Massive Coronary only Minutes from the Marina -11 Jul Update
FIRST -- it wasn't me, or even a person, but rather my Pearson. I tell that to you upfront because I do not want to burn up good karma. But is does leave me, now, out planning what to do.
Updated at BOTTOM of this post.
It is probably a guy thing. You know, that you have some serious issue but either because the answer is inconvenient or expensive, or might alter whatever plans you had, you ignore it. It is certainly true for me.
I have been having some problems over the past few months. It all came to a sudden thud, last weekend (9-10 April), while going up to the DISC hosted, Geico cup, then at the regatta, and then as we left DISC to travel home.
Regardless of how incapacitating the events became, I tried to Rx it all, myself. My regular crewmates, Peter and Shirley were also concerned. But neither many friends who had advice that something was wrong, nor I, really saw this coming.
Thank goodness, Sunday evening, my daughter Annabel was with me. I thought she might drive our support truck back from DISC/WSM but she chose to ride GOOD TRADE. I had issues nearly the whole way home. I spoke to a friend at about 8 PM but did not tell him how poorly things were.
Then, at 9 PM, quite literally just off the pier, maybe 100 feet short of the south wall, with the tide just beginning to turn, we had what might best be called massive heart failure.
It was one of those things. We were motoring along and then nothing. No cough, no gasp, no last moment fit. Just --- NOTHING! The Atomic Four in my Pearson P-31 just stopped. And it isn't restarting.
When we crank it over, using our hand as a choke, there is NO SUCTION from the throat of the carburetor. I am going to get a compression guage (or maybe just my finger) and see, but I expect -- NO COMPRESSION?
Assuming that the heart of my dear GOOD TRADE is gone, at least parts of it, what can you recommend?
Valves, only, maybe?
Rebuild the whole original or replace with a rebuilt Atomic Four?
What about replacing the motor altogether and diesel?
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
TO BETTER DERIBE THE PROBLEM, this has been going on, perhaps, for a while, but just like heart problems, I ignored the pain, right?
Over the past year my motor has gotten to be very hard to start. In the past month, it got to be, where, if I had it running, it would run and then cut out. To strat it, I would have to vigorously pump the throttle handle.
Over the weekend, the only way to start it was to completely cover the air intake, and fully choke the motor. Then, as it would run, it would eventually bog down and run down to a stop. The weekend, when we were under motor, was full choke, start, run a while, maybe 20 minutes, and stop.
Then, Sunday, it stopped, once more but stayed stopped. Choking did not help. Moving the throttle back and forth did not help.
I passed the helm to Annabel, ran forward, and tossing my anchor ahead, drew GOOD TRADE the last 100 or so feet to the pier. TALK ABOUT LUCKY, I with the Lotto was so well timed for me.
Once at the dock and once I had time to try again, I took note, IT APEARS that now I have NO SUCTION via the air intake.
That is, it appears that it is not a fuel issue, I hae fuel up to the bowl. It is not spark, at lkeast it wasn't an hour, or even minutes before. But NOW? Hey, I will check the spark in the TUESDAY PM timeframe.
I also have had time to remember that I had a Ford F-150 that had a motor so worn out that the only way to start it was to take a Coke can of gas and dump 8 to 12 ounces of gasoline down the throat. Once it was running, it ran, with little power. We eventually swapped out a rebuilt motor.
S, now, I need to come to the decision of issue, and solutions. I have about a 60 day non-sailing = ie non-racing window to fix this.
Thanks for all the postings and suggestions.
Sincerely;
Robert
Saturday - 16 June - I went to the boat and took out the spark plugs. Putting finger on top of hole, I confirmed, front two cylinders had compression -- the back two did not. Descriptively writing, the front cylinders "popped" my finger off the spark plug holes, the back two only created a "whoosh-wish" sound with no sensation of pressure under my finger.
NEXT, I may have jumped the gun, but, knowing that my engine definitely a compression issue, I removed the head, and the side panel. Please see picture.
Cylinders look well polished with no major, or even minor, vertical scratched or gouges in walls. Cylinders hold WD-40, that is to say, it appears that the rings are "OK." At least they exist.
Back four valves appear to have bits of black crud under them that prevent a tight seal. I write "appear" because as it took hours to take off head, I was just about beat, beat, beat, when I took final pictures and said "enough for one day."
To the guys who offered I PB Blast the crap out of the valves, I probably should have or maybe would have, but I really wanted to see the issue. Yes, I am into this now to the tune of at least three or five gaskets (one of two head gaskets (had only one before). thermostat, intake/exhaust manifold, and side panel.)
OIL is clear, full bodied, looks like it does out of the can, with no metal and no water in it.
The tappets, where they are always exposed are blackened by oil and years of exposure, but where they fall down towards the cam are bright and polished to a mirror shine. All the tappets appear to rise and fall with no hesitation.
WHAT TO DO NOW? Remove valves and take to machine shop, buy new, clean in place, remove and clean?
THANK YOU!
Robert
Arrival in Wednesday's mail -- PARTS, MANUAL, and TOOLS
Monday -- 9 July UPDATE --
Can we say CARBON PLEASE? I wanted to do this a week ago but the heat was just too much. So, I moved a small home AC down to the boat and blowing cool air into the campanion way, I was able to tolerate the temperature.
Carbon and other goo was covering the valves and exhaust flow. On two of my INTAKE valves, the keepers were so corroded that they would not release with the valve tool. As I am replacing the springs already, I used the dremel tool to cut them apart and then osed a socet and hammer to tap the valve keepers free.
Today (did not go to work) I plan to begin re-assembly. Posted one new picture (took more but have only one available). The dark shadow is 3/8 of an inch of carbon.
Add to the problems, blown head gasket -- see shadow of carbon between three and four.
FIRST -- it wasn't me, or even a person, but rather my Pearson. I tell that to you upfront because I do not want to burn up good karma. But is does leave me, now, out planning what to do.
Updated at BOTTOM of this post.
It is probably a guy thing. You know, that you have some serious issue but either because the answer is inconvenient or expensive, or might alter whatever plans you had, you ignore it. It is certainly true for me.
I have been having some problems over the past few months. It all came to a sudden thud, last weekend (9-10 April), while going up to the DISC hosted, Geico cup, then at the regatta, and then as we left DISC to travel home.
Regardless of how incapacitating the events became, I tried to Rx it all, myself. My regular crewmates, Peter and Shirley were also concerned. But neither many friends who had advice that something was wrong, nor I, really saw this coming.
Thank goodness, Sunday evening, my daughter Annabel was with me. I thought she might drive our support truck back from DISC/WSM but she chose to ride GOOD TRADE. I had issues nearly the whole way home. I spoke to a friend at about 8 PM but did not tell him how poorly things were.
Then, at 9 PM, quite literally just off the pier, maybe 100 feet short of the south wall, with the tide just beginning to turn, we had what might best be called massive heart failure.
It was one of those things. We were motoring along and then nothing. No cough, no gasp, no last moment fit. Just --- NOTHING! The Atomic Four in my Pearson P-31 just stopped. And it isn't restarting.
When we crank it over, using our hand as a choke, there is NO SUCTION from the throat of the carburetor. I am going to get a compression guage (or maybe just my finger) and see, but I expect -- NO COMPRESSION?
Assuming that the heart of my dear GOOD TRADE is gone, at least parts of it, what can you recommend?
Valves, only, maybe?
Rebuild the whole original or replace with a rebuilt Atomic Four?
What about replacing the motor altogether and diesel?
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
TO BETTER DERIBE THE PROBLEM, this has been going on, perhaps, for a while, but just like heart problems, I ignored the pain, right?
Over the past year my motor has gotten to be very hard to start. In the past month, it got to be, where, if I had it running, it would run and then cut out. To strat it, I would have to vigorously pump the throttle handle.
Over the weekend, the only way to start it was to completely cover the air intake, and fully choke the motor. Then, as it would run, it would eventually bog down and run down to a stop. The weekend, when we were under motor, was full choke, start, run a while, maybe 20 minutes, and stop.
Then, Sunday, it stopped, once more but stayed stopped. Choking did not help. Moving the throttle back and forth did not help.
I passed the helm to Annabel, ran forward, and tossing my anchor ahead, drew GOOD TRADE the last 100 or so feet to the pier. TALK ABOUT LUCKY, I with the Lotto was so well timed for me.
Once at the dock and once I had time to try again, I took note, IT APEARS that now I have NO SUCTION via the air intake.
That is, it appears that it is not a fuel issue, I hae fuel up to the bowl. It is not spark, at lkeast it wasn't an hour, or even minutes before. But NOW? Hey, I will check the spark in the TUESDAY PM timeframe.
I also have had time to remember that I had a Ford F-150 that had a motor so worn out that the only way to start it was to take a Coke can of gas and dump 8 to 12 ounces of gasoline down the throat. Once it was running, it ran, with little power. We eventually swapped out a rebuilt motor.
S, now, I need to come to the decision of issue, and solutions. I have about a 60 day non-sailing = ie non-racing window to fix this.
Thanks for all the postings and suggestions.
Sincerely;
Robert
Saturday - 16 June - I went to the boat and took out the spark plugs. Putting finger on top of hole, I confirmed, front two cylinders had compression -- the back two did not. Descriptively writing, the front cylinders "popped" my finger off the spark plug holes, the back two only created a "whoosh-wish" sound with no sensation of pressure under my finger.
NEXT, I may have jumped the gun, but, knowing that my engine definitely a compression issue, I removed the head, and the side panel. Please see picture.
Cylinders look well polished with no major, or even minor, vertical scratched or gouges in walls. Cylinders hold WD-40, that is to say, it appears that the rings are "OK." At least they exist.
Back four valves appear to have bits of black crud under them that prevent a tight seal. I write "appear" because as it took hours to take off head, I was just about beat, beat, beat, when I took final pictures and said "enough for one day."
To the guys who offered I PB Blast the crap out of the valves, I probably should have or maybe would have, but I really wanted to see the issue. Yes, I am into this now to the tune of at least three or five gaskets (one of two head gaskets (had only one before). thermostat, intake/exhaust manifold, and side panel.)
OIL is clear, full bodied, looks like it does out of the can, with no metal and no water in it.
The tappets, where they are always exposed are blackened by oil and years of exposure, but where they fall down towards the cam are bright and polished to a mirror shine. All the tappets appear to rise and fall with no hesitation.
WHAT TO DO NOW? Remove valves and take to machine shop, buy new, clean in place, remove and clean?
THANK YOU!
Robert
Arrival in Wednesday's mail -- PARTS, MANUAL, and TOOLS
Monday -- 9 July UPDATE --
Can we say CARBON PLEASE? I wanted to do this a week ago but the heat was just too much. So, I moved a small home AC down to the boat and blowing cool air into the campanion way, I was able to tolerate the temperature.
Carbon and other goo was covering the valves and exhaust flow. On two of my INTAKE valves, the keepers were so corroded that they would not release with the valve tool. As I am replacing the springs already, I used the dremel tool to cut them apart and then osed a socet and hammer to tap the valve keepers free.
Today (did not go to work) I plan to begin re-assembly. Posted one new picture (took more but have only one available). The dark shadow is 3/8 of an inch of carbon.
Add to the problems, blown head gasket -- see shadow of carbon between three and four.
Attachments
Last edited:
