Posted by will (65.54.98.149) on October 10, 2004 at 21:27:50:
In Reply to: water flow posted by Kim on 14:54:29 10/10/04:
Hi Kim:
The grease cup is an invention from the model t era or before. It basically does the same thing as a grease gun. Give it a little twist every now and then. Grease is cheap. This is an antique pump as it has no bearings. The shaft rides directly on the bronze housing. When it is oval replace the whole pump. Really they last a long time. If you look close you will notice a couple holes in the pump foward of the grease cup. There are 2 seals in the pump. One stops water from coming out the weep hole. A real issue in salt water. I have seen a lot of blocks, oil pans and transmissions ruined from saltwater drips. They rust out faster on the outside than the inside, I guess because of more O2. The other seal keeps the oil in the engine and if the seal is bad on that end oil will drip out the weep hole. This does not happen as often because the water is under pressure and the oil is only splash at this point.
The gear box and the reverse gear do share oil. 4 qts is the norm but it can vary depending on the angle of the engine. Mine is max at 14 or so degrees. It will hold more but part of the issue is the rear seal is under oil all the time and is more likley to leak.
Sounds like you have your act together. Oil changes are important. I would change mine tomorrow but the wife and I are going sailing, maybe Tuesday.
Don Moyer has an excellent book but it is about 50.00 and even though it has everything you need in it it is more an overhaul manual. I have one that is smaller and has more everyday issues in it. The line drawings are excellent and the wiring diagrams are great. it is 34 with shippping but if you are not a gear head you probably do not need it. With a fresh overhaul your only issue for a long time will be points and that should last you a year plus. Especially with a new alt and reg. The only upgrade I could suggest is electronic ignition. I used to fiddle with the points all the time on my old Porsche. I put electronic on it and almost never touched it again. My wife's 64 MG will get them soon and I am rebuilding my 67 landrover and it is also getting electronic. If you do go to electronic I would carry a spare coil or get the epoxy coil and keep the old one. For some reason coils are a big issue on the a-4. My opinion is they are bolted to the rear of the engine where they get more heat and vibration. The locking screw that holds the coil tight in the bracket will rust off and then the coil is bouncing on the reverse gear. I have not changed mine yet as it works, leave it alone, but I believe bulkhead mounting is a good idea.
My soup is ready, Enjoy your boat and use this resource, there are a lot of heapful people on it.
will