Atomic 4. What do I need to know?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Dec 24, 2010
3
Sabre 28 Newburyport
Atomic 4. What do I need to know!

I just bought a beautiful 1972 Sabre 28 hull # 9. That boat is great and the Atomic 4 you could eat off. However she has not be in the water for 4 or 5 years. So what do I need to know about the A -bomb? What steps should I take to get this motor in running conditions. I know little about motor. It was rebuilt in 1993 and has 450 hours on it.

Things I know I will be doing are:

Drain the old gas, replace the fuel filter.
Drop some mystery oil in the spark plug holes.
Turn the engine with either a hand crank or by starter motor. Where can I get a hand crank?
Need to check the water intake.

Thanks everyone

Dave.
 

gpd955

.
Feb 22, 2006
1,164
Catalina 310 Cape May, NJ
BobM said:
There is only one thing you need to know...

http://www.moyermarine.com

They have all the answers.
Absolutely. And if you need immediate and decisive answers, call them. Don will talk you through it. They are great people. Join their forum as well.

Check the manifold and flange. They have a tendency to corrode from the inside out and go at the most inconvenient time. Especially if it was in layup for a long time. Water may have been left in there.
 

BobM

.
Jun 10, 2004
3,269
S2 9.2A Winthrop, MA
They have some very reasonable upgrades that might be worth doing as well.
 
Jun 9, 2008
1,771
- -- -Bayfield
When someone comes to me saying "My Atomic 4 won't start", 99.9% of the time it is the points (unless it was retrofitted with a CD ignition). You can buy points from your local marine store, or Moyer Marine, or from Napa. Install the points and gap it to the thickness of a match book cover and - bang - the motor usually starts. Often the first thing people check is the fuel system, which normally is not he case. If the points are new and gapped properly, then perhaps the fuel is the culprit. Once I experienced water in the fuel on an Atomic 4 and so changed the fuel, filter, etc. and eventually figured out that the rubber O-ring on the fuel fill cap on deck was letting rain water into the fuel tank. Changed the O-ring and problem solved!
BTW the engine would run with water in the system, but only when the choke was pulled out half way. Atomic 4's are great engines.
 

CalebD

.
Jun 27, 2006
1,479
Tartan 27' 1967 Nyack, NY
One thing you do need to know is this.
In many (most) A4 installations if you have to crank the engine for longer then 10 seconds you should leave the raw water cooling valve closed as excessive engine cranking will draw water into the exhaust system which can then back flow into the manifold and cylinders.
Read the forums over at MMI and you will encounter this problem.
 
Dec 24, 2010
3
Sabre 28 Newburyport
Thank's guys, I was able to contact the pervious owner. The boat was dontated to a maritime school and laid up for a while. He said it was a great little engine. he did have a problem with im asumming the mainfold at one point resulting in the engine squirting water out the side of it, It was peofensional repaired by a Marine in Maine. I did notice the fule filter was bypased. The engine has a manchanel fule pump. Ive been told these pumps can be week and is often why they filter is bypassed?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.