Jim down the street (the mechanically oriented one) is working on my outboard this week. He told me he takes photographs as he works and he sent me a few this morning. It is kind of nice to be able to see what is going on.
There is a close-up of the gunked-up carb. I've used it for seven seasons now, both on my Pathfinder and the Nancy's China before that, so I guess it should be a little gunked up.
And there is a little bit wider view. I can do the basics on an outboard - change the spark plug, lower unit fluid and maybe even the water impeller. But this stuff is beyond me.
Jim says he is going over the entire outboard, looking for corrosion, wear and tear and any other problems. He did find this corrosion on the fuel line clamp, says he plans to clean that up for me. Plus lubricate all the fittings. Beyond that Jim will replace the water impeller, clean out the cooling water tube and replace the hydraulic fluid in the lower unit. It should be like new when I get it back.
Jim says the outboard might be ready to go in a week. I'll be glad to know that everything is in good shape. When out sailing I like to sail, but every once in a while that outboard can be a great help.
Thanks for the photos Jim, and thanks for the nice work.
steve
4 comments:
A good friend to have, kind od like having a computer geek as a friend. Invaluable.
I always run the carb dry before putting our outboards away. If you leave fuel in there the petrol (gas) will evaporate leaving deposits of two stroke oil and other additives which form that nasty hard sludge.
Just turn the fuel off and wait for the engine to stop, will make Jim's job much easier next time.
Yes, I've heard about running the fuel dry and I'll start doing that next year. But with seven seasons of use the outboard was ready for a little work. Thanks for the advice.
steve
Hmm, engine, yes. Spring just around the corner, yes.
I completely disconnected the Atomic 4 from all the wires, hoses and other connections in my boat, and removed the mounting bolts. It's now just sitting in there loose, waiting to be plucked from where it has sat for the past 27 years (having been a repower on the 42 year-old boat in 1983).
I'll be bringing it home for a bench overhaul, hopefully (hopefully!) to be completed in time for a scheduled four-day sail in April.
Brand new, custom-made main sail also is on order from Sailcare in PA.
Nobody ever said owning a boat would be cheap, and apparently I'm out to prove it.
So much work to do on the boat, so little time before spring re-launch...
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