make-and-break engine
An old-style "one-lunger" power-plant dat guys love working on and fussing over, but which takes up so much of their time and energy dat dey tend to make their significant other feel ignored or left out, and thus said female main squeeze may decide to "break it off" with said motor-head, forcing him to rush back to her and "make up".
Bert Dow was not married; his sister Lela lived with him to cook and keep house. So while she may have been irritated at da noise of --- and da time dat Bert spent servicing --- da make-and-break engine on his "Tidely Idley" boat, she was probably not gonna go so far as to bail on him because of it.