Update on this - went down to the boat today, pulled plugs, changed oil. No sign whatsoever of water in the engine. Then on testing, she started right up, ran smoothly at idle for several minutes, then shut down suddenly. And wouldn’t restart after a few short cranking attempts (with raw water intake closed). From that I was relieved that the starter and solenoid and starter circuit were working, and the ignition circuits.
Per Occam’s Razor I removed and inspected the fuel petcock, as it’s been troublesome this year (it became increasingly difficult to turn, then suddenly easier to turn, hmmm…). I believe it to be the culprit. It was stuck in what appeared to be a closed position, and turning its handle didn’t change that. I suspect it may have been just open enough to allow the fuel line to fill, given enough time. But once the engine consumed the fuel in the line, it wasn’t open enough to keep supplying the engine. I bought a new fuel shut-off valve from West Marine and will install it tomorrow and report back. As for my starter not working Sunday when I pushed the button, I’ll let that remain a mystery unless it happens again. Maybe I didn’t have the ignition switch pulled out far enough when I pressed the button. Cheers, Randy > On Sep 18, 2017, at 8:29 AM, Randal Stafford via CnC-List > <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > > Listers- > > I’m having a problem with my Atomic 4, and hoped you might have some thoughts > to share. > > When I went out for a sail yesterday, she started right up, as always. But > then she cut out heading away from the marina. Initially I suspected a fuel > flow problem, as the petcock on the tank has become difficult to turn. After > ensuring the petcock was in the open position and the tank was full, she > started right up again and ran smoothly for a good 10 minutes. Then she cut > out again, and wouldn’t start back up after some cranking. I sailed for a > couple hours anyway. When I tried to start her to come back in, nothing > happened when I pressed the starter button. I assumed my batteries didn’t > have enough amperage for the starter, after all the previous cranking, though > my other electronics were running fine. So I docked under sail power, pulled > the batteries, and brought them home to charge. They both tested at 12.7 > volts and 83% charge when I put them on my charger. Now they’re both at 100% > and 12.9 volts. > > So I now suspect a faulty ignition circuit, and possibly a faulty starter > circuit. Perhaps a loose connection or broken wire is having the same effect > as pushing in the ignition switch. I’ve yet to get into the lazarette and > start tracing the wiring and testing with a multimeter, but that’s my next > step. I thought I’d write the list first to see if anyone has any quick > hypotheses. > > Thanks in Advance, > Randy Stafford > S/V Grenadine > C&C 301- #7 > Ken Caryl, CO > _______________________________________________ > > This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you wish > to make a contribution to offset our costs, please go to: > https://www.paypal.me/stumurray > > All Contributions are greatly appreciated! _______________________________________________ This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you wish to make a contribution to offset our costs, please go to: https://www.paypal.me/stumurray All Contributions are greatly appreciated!
