Posted by John (216.249.80.201) on October 11, 2004 at 22:05:48:
In Reply to: Thanks! posted by Kim on 00:13:36 10/09/04:
Electric fuel pumps seem to be very reliable. You rarely hear of them failing in cars. The one on my A-4 was installed by the previous owner quite a few years ago, I don't know exactly how long. It failed a few years after I got the boat and the replacement has been no problem for the last couple of years. Whether you should carry a spare may depend more on how far away from port you will be going. After all a sail boat can always sail. I keep a spare fuel filter and spare spark plugs. The original owner tended to keep parts he replaced as spares, like coil and ignition parts, spark plug wires, etc. By the time I got the boat some of those had rusted beyond help. So far I have only needed to use the plugs. By the way, you can avoid having to worry about points and condenser by converting to a more modern electronic ignition system. I put in one from Indigo Electronics (he is an A-4 owner who has a side business selling some interesting kits for upgrading the engine), check it out at www.atomic4.com.