I have a 76 C-27 w/A4. Noticed this season when I start the engine I have several minutes where there is blue smoke in the exhaust (I assume from oil pooling in cylinders.) After about three to five minutes it seems to subside but will smoke a little at start up when coming in from a days worth of sailing. Also noticed this weekend where the lower 1/4 of the spark plug caps on the front three spark plug wires had melted a little. Been having some problems w/overheating but not to the extent that would cause this (temp never exceeds 200.) Can anyone offer any suggestions? Am I looking at pulling the engine and an overhaul or is there a less expensive/complex solution? Lysle
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M
Mike
B
Bob
Smoke on start-up...
...usually means valve guides in most IC engines. If it smoked constantly, then you can add rings nd possibly pistons into the equation. A rebuild may end up costing you as much as a (Diesel) repower. But if oil consumption is relatively low I'd leave it alone, as long as it's running ok. As far as the overheating goes, remove your heat exchanger and check for blockage. I re-conditioned one for my friend's A4 and it runs just as nice as you please. It was 30% blocked when I took it off. Had a couple of tubes that I had to close off due to a leak. Cheers, Bob
...usually means valve guides in most IC engines. If it smoked constantly, then you can add rings nd possibly pistons into the equation. A rebuild may end up costing you as much as a (Diesel) repower. But if oil consumption is relatively low I'd leave it alone, as long as it's running ok. As far as the overheating goes, remove your heat exchanger and check for blockage. I re-conditioned one for my friend's A4 and it runs just as nice as you please. It was 30% blocked when I took it off. Had a couple of tubes that I had to close off due to a leak. Cheers, Bob
L
L-Seelig
Bob...
My engine doesn't have an exchanger. I thought that odd but the mechanics around here have said running in fresh water it's not necessary. Planning on doing an extensive engine flush in the next few weeks. Do you think the over heating is what caused my wires to melt? Should I look into adding an exchanger? TIA Lysle
My engine doesn't have an exchanger. I thought that odd but the mechanics around here have said running in fresh water it's not necessary. Planning on doing an extensive engine flush in the next few weeks. Do you think the over heating is what caused my wires to melt? Should I look into adding an exchanger? TIA Lysle
R
Rob
L-Seeling
Tell me about your choke - how do you employ it when starting your engine? Several things can cause an engine to smoke. Also - what color is the smoke? Does your exhaust leave oil deposits on the water? You may have unrelated problems that are causing this - may not need an overhaul. Rob
Tell me about your choke - how do you employ it when starting your engine? Several things can cause an engine to smoke. Also - what color is the smoke? Does your exhaust leave oil deposits on the water? You may have unrelated problems that are causing this - may not need an overhaul. Rob
L
L-Seelig
Rob
When cold I will pull the choke out all the way and wait until engine runs rough to start pushing back in and generally try to get it in as soon as possible provided engine will still run. Usually after a sail, I don't have to use it but if I do, I only pull out about 1/4-1/2 just to get the engine started. It seems more prone to die if I try to use the throttle. The smoke is bluish gray and there does seem to be a little bit of residue on top of the water. Thanks, Rob Lysle
When cold I will pull the choke out all the way and wait until engine runs rough to start pushing back in and generally try to get it in as soon as possible provided engine will still run. Usually after a sail, I don't have to use it but if I do, I only pull out about 1/4-1/2 just to get the engine started. It seems more prone to die if I try to use the throttle. The smoke is bluish gray and there does seem to be a little bit of residue on top of the water. Thanks, Rob Lysle
R
Rob
Okay..
You could have a couple of problems, but here is what I would do. My A-4 smokes when she is choked too, but the smoke disappears as soon as the engine warms. If you had a stuck ring, the smoke would tend to be present all the time, although not as thick when running at temp. Are you consuming engine oil? If so, this is a sure sign that oil is leaving the engine one way or another. If it is not leaking into the bilge, then it is probably getting around the rings and being burned in the cylinder. However, I believe this would produce black, as opposed to blue, smoke. So, check your dipstick and see if your oil consumption is high. You can also check your spark plugs for a thick, soft, black grease, which indicates oil burning in the cylinders. If you have a sticky valve, the A-4 guru Don Moyer recommends that you use Marvel Mystery oil in both your engine oil, and your gasoline. This will certainly lead to blue smoke if you add a little too much. As a matter of fact, I believe Moyer recommends adding MMO until the exhaust "just begins to smoke." MMO will help unstick the valve train and possibly a piston ring. I use it on a regular basis as preventive maintenance. This is your first step, in my amatuer opinion. For more info, go to the A-4 list at Sailnet. There are a bunch of guys there who do nothing but tear down and re-build A-4's. Also, check out www.moyermarine.com - there is a wealth of info there. For further info, search the archives under A-4, and you will see a bunch of posts by me and other A-4 lovers and haters. Best of Luck, and please post back your results. If you need further help, just repost here and I will e-mail you. Rob
You could have a couple of problems, but here is what I would do. My A-4 smokes when she is choked too, but the smoke disappears as soon as the engine warms. If you had a stuck ring, the smoke would tend to be present all the time, although not as thick when running at temp. Are you consuming engine oil? If so, this is a sure sign that oil is leaving the engine one way or another. If it is not leaking into the bilge, then it is probably getting around the rings and being burned in the cylinder. However, I believe this would produce black, as opposed to blue, smoke. So, check your dipstick and see if your oil consumption is high. You can also check your spark plugs for a thick, soft, black grease, which indicates oil burning in the cylinders. If you have a sticky valve, the A-4 guru Don Moyer recommends that you use Marvel Mystery oil in both your engine oil, and your gasoline. This will certainly lead to blue smoke if you add a little too much. As a matter of fact, I believe Moyer recommends adding MMO until the exhaust "just begins to smoke." MMO will help unstick the valve train and possibly a piston ring. I use it on a regular basis as preventive maintenance. This is your first step, in my amatuer opinion. For more info, go to the A-4 list at Sailnet. There are a bunch of guys there who do nothing but tear down and re-build A-4's. Also, check out www.moyermarine.com - there is a wealth of info there. For further info, search the archives under A-4, and you will see a bunch of posts by me and other A-4 lovers and haters. Best of Luck, and please post back your results. If you need further help, just repost here and I will e-mail you. Rob
L
L-Seelig
Thanks Rob,
I will let you know the results. It would be very nice if this turned out to have a relatively easy solution. Regards, Lysle
I will let you know the results. It would be very nice if this turned out to have a relatively easy solution. Regards, Lysle
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