Overheating Atomic 4

Hello everyone, New Cal owner here- my wife and I bought a Cal 29 last year and enjoyed sailing it around Puget Sound last year. The motor has run well, but we have found that it has a tendency to overheat, so we have been keeping the revs low and it seems to be doing OK, though as I’m learning a bit more, perhaps it was still too warm (around 150, a little higher sometimes). We have done some refitting over the winter (including investing in some new sails), and are excited to get out on the water… but now we are starting to overheat almost immediately, even at idle, so something is definitely up. My wife suggested that it might be the thermostat, and that seems like a likely possibility, so I was all set to order one from Moyer Marine and swap it out when I read a little bit more about precipitates in the cooling pathway, and that they happen when the engine runs a bit warm- I’m wondering if that might not be the problem too. I read a bit about how to clean out the engine using hydrochloric acid, which seems reasonable if a bit of a challenging task, and I’ve also seen filling the engine block with vinegar and letting it sit for 24 hours (though I’m not entirely clear on how to add the vinegar). Has anyone here gone through this process, and how did it go? Any suggestions for making it easier? And should I just replace the thermostat one way or the other, or is it likely to be brought back to health by this same process? I appreciate any advice anyone here has to give about this. Thanks! David S/V Kestrel Poulsbo, WA

What Joe said. Sounds like something changed since last year. Also, how do you know it’s overheating? Gauge reading, steam, alarm? What kind of engine (from your reference to Moyer, I assume it is an Atomic 4)? Fresh or raw water cooled? I’ve read that Moyer says the normal operating temperature for a raw-water cooled engine is 150-170; a fresh-water cooled engine could run considerably higher. What is the rating for the thermostat that is in the engine? Harleigh From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Sent: Monday, June 18, 2018 1:35 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [Cal_Boats] Overheating Atomic 4 Hello everyone, New Cal owner here- my wife and I bought a Cal 29 last year and enjoyed sailing it around Puget Sound last year. The motor has run well, but we have found that it has a tendency to overheat, so we have been keeping the revs low and it seems to be doing OK, though as I’m learning a bit more, perhaps it was still too warm (around 150, a little higher sometimes). We have done some refitting over the winter (including investing in some new sails), and are excited to get out on the water… but now we are starting to overheat almost immediately, even at idle, so something is definitely up. My wife suggested that it might be the thermostat, and that seems like a likely possibility, so I was all set to order one from Moyer Marine and swap it out when I read a little bit more about precipitates in the cooling pathway, and that they happen when the engine runs a bit warm- I’m wondering if that might not be the problem too. I read a bit about how to clean out the engine using hydrochloric acid, which seems reasonable if a bit of a challenging task, and I’ve also seen filling the engine block with vinegar and letting it sit for 24 hours (though I’m not entirely clear on how to add the vinegar). Has anyone here gone through this process, and how did it go? Any suggestions for making it easier? And should I just replace the thermostat one way or the other, or is it likely to be brought back to health by this same process? I appreciate any advice anyone here has to give about this. Thanks! David S/V Kestrel Poulsbo, WA

What Joe said. Sounds like something changed since last year. Also, how do you know it’s overheating? Gauge reading, steam, alarm? What kind of engine (from your reference to Moyer, I assume it is an Atomic 4)? Fresh or raw water cooled? I’ve read that Moyer says the normal operating temperature for a raw-water cooled engine is 150-170; a fresh-water cooled engine could run considerably higher. What is the rating for the thermostat that is in the engine? Harleigh From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Sent: Monday, June 18, 2018 1:35 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [Cal_Boats] Overheating Atomic 4 Hello everyone, New Cal owner here- my wife and I bought a Cal 29 last year and enjoyed sailing it around Puget Sound last year. The motor has run well, but we have found that it has a tendency to overheat, so we have been keeping the revs low and it seems to be doing OK, though as I’m learning a bit more, perhaps it was still too warm (around 150, a little higher sometimes). We have done some refitting over the winter (including investing in some new sails), and are excited to get out on the water… but now we are starting to overheat almost immediately, even at idle, so something is definitely up. My wife suggested that it might be the thermostat, and that seems like a likely possibility, so I was all set to order one from Moyer Marine and swap it out when I read a little bit more about precipitates in the cooling pathway, and that they happen when the engine runs a bit warm- I’m wondering if that might not be the problem too. I read a bit about how to clean out the engine using hydrochloric acid, which seems reasonable if a bit of a challenging task, and I’ve also seen filling the engine block with vinegar and letting it sit for 24 hours (though I’m not entirely clear on how to add the vinegar). Has anyone here gone through this process, and how did it go? Any suggestions for making it easier? And should I just replace the thermostat one way or the other, or is it likely to be brought back to health by this same process? I appreciate any advice anyone here has to give about this. Thanks! David S/V Kestrel Poulsbo, WA

As I recall from my friend with one of these engines, there is something about the thermostat and some bypass that can cause problems. I will email him and see if he can shed some light on this. On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 11:29 AM, 'Harleigh Ewell' ha… [at] gmail.com [Cal_Boats] <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> wrote: > > > What Joe said. Sounds like something changed since last year. Also, how > do you know it’s overheating? Gauge reading, steam, alarm? What kind of > engine (from your reference to Moyer, I assume it is an Atomic 4)? Fresh > or raw water cooled? I’ve read that Moyer says the normal operating > temperature for a raw-water cooled engine is 150-170; a fresh-water cooled > engine could run considerably higher. What is the rating for the > thermostat that is in the engine? > > Harleigh > > > > *From:* Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> > *Sent:* Monday, June 18, *2018* 1:35 PM > *To:* Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > *Subject:* [Cal_Boats] Overheating Atomic 4 > > > > > > Hello everyone, > > New Cal owner here- my wife and I bought a Cal 29 last year and enjoyed > sailing it around Puget Sound last year. The motor has run well, but we > have found that it has a tendency to overheat, so we have been keeping the > revs low and it seems to be doing OK, though as I’m learning a bit more, > perhaps it was still too warm (around 150, a little higher sometimes). We > have done some refitting over the winter (including investing in some new > sails), and are excited to get out on the water… but now we are starting to > overheat almost immediately, even at idle, so something is definitely up. > My wife suggested that it might be the thermostat, and that seems like a > likely possibility, so I was all set to order one from Moyer Marine and > swap it out when I read a little bit more about precipitates in the cooling > pathway, and that they happen when the engine runs a bit warm- I’m > wondering if that might not be the problem too. I read a bit about how to > clean out the engine using hydrochloric acid, which seems reasonable if a > bit of a challenging task, and I’ve also seen filling the engine block with > vinegar and letting it sit for 24 hours (though I’m not entirely clear on > how to add the vinegar). Has anyone here gone through this process, and > how did it go? Any suggestions for making it easier? And should I just > replace the thermostat one way or the other, or is it likely to be brought > back to health by this same process? > > I appreciate any advice anyone here has to give about this. > > Thanks! > > David > S/V Kestrel > Poulsbo, WA > > > > >

Hi David,If you go to the Moyer Marine website, there's a vast information base you can investigate. Try Googling something like: Moyer Marine Atomic 4 overheating and see what pops up. Gosh, I had enuff trubble getting me Johnson Sailmaster 4 Seahorses woyking! It had a case of sludged-up-cooling- systemitis which I cured by drowning the patient for three hours in Vinegar....literally water boarding the poor motor!! In any case I got her fixed and she runs better than ever before [i got her as her 3rd owner...or more]. Hmmm. Maybe your motor is suffering from "Congestive Waterway Failure", too, heh hehe heheh.Jerry of Shpritz, ye olde Cal 24-1, the OG Cal. On Monday, June 18, 2018, 11:54:07 AM PDT, 'Harleigh Ewell' ha… [at] gmail.com [Cal_Boats] <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> wrote: What Joe said. Sounds like something changed since last year. Also, how do you know it’s overheating? Gauge reading, steam, alarm? What kind of engine (from your reference to Moyer, I assume it is an Atomic 4)? Fresh or raw water cooled? I’ve read that Moyer says the normal operating temperature for a raw-water cooled engine is 150-170; a fresh-water cooled engine could run considerably higher. What is the rating for the thermostat that is in the engine? Harleigh From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Sent: Monday, June 18, 2018 1:35 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [Cal_Boats] Overheating Atomic 4 Hello everyone, New Cal owner here- my wife and I bought a Cal 29 last year and enjoyed sailing it around Puget Sound last year. The motor has run well, but we have found that it has a tendency to overheat, so we have been keeping the revs low and it seems to be doing OK, though as I’m learning a bit more, perhaps it was still too warm (around 150, a little higher sometimes). We have done some refitting over the winter (including investing in some new sails), and are excited to get out on the water… but now we are starting to overheat almost immediately, even at idle, so something is definitely up. My wife suggested that it might be the thermostat, and that seems like a likely possibility, so I was all set to order one from Moyer Marine and swap it out when I read a little bit more about precipitates in the cooling pathway, and that they happen when the engine runs a bit warm- I’m wondering if that might not be the problem too. I read a bit about how to clean out the engine using hydrochloric acid, which seems reasonable if a bit of a challenging task, and I’ve also seen filling the engine block with vinegar and letting it sit for 24 hours (though I’m not entirely clear on how to add the vinegar). Has anyone here gone through this process, and how did it go? Any suggestions for making it easier? And should I just replace the thermostat one way or the other, or is it likely to be brought back to health by this same process? I appreciate any advice anyone here has to give about this. Thanks! David S/V Kestrel Poulsbo, WA

I got this reply from my friend who solved an overheating problem on his Atomic 4. We are in SF Bay so the water never gets very cold. If this were my boat, I would take the inlet hose and put it in a bucket of water with the thermostat removed and see if the flow rate is in spec for the pump. Then either replace the thermostat with a new one, or leave it out. My Gray Marine does not have a thermostat. Allen Important to note that I have raw water cooling. Given that and the typical range of weather that we have here, my fix was to remove the thermostat. Engine runs cool, below the most desirable temp. But it runs fine. Replacing the thermostat would have been a slightly better fix, but more expensive and prone to future failures. Hope this is helpful. On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 12:16 PM, Gerald Sobel so… [at] yahoo.com [Cal_Boats] <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> wrote: > > > Hi David, > If you go to the Moyer Marine website, there's a vast information base you > can investigate. Try Googling something like: Moyer Marine Atomic 4 > overheating and see what pops up. > > Gosh, I had enuff trubble getting me Johnson Sailmaster 4 Seahorses > woyking! It had a case of sludged-up-cooling- systemitis which I cured by > drowning the patient for three hours in Vinegar....literally water boarding > the poor motor!! In any case I got her fixed and she runs better than ever > before [i got her as her 3rd owner...or more]. Hmmm. Maybe your motor is > suffering from "Congestive Waterway Failure", too, heh hehe heheh. > Jerry of Shpritz, ye olde Cal 24-1, the OG Cal. > > On Monday, June 18, 2018, 11:54:07 AM PDT, 'Harleigh Ewell' > ha… [at] gmail.com [Cal_Boats] <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> wrote: > > > > > What Joe said. Sounds like something changed since last year. Also, how > do you know it’s overheating? Gauge reading, steam, alarm? What kind of > engine (from your reference to Moyer, I assume it is an Atomic 4)? Fresh > or raw water cooled? I’ve read that Moyer says the normal operating > temperature for a raw-water cooled engine is 150-170; a fresh-water cooled > engine could run considerably higher. What is the rating for the > thermostat that is in the engine? > > Harleigh > > > > *From:* Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> > *Sent:* Monday, June 18, *2018* 1:35 PM > *To:* Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > *Subject:* [Cal_Boats] Overheating Atomic 4 > > > > > > Hello everyone, > > New Cal owner here- my wife and I bought a Cal 29 last year and enjoyed > sailing it around Puget Sound last year. The motor has run well, but we > have found that it has a tendency to overheat, so we have been keeping the > revs low and it seems to be doing OK, though as I’m learning a bit more, > perhaps it was still too warm (around 150, a little higher sometimes). We > have done some refitting over the winter (including investing in some new > sails), and are excited to get out on the water… but now we are starting to > overheat almost immediately, even at idle, so something is definitely up. > My wife suggested that it might be the thermostat, and that seems like a > likely possibility, so I was all set to order one from Moyer Marine and > swap it out when I read a little bit more about precipitates in the cooling > pathway, and that they happen when the engine runs a bit warm- I’m > wondering if that might not be the problem too. I read a bit about how to > clean out the engine using hydrochloric acid, which seems reasonable if a > bit of a challenging task, and I’ve also seen filling the engine block with > vinegar and letting it sit for 24 hours (though I’m not entirely clear on > how to add the vinegar). Has anyone here gone through this process, and > how did it go? Any suggestions for making it easier? And should I just > replace the thermostat one way or the other, or is it likely to be brought > back to health by this same process? > > I appreciate any advice anyone here has to give about this. > > Thanks! > > David > S/V Kestrel > Poulsbo, WA > > > > >

David,Since something changed from last year I would remove the cover for the impeller, and remove the impeller, easy with a pair of needle nose pliers and see if all the vanes are intact. I had your problem a few years ago, and the missing vane turned up in the outlet port of the pump. Installed spare impeller and we were good, no more overheating. I actually have my spare mounted on a spare shaft, it's just R&R, no fumbling with the snap ring that holds the impeller on the shaft. That's better done on land.David Cal29 411, Chicago. On Monday, June 18, 2018, 3:08:48 PM CDT, Allen Edwards al… [at] gmail.com [Cal_Boats] <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> wrote: As I recall from my friend with one of these engines, there is something about the thermostat and some bypass that can cause problems. I will email him and see if he can shed some light on this. On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 11:29 AM, 'Harleigh Ewell' ha… [at] gmail.com [Cal_Boats] <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> wrote: What Joe said. Sounds like something changed since last year. Also, how do you know it’s overheating? Gauge reading, steam, alarm? What kind of engine (from your reference to Moyer, I assume it is an Atomic 4)? Fresh or raw water cooled? I’ve read that Moyer says the normal operating temperature for a raw-water cooled engine is 150-170; a fresh-water cooled engine could run considerably higher. What is the rating for the thermostat that is in the engine? Harleigh From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Sent: Monday, June 18, 2018 1:35 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [Cal_Boats] Overheating Atomic 4 Hello everyone, New Cal owner here- my wife and I bought a Cal 29 last year and enjoyed sailing it around Puget Sound last year. The motor has run well, but we have found that it has a tendency to overheat, so we have been keeping the revs low and it seems to be doing OK, though as I’m learning a bit more, perhaps it was still too warm (around 150, a little higher sometimes). We have done some refitting over the winter (including investing in some new sails), and are excited to get out on the water… but now we are starting to overheat almost immediately, even at idle, so something is definitely up. My wife suggested that it might be the thermostat, and that seems like a likely possibility, so I was all set to order one from Moyer Marine and swap it out when I read a little bit more about precipitates in the cooling pathway, and that they happen when the engine runs a bit warm- I’m wondering if that might not be the problem too. I read a bit about how to clean out the engine using hydrochloric acid, which seems reasonable if a bit of a challenging task, and I’ve also seen filling the engine block with vinegar and letting it sit for 24 hours (though I’m not entirely clear on how to add the vinegar). Has anyone here gone through this process, and how did it go? Any suggestions for making it easier? And should I just replace the thermostat one way or the other, or is it likely to be brought back to health by this same process? I appreciate any advice anyone here has to give about this. Thanks! David S/V Kestrel Poulsbo, WA

Step one, Replace the water pump impeller. If it it missing vanes then dig them out off the exchanger. *´¨) ¸.· ´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·**¨) (¸.·´ (¸.·' ( ......….-_/) Timm Lessley On Jun 18, 2018, at 10:34 AM, ya… [at] balrog.org [Cal_Boats] <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> wrote: Hello everyone, New Cal owner here- my wife and I bought a Cal 29 last year and enjoyed sailing it around Puget Sound last year. The motor has run well, but we have found that it has a tendency to overheat, so we have been keeping the revs low and it seems to be doing OK, though as I’m learning a bit more, perhaps it was still too warm (around 150, a little higher sometimes). We have done some refitting over the winter (including investing in some new sails), and are excited to get out on the water… but now we are starting to overheat almost immediately, even at idle, so something is definitely up. My wife suggested that it might be the thermostat, and that seems like a likely possibility, so I was all set to order one from Moyer Marine and swap it out when I read a little bit more about precipitates in the cooling pathway, and that they happen when the engine runs a bit warm- I’m wondering if that might not be the problem too. I read a bit about how to clean out the engine using hydrochloric acid, which seems reasonable if a bit of a challenging task, and I’ve also seen filling the engine block with vinegar and letting it sit for 24 hours (though I’m not entirely clear on how to add the vinegar). Has anyone here gone through this process, and how did it go? Any suggestions for making it easier? And should I just replace the thermostat one way or the other, or is it likely to be brought back to health by this same process? I appreciate any advice anyone here has to give about this. Thanks! David S/V Kestrel Poulsbo, WA

Jerry, now that sports gambling has been decriminalized (sailing included, I assume), can you set odds on whether Shpritz’ mainsail or engine will die first? I can handle the book on it if any listees or listettes are interested in a wager. Cheers Charlie Annapolis Cal 25 From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] Sent: Monday, June 18, 2018 3:16 PM To: 'Harleigh Ewell' ha… [at] gmail.com [Cal_Boats] <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Subject: Re: RE: [Cal_Boats] Overheating Atomic 4 Hi David, If you go to the Moyer Marine website, there's a vast information base you can investigate. Try Googling something like: Moyer Marine Atomic 4 overheating and see what pops up. Gosh, I had enuff trubble getting me Johnson Sailmaster 4 Seahorses woyking! It had a case of sludged-up-cooling- systemitis which I cured by drowning the patient for three hours in Vinegar....literally water boarding the poor motor!! In any case I got her fixed and she runs better than ever before [i got her as her 3rd owner...or more]. Hmmm. Maybe your motor is suffering from "Congestive Waterway Failure", too, heh hehe heheh. Jerry of Shpritz, ye olde Cal 24-1, the OG Cal. On Monday, June 18, 2018, 11:54:07 AM PDT, 'Harleigh Ewell' ha… [at] gmail.com <mailto:ha… [at] gmail.com> [Cal_Boats] <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> > wrote: What Joe said. Sounds like something changed since last year. Also, how do you know it’s overheating? Gauge reading, steam, alarm? What kind of engine (from your reference to Moyer, I assume it is an Atomic 4)? Fresh or raw water cooled? I’ve read that Moyer says the normal operating temperature for a raw-water cooled engine is 150-170; a fresh-water cooled engine could run considerably higher. What is the rating for the thermostat that is in the engine? Harleigh From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> > Sent: Monday, June 18, 2018 1:35 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Subject: [Cal_Boats] Overheating Atomic 4 Hello everyone, New Cal owner here- my wife and I bought a Cal 29 last year and enjoyed sailing it around Puget Sound last year. The motor has run well, but we have found that it has a tendency to overheat, so we have been keeping the revs low and it seems to be doing OK, though as I’m learning a bit more, perhaps it was still too warm (around 150, a little higher sometimes). We have done some refitting over the winter (including investing in some new sails), and are excited to get out on the water… but now we are starting to overheat almost immediately, even at idle, so something is definitely up. My wife suggested that it might be the thermostat, and that seems like a likely possibility, so I was all set to order one from Moyer Marine and swap it out when I read a little bit more about precipitates in the cooling pathway, and that they happen when the engine runs a bit warm- I’m wondering if that might not be the problem too. I read a bit about how to clean out the engine using hydrochloric acid, which seems reasonable if a bit of a challenging task, and I’ve also seen filling the engine block with vinegar and letting it sit for 24 hours (though I’m not entirely clear on how to add the vinegar). Has anyone here gone through this process, and how did it go? Any suggestions for making it easier? And should I just replace the thermostat one way or the other, or is it likely to be brought back to health by this same process? I appreciate any advice anyone here has to give about this. Thanks! David S/V Kestrel Poulsbo, WA

0) do you have water coming out of the exhaust? 1) check your raw water intakes - plastic bags, seaweed, jellyfish, etc.? Do you have a raw water filter? I would recommend one of these. 2) replace the impeller if you have not done this for a while. 3) You might look at salt-away available from Fisheries. There are kits you can install to make this easier. 4) you can test your thermostat in hot water and a thermometer. An IR temperature gun is useful to shoot along the places you expect high/low temps. The harbor freight one seems to work fine for this. Are you raw or coolant cooled? cheers, peter Peter S. Ford pe… [at] hotmail.com From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> on behalf of 'Timm@Danish' ti… [at] danishmarineco.com [Cal_Boats] <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Sent: Monday, June 18, 2018 7:17 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com; ya… [at] balrog.org Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Overheating Atomic 4 Step one, Replace the water pump impeller. If it it missing vanes then dig them out off the exchanger. *´¨) ¸.· ´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·**¨) (¸.·´ (¸.·' ( ......….-_/) Timm Lessley On Jun 18, 2018, at 10:34 AM, ya… [at] balrog.org<mailto:ya… [at] balrog.org> [Cal_Boats] <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com<mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com>> wrote: Hello everyone, New Cal owner here- my wife and I bought a Cal 29 last year and enjoyed sailing it around Puget Sound last year. The motor has run well, but we have found that it has a tendency to overheat, so we have been keeping the revs low and it seems to be doing OK, though as I’m learning a bit more, perhaps it was still too warm (around 150, a little higher sometimes). We have done some refitting over the winter (including investing in some new sails), and are excited to get out on the water… but now we are starting to overheat almost immediately, even at idle, so something is definitely up. My wife suggested that it might be the thermostat, and that seems like a likely possibility, so I was all set to order one from Moyer Marine and swap it out when I read a little bit more about precipitates in the cooling pathway, and that they happen when the engine runs a bit warm- I’m wondering if that might not be the problem too. I read a bit about how to clean out the engine using hydrochloric acid, which seems reasonable if a bit of a challenging task, and I’ve also seen filling the engine block with vinegar and letting it sit for 24 hours (though I’m not entirely clear on how to add the vinegar). Has anyone here gone through this process, and how did it go? Any suggestions for making it easier? And should I just replace the thermostat one way or the other, or is it likely to be brought back to health by this same process? I appreciate any advice anyone here has to give about this. Thanks! David S/V Kestrel Poulsbo, WA

Charlie, we'll all die of old age before my mains'l or OB dies. On the other hand, how much do you want to bet my first mate, while disembarking from my boat on to the dock, which are both at the same level, hundreds of times without a problem, should fall and break his femur with a catastrophic, overlapping distal spiral fracture when he falls, bounces off the edge of the dock, and goes kah-thunk-plop-kersplash into the water while sailing into the dock at a fraction of a knot? He did get a ride in the ambulance to Cedar-Sinai Hospital, all of three blocks from our dock. He's had surgery which went well, plate, screws, and was discharged Saturday. I was tied up finishing a solar repair by myself, got to the hospital ten minutes after shift change, and he tells me he made it three steps from the bed, turned, then fell on the floor. Apparently, he told the staff I had a wheelchair, walker, and crutches at home, which I don't (post-op delerium). So I shoe horned him into the front of my work van (he has to keep his left leg straight), took him to the VA Hospital, and they admitted him (Phew! Thank goodness for our dumb wars!) where he is resting peacefully and getting care.Take away: Sailing is a potentially DANGEROUS sport/past time and one should exercise extreme care at all times, especially us old geezers and geezers to be, meaning, all the rest of us. Ironically, we had a great race, caught and beat the winning boat, took second on time, and were joking about the need to get docked before the previous week's winner's boat crossed the finish line (12 minutes behind us) and focusing on the 1# BBQ steaks that we were going to stuff ourselves with at the Pacific Mariner's Y.C. up until the moment disaster struck. It wasn't meant to be. AAaarghh! Jerry of Shpritz. On Monday, June 18, 2018, 7:18:07 PM PDT, Charlie Husar <hu… [at] gmail.com> wrote: Cheers Charlie Annapolis Cal 25 From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] Sent: Monday, June 18, 2018 3:16 PM To: 'Harleigh Ewell' ha… [at] gmail.com [Cal_Boats] <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Subject: Re: RE: [Cal_Boats] Overheating Atomic 4 Hi David, If you go to the Moyer Marine website, there's a vast information base you can investigate. Try Googling something like: Moyer Marine Atomic 4 overheating and see what pops up. Gosh, I had enuff trubble getting me Johnson Sailmaster 4 Seahorses woyking! It had a case of sludged-up-cooling- systemitis which I cured by drowning the patient for three hours in Vinegar....literally water boarding the poor motor!! In any case I got her fixed and she runs better than ever before [i got her as her 3rd owner...or more]. Hmmm. Maybe your motor is suffering from "Congestive Waterway Failure", too, heh hehe heheh. Jerry of Shpritz, ye olde Cal 24-1, the OG Cal. On Monday, June 18, 2018, 11:54:07 AM PDT, 'Harleigh Ewell' ha… [at] gmail.com [Cal_Boats] <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> wrote: What Joe said. Sounds like something changed since last year. Also, how do you know it’s overheating? Gauge reading, steam, alarm? What kind of engine (from your reference to Moyer, I assume it is an Atomic 4)? Fresh or raw water cooled? I’ve read that Moyer says the normal operating temperature for a raw-water cooled engine is 150-170; a fresh-water cooled engine could run considerably higher. What is the rating for the thermostat that is in the engine? Harleigh From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Sent: Monday, June 18, 2018 1:35 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [Cal_Boats] Overheating Atomic 4 Hello everyone, New Cal owner here- my wife and I bought a Cal 29 last year and enjoyed sailing it around Puget Sound last year. The motor has run well, but we have found that it has a tendency to overheat, so we have been keeping the revs low and it seems to be doing OK, though as I’m learning a bit more, perhaps it was still too warm (around 150, a little higher sometimes). We have done some refitting over the winter (including investing in some new sails), and are excited to get out on the water… but now we are starting to overheat almost immediately, even at idle, so something is definitely up. My wife suggested that it might be the thermostat, and that seems like a likely possibility, so I was all set to order one from Moyer Marine and swap it out when I read a little bit more about precipitates in the cooling pathway, and that they happen when the engine runs a bit warm- I’m wondering if that might not be the problem too. I read a bit about how to clean out the engine using hydrochloric acid, which seems reasonable if a bit of a challenging task, and I’ve also seen filling the engine block with vinegar and letting it sit for 24 hours (though I’m not entirely clear on how to add the vinegar). Has anyone here gone through this process, and how did it go? Any suggestions for making it easier? And should I just replace the thermostat one way or the other, or is it likely to be brought back to health by this same process? I appreciate any advice anyone here has to give about this. Thanks! David S/V Kestrel Poulsbo, WA