bolted onto the head - maybe it's even part of the alternator bracket.

If I've left something out here, or it's not clear, just ask!

John B.