Atomic 4 help

[Admiral]

I am sure I know the answer but I need to ask it any way and hope for positive news or at least a discussion on the topic. I am looking at a Catalina 30 with he Atomic 4. When I went to look at it the engine had water in it. The owner said he did not have any idea of how it got there. He never had a problem before. It was 2 to 3 quarts or more. e sucked the water out and some of the oil. We added oil to it and ran it to heat up the oil. Now you all know what happened their. The oil turned milky so we changed it again. Ran a kittle and it was still milky but not as bad.

How can I get all the residual moisture out of the engine? D o you think damage was done? And what would I be looking at in cost to go further and consider a rebuild. What damage could the water have done? Should I just run it and continue changing the oil? How bad could this have hurt the engine or could it still be ok to use?

I believe that the water may have gotten there from the muffler. Could have been antifreeze during he winterization period.

What do you guys think and what would be the solution to this? Should I run it and continue to change the oil very often or consider tear down and cleaning. Please give me the worse case senerio and the best case.

 

[alain croteau]

Try www.moyermarine.com for comprehensive advice. They are A4 experts and have dealt with water in engine issues. Good luck.

 

[dive7mmwet]

water in oil not great, id be suspect of possible cracked head? head gasket if a easy one fix, , or engine water jacket rust threw that I doubt, your looking at a $5k+ replacement with a diesel repower, You can keep them atomics going for a long time but look how old they are, and to spend money on rebuilds its kind of like throwing good money after bad , were lucky I beefed up our rear transom on our Catalina 27 threw our Dingy motor on easy transfer and we can run a t hull speed easy with a evinrude 8hp all day and keep the Atomic as a museum piece,
1 Compression test engine
water in oil can really take a toll on main bearings salt faster than fresh, next the transmission is oiled shares oil off the engine oil and it can really get screwed up with water, sorry not any good news but a great barging point,
my 2 cents
the water from engine go's in the lower part of the muffler down stream then out

 

[alain croteau]

Water can back up into the engine if engine is turned over for too lengthy of time without starting and the raw water thru hull valve is left open. A4s that have had this happen have been 'rescued' quite successfully so don't assume too hastily that all is lost. Again check with the Moyer Marine folks before giving up and spending for re-powering....assuming your wish is to keep the A4. My previous boat that I owned for 26yrs had an A4 and I relied on the Moyer site for much info and advice - much like I do now with this site for my new boat. BTW, the A4 is still running great with no rebuild.

 

[seanshine]

I had an antisyphon valve fail and dumped about three quarts of water into the oil. Milky like you said. It was an easy fix. My friend across the dock has a C30 with an Atomic 4 and had the same problem. It's something you generally don't look for. SS

 

[Admiral]

I had an antisyphon valve fail and dumped about three quarts of water into the oil. Milky like you said. It was an easy fix. My friend across the dock has a C30 with an Atomic 4 and had the same problem. It's something you generally don't look for. SS

So what did you do to fix the problem?

 

[seanshine]

The fix was easy, other than replacing the oil a couple of times. I replaced the valve. The valve is located between two hoses behind the drawers in the galley. Directly above the engine. Water can only run one way through the hose to prevent it syphoning back into the engine. Remove the valve and blow through it. Air should only pass one way. If it passes both ways, it is defective. SS

 

[Maine Sail]

The fix was easy, other than replacing the oil a couple of times. I replaced the valve. The valve is located between two hoses behind the drawers in the galley. Directly above the engine. Water can only run one way through the hose to prevent it syphoning back into the engine. Remove the valve and blow through it. Air should only pass one way. If it passes both ways, it is defective. SS

You can blow through a siphon break either way. What you are describing seems like a check valve and is not advise on engines..

Siphon breaks/vacuum breakers/vented loops operate by allowing air into the top of the loop. This air allows the water in one leg to break away from the water in the other leg and not "siphon" over the top of the high spot. Siphon breaks, whether ball type or duck bill, seal/close on pressure and open on vacuum...

The white piece in this photo is a ball style siphon break (Scot Pump Co.). You can blow through the SS "loop" but not through the siphon break from the bottom (if you unscrewed it). If you tried to blow into to it from the screen/mesh side of the white part, you could...

 

[Admiral]

I agree about the check valve/anti siphon. I was more interested in the engine repair/recovery part. I know that changing the oil many times will help clean it out however it may not get all the water/moisture out. I am also worried about the sludge that may be left behind and what the moisture damage may be. I really believe the Po turned the engine over too long and the water backed up from the muffler box.