Removing my Atomic Four

I need some pointers on removing my motor. I purchased the O/H manual from Don Moyer, which is really worth having, but I did not see anything about removing the motor from the boat. I was going to re do my valves, which I had the two exhaust ones sticking. After removing the head, manifold, carburetor, fuel pump, alternator, starter and the wiring I have decided to pull the engine to clean it and paint it this winter. I will then do an inspection on the lower end and replace what is needed. Since Luffin It as been in Salt Water since new (1979) and the brackets for the transmission cable and throttle cable are rusted be on belief, I will be fabricating new brackets and cleaning the engine compartment. My plan is to machine some stainless ones so I will not be dealing with this again. Getting back to the removal, I was going to us a come along with a rolling trolley off the boom. The trolley will ride on the groove giving me movement fore and aft. Do I remove the bolts holding the motor mounts or would I remove the nuts holding the engine down to the motor mounts, my problem there is raising the motor verticality to clear the studs since I do not have a vertical pull at that point. I could build something if I had too. I am adding freshwater cooling and the oil filter system, which Tom Stevens sells (Indigo Electronics). I added his three bladed prop last year and it is the best investment so far. The boat now backs up with total control and cruises at 6.5 knots with ease. Any info from someone who has done this could help. Thanks so much.

Tom Miskell
Ericson 27 Hull #1287
Luffin It

You want to lift it off the mounts, rather than removing it with the mounts. It'll make replacement easier. Besides, if you aren't lifting vertically, the motor is gonna swing like a mofo when it comes free (mounts or no mounts), so you'll want to rig a second tackle that can hold the motor horizontally in place while you lift it off the mounts. I assume you're lifting from forward of vertical? So attach a tackle to some strongpoint under the cockpit, and use tension on that to keep the motor going up vertically until you clear the mounts. Then you can ease the horizontal tackle until your lift is vertical, and hoist it out.

I'd mind your boom though. Probably wise to attach your mainhalyard to the boom just aft of where the comealong will be mounted, so the boom is more well supported. And make sure you protect the boom from getting scratched or dented by the trolley.

Good luck,
Nate

Thanks Nate, I'll go down and see what this is going to take. My lift point was going to be the alternator mount which I was going to attach directly to the block since the head is off. I agree with the halyard but was also going to use a 2 X 4 frame under the boom also, setting it up in the cockpit. I'll keep you posted and may take some pictures. Thanks again

I would not use your boom at all if possible. This is a load it was never intended to take. I would use a 4x4 post across the companionway with come along attached to that. You can then use other pieces of 4x4 as skids to slide the block horizontally on. Where do you need to move it to ultimately? If it is going off the boat I would consider getting the yard, if you are near one, to use a forklift. I replaced a Palmer P-60 with an A-4 in my old Columbia 28 and let me tell you thats one heavy motor. I had the yard lift the old one out with a fork lift and lowered the new one in that way too. I needed to move the motor around some and used a come along with 4x4 over the companionway for that. If you are going to this route make sure to replace your motor mounts with new ones and consider bedding the fasteners in epoxy or 5200. The stringers that the mounts attatch to use lag screws which over the years have a habit of vibrating loose effecting your alignment and eventually cutlass bearing stuffing box etc. I would also think about wiring the fuel pump if electric through the oil pressure switch (see Moyer) as a precaution for your rebuilt motor.

My first engine haul, I made a harness out of nylon rope run under my A4 to enable hoisting. I used two come-alongs, so I could lift it vertically from a system of 2X4s, swing it aft, then to the boom (a lot beefier on the E35, and supported by a halyard), then onto a pallet in the cockpit, where a team of passing Marines carried it to the dock.
A few months and a hurricane later, when it came out again, I used the same system to lift it up, then swing it aft to a crane the boatyard, which was a LOT easier.

Gareth
Freyja E35 #241 1972

Engine removal

HI,
I just did this job last year but with a kubota diesel (Universal 5411). Engine and trans weigh about 275 lbs. I went to the hardware store and bought a come-along rated at 1,000 lbs - $20.
on my E-28, I used the boom with heavy cardboard and carpet to protect the foot goove in the boom. I lifted the engine with the mounts & trans all in one operation. It went straight up with only a minor amount of side movement, right out of the companionway. From there, we swung the boom over the dock and lowered the engine on a heavey duty hand truck. Use a chain on the engine lift points with very little slack. Place the come-along hook in the middle of the chain loop and you'll be fine. As I recall, the engine can be moved aft along the boom by sliding the come-along with the cardboard-carpet padding. The come-along can be attached to the boom with a few turns of 5/8 line wrapped around the boom. The came out very quickly after everthing was unhooked and went in the same way. It was a very safe, clean neat job.
Hope yours goes as well as mine. Any questions, give me a shout.
<> Jim

Atomic removal on an E32

While i see this is an old thread I though I might add 2 cents on removing my A4 last week.
Things went really well. Took about an hour .. as the cabinet was out and everything was disconnected prior. We tied the main halyard at the lifting point on the boom & supported it with a 4x4. Then hung a come-along from 4K lb. webbing and lifted the engine to the cockpit. Then moved the come-along aft on the boom to clear the side and swung the engine to the dock, loaded it on a heavy hand truck, to my truck, and brought her home. Here's a couple shots of the process.
My starboard engine bed crumbled. I'm hoping to have enough pieces to have the new one(s) built. I plan to grind out and replace them one at a time.
My engine appears to have been re-built 200 hours ago .. so I'm just going to freshen it up real well. Likey run around a grand.

Comments, advise and the like welcomed.

Regards, Greg

Your engine, being that color blue, was probably rebuilt by Buck Anderson in Barstow, CA in case you were wondering. 760-253-1924

Greg--

Nice work on that one. You make the removal look easy.

What size prop does your A-4 have? According to my buyers survey, mine is a 12X6, and I'm trying to decide if I should go the the Indigo before my summer cruise, or if a prop with more pitch (the Indigo is 10x7.4) isn't really an upgrade in terms of RPMs. Right now I can get about 5.5 kts in fairly calm water, and I want to gain more RPMs, speed (or hopefully both). I called up Indigo and he was skeptical of my prop size, so I am wondering if the surveyor made an error.

When do you plan to have your engine back in the boat?

Prop

Tenders ..

Thanks, I may give them a call. The engine has a brass tag with numbers .. they might have some useful info.

Chris ..

I was a pretty easy operation with everything disconnected in advance & 3 friends help. Only cost me lunch.
I'm going to replace the engine beds, cockpit scupper hoses, fuel tank, steering - shift & throttle cables, add a sea water strainer, and clean and paint the space so I'll likely have the engine out another month.
Minkwitz thought I have the same prop, but without clear numbers it was hard to tell. Be interested in what way you go.

Regards, Greg

I pulled my A4 last summer while it was still in the water. It was actually quite easy. I had never done anything remotely this big on the boat before (E27). My dock neighbor had done it before on his pearson. He used a pully system off his boom to get it out of the cockpit then bolted it to some 2x4 to act as handles to carry off (with help of course). To save my back and make things easier, I hired the aid of the marina jin-pole. Just disconnected everything from the motor and unbolted the beast from the motor mounts. Then slowly lifted it up. The motor had to swing forward to clear out of the cockpit. This could be done by just manually pulling it forward as it was suspended. It does not fly around wildly, just keep pulling forward to clear the area, then start hoisting up till it is clear. In my case it was easy, once it was out of the cockpit, the Jin-pole just swung it over to the safe dry land on to a dolly (that I made out of 4x4) and I rolled it to my trailer. The whole job start to finish took less than 1.5 hours (most of the time was spent just moving the boat back to the dock-had to tow it). I would just reverse the procedure to install it, but I installed an electric motor that weighs about 80# and just carried that aboard- no sweat. I would not worry so much about the weight on the boom, I weigh about 220 and hung from it bouncing up and down with no flex what so ever. Two others on my dock, both experience marine mechanics said that the boom set up is perfectly fine. The tough part is getting it from the boat to the dock/land. One possibility would be to swing the boom to the side then lower it, but I like things easy, thus use the Jin-Pole. Hope this helps and good luck.