Jonathan W. wrote:
Thomas Wentworth wrote:

A friend has offered me his old Pearson sailboat. It is in good
shape. But, it needs a new engine. It has the original Atomic 4 gas.

What diesel engine would be the best replacement? How much do the
diesels cost? How much work is it the replace an old Atomic 4 in a
1968 year sailboat? When replacing the engine, does the shaft, fuel
tank etc also get replaced?

Any other info???


Thanks,,, Tom

People who have actually done the replacements generally report expenses
of 10-15 thousand dollars. Non of the engines on the market just "drop
in" as they would like you to believe.

On the other hand, a rebuilt as good as new Atomic 4 engine, which has
served the boat well already for some 30 odd years, can usually be had
for just under 5K, and they are usually quieter than diesels to begin with.

Look at www.moyermarine.com, or the list servers at SailNet.com or
Sailjazz.com (there was a very active A-4 owners group, but where it
settled *exactly* I haven't yet focused on).

Simply running some solvents through the cooling system and installing
an electronic ignition, both of which can be done for less than $150.00
can make the engine run like new.

Check it out before you burn a lot of money unnecessarily.

Jonathan

What solvents are best for this and how should this procedure be carried
out ?

Is better cooling the sole consequence ?

Thank you,
Courtney