• Untitled Document

    Join us on March 29rd, 7pm EST

    for the CBEC Virtual Meeting

    All EYO members and followers are welcome to join the fun and get to know the guest speaker!

    See the link below for login credentials and join us!

    March Meeting Info

    (dismiss this notice by hitting 'X', upper right)

a-4 hand crank

steven

Sustaining Member
While designing my future fantasy never-fail-always-have-plenty-of-juice 12v system, I got to thinking about mechanically starting the A-4 in a pinch. Parts list and brochure shows an optional hand crank. Moyer web site has a not too helpful bulletin that says its easy. Anyone ever try it?

--Steve
 

jkenan

Member III
So long as the crank is designed for starting the engine (ie, won't rip your hand off, or spin around and break your arm when the engine turns over) as opposed to rotating the crank for timing purposes, I don't see any reason not to use it when necessary or to have it aboard for dead-battery contingencies. In fact, it's a great idea and could be a valuable accessory when you most need it.

Moyer has two parts - one for timing, and the other for cranking (they don't specify that it is for starting, but I would guess that is it's purpose). The part number is MISC_01_74. So long as it's designed to be captive in one direction, and is free or self-ejects in the other, I think it would be safe.

Let us know what you find out.
 

rwthomas1

Sustaining Partner
That gives me chills thinking about it. Its not just a one-way (sprag) clutch thats needed. I've been kicked by enough motorcycles, starting the old kick-start ones that is, to think this is a sketchy idea. A A4 kicking back would likely break a wrist with ease. RT
 

gareth harris

Sustaining Member
Another thought - I started my old A4 with a motor bike battery for a 600cc engine. I am not sure how directly helpful that is, since carrying an extra acid filled battery is not the ideal solution, but there may be other kinds of battery, safer to carry, that could be hooked up in an emergency.

gAreth
Freyja E35 #241 1972
 

dave_g

Member II
As a backup, I purchased the hand crank from Moyer. The motor end has two "sawtooth like" teeth. They will grab the pin on the crankshaft in one direction but will slip off in the other direction, preventing the crank from being spun buy the motor.

Unfortunatley, on my E29, the motor sits below deck level and the handle of the crank hits the deck. I can only turn the crank for 1/2 a turn before it (or my hand) would hit the deck. I have not tried to see if this is enough to start the motor. One problem is that even with a hand crank you still need 12V to power the coil and start the alternator charging.

I also carry a portable 12v power pack. It has plenty of juice to crank tio motor ( if my batteries were to fail) and it has a lot of other great uses, such as starting my car, powering a small electric trolling motor for my dinghy, reserve power for 12v lights in a storm....

Dave
 

Bud H.

Member II
I think a 12V battery pack is a must have piece of equipment on any boat with a motor. Had a ski boat years ago with a new battery in it that went dead on the beach because of a bad cell. Lucked out and found someone with jumper cables so I was able to start it again. When I bought Queenie one of the first items I bought was a 12 v battery pack because I never want to try sailing into my slip! It’s also great for blowing up floaties and helping the guy down the dock whose boat won’t start.
 

timday5

Member II
While designing my future fantasy never-fail-always-have-plenty-of-juice 12v system, I got to thinking about mechanically starting the A-4 in a pinch. Parts list and brochure shows an optional hand crank. Moyer web site has a not too helpful bulletin that says its easy. Anyone ever try it?

--Steve

Steve, here's an informative thread from the Moyer Marine A4 Forum: http://www.moyermarine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1719&highlight=hand+crank

A couple of guys there have done it. I have not - but am trying to gather the courage to do so some day. I am somewhat embarassed to be such a chicken, considering my grandfather started his farm tractor every day with a similar hand crank.

If anyone in the Pax River area of Southern MD wants to borrow mine to start their A4 and is willing to let me know how it went... let me know.
 

RayS

Member I
A4 hand crank

I bought a crank from them a couple of years ago. I have a E32. The crank was to short to clear the stair well after I took the bottom board off so I had a friend weld and extension on it. When I tried it the old engine started right up but the crank did not smoothly come out of the engine, maybe from rust in the engine hole. Anyhow it hung up for a fraction of a second then flew rapidly out of the engine. Very dangerous. The crank came out of my hand and flew out hitting the top of the cabin. I have not tried it again but will if it is the only way to get the engine started.
I had a lot of experience cranking a model A Ford years ago, so, some advice: hold the crank a lightly as you can and never wrap your thumb around the handle. Be ready to have it ripped out of your hand if something goes wrong. Broken wrists come from backfires, my engine has never done that.
Though it is a good idea to have a crank, it scared the hell out of me.
 

Mort Fligelman

Member III
A well used hand crank

Steven: I had an A/4 but never had to crank it......then I bought a boat with a 10hp Volvo gas engine,,,,do not remember the engine No......

The engine had a combination of a generator/starter......two belts on it and the electrical circut reversed the polarity of the generator when the starter switch was pushed......

It seems that every time we took the boat out and used our instruments, radio, or any other item powered by 12 volts we did not have battery to start the engine.....so the crank got plenty of use.....

We found after confering with Volvo that the generator required 2200 rpm to generate a 10 amp charge, and he engine was governed at 2100.....not that 10 amps would have been worth much.....So the soloution was to install an alternator......wew did just that.....never used thecrank again...

FWIW
 
Last edited:

Dan W

Member I
I've done this on a Volvo Diesel

Growing up our family had a 27' Albin Vega with an inboard Volvo diesel -- the boat came with a crank handle and on more than one occasion we did use it to start the engine. Granted this was 25 plus years ago but I do recall the procedure and some experience with it... in essence you decompressed the engine, got it spinning as fast as you could with the handle, and then closed the decompression valve. I have to admit the engine started pretty handily this way, which amazed me (ok - I'm easily amused).

- That handle was designed to come off when the engine started, the trick was you had to keep holding on to it which is clearly counter-intuitive. I recall once my father "tested" the ability to do this, let go of the handle and it stayed on the engine spinning around, quite scary, somehow it came off with no injury or damage that I recall.

- We modified the procedure to get the handle off first, say go, and then someone else closed the valve. The engine usually maintained enough momentum to start. Sometimes multiple efforts were required.

- Only once do I recall being out on the water and actually having to rely on this as our batteries were dead. On that occasion I was with some college age friends, I guess I was not clear in explaining the procedure, the engine was started while I was still cranking, and the handle came right of the engine, in my hand, without incident.

That's my experience. But please - please check this out carefully and procede cautiously as this could be an accident waiting to happen. In looking at the flywheel on my universal it is clearly not designed for this. The Volvo was.... be careful...
 
Top