crap... you gotta be kiddin' me...
212rowboat
Member Posts: 2,593 ✭✭✭✭✭
I ought not to even admit this, but it may help others....
So... I'm about to give my engine a full tune, and I'm considering a timing chain and water pump... part of this is a dizzy cap and rotor button, wires, ect... and, I thought I'd check the timing... I have a timing light, but I think Hoffa or Bigfoot made off with it sometime over the last ten or fifteen years, because I can't find it... I'll borrow one, even though I/m dead set against borrowing things... anyway, there is a 'special' procedure for observing and setting timing, I figured I'd look into that...
turns out you ground out tower 6 to set base timing... not a big deal... you simply ground the wire before turning the key on to tell the thunderbolt to set 0 and hold it... wait!! there's more!! Merc, in their infinite wisdom, provided a length of wire in a loom along with a plug (and matching receptacle plug) to provide the ground!! very cool, huh?
well... I figured out why my engine lacks the.... fortitude?... I expected from it.. I mean, it runs okay, but it should be more than capable @ either 190 or 205hp to push that little 212 around pretty good...
the plug has been grounded for the entire time I've owned this rig... it was like that when I purchased it, and it never occurred to me to question what that was all about... I figured it had something to do with the thunderbolt knock sensors, but nope... I've been pushing a solid (non-advancing) 0*btdc timing on this rig, throughout the RPM range, for around 200hours. dang it...
problem solved... tune will be done this eve... timing is everything, by the way and pun intended- simply advancing 10~20* in the camshafts power band will be the difference in as many as 20 ponies... and a smoother engine burning a better air-to-fuel...
I can't wait to see how it does with new life breathed into it.
Comments
!! Enjoy your "new" engine!
Right?
DA - If you thought that V6 was smooth before!!!!! BTW IMO - Real men tell it all to help others. Nicely done! MT
Steve, not sure we have it solved yet, don't want to pass on incorrect information. MT
I hear you....Until I pulled the motor out myself just last weekend, my engine/outdrive alignment had been off by nearly an inch in the fwd adjuster height. A few thread heights is way off, an inch is infuriating. Two mechanics were paid to set/adjust it on two occasions but obviously hadn't touched it.
I had it perfect after 30mins.....and one $500 coupler.
Makes you want strangle somebody. Just sayin. Mike
Which is why I do it myself, Mike... It's a sorry state of affairs... He!!, I'm even thinking of setting up a mobile maintenance service, and dump my day job... Seriously, I know enough people and people who know people to make it work, and all because they know I'll do it right.
Sad you can't get the quality service you expect for the money. No doubt why Al has the good business he does.
PC BYC, Holland, MI
Boat Name: King Kong
"Boat + Water = Fun"
Back on point, ol girl got a full tune finished last night except for fuel filter... Doing that in few minutes... Timing advanced at crank 3*, timing at dizzy 10*, brand new merc carb, plugs, wires, cap and rotor button, timing chain and sprocket... fellas, if I do that timing chain again, the engine is coming out.. that was a royal pita... Needed, though, it was sloppy.
It took me over an hour to get old rotor off.. it didn't wanna budge... the points in the dizzy cap were atrocious.. the plugs? Don't know how they were firing the gap was so wide, and the ground electrode had a nice little button of carbon build up on it... Other than that, plugs looked fine as far as color and condition, but cylinders 1 and 6 were a lil dark, likely being fed most the a:f..
The carb has never been cleaned.. I can tell you this because the mating surface was gasketless, as done from the factory... Previous owner may have sprayed it before, but it had never been removed and properly cleaned before... Old one is soaking, will get rebuilt and eBay'd...
Isn't there supposed to be a nice rubber bushing under the engine mounts? Mine (on both sides) have joined Hoffa... There isn't a way to replace those without disconnecting the engine and getting an alignment, is there?
Drew, if the mounts are shot I bet your alignment is off too. You could probably replace without an engine pull if you can get to them. Then realigning afterwards. Of course then you need to look at the coupler. Outdrive/engine itis around her!
PC BYC, Holland, MI
Alighnment is actually very simple if you can safely pull the drive AND the mounts arent rusted up. I got the tool on eBay for $30shipped.
I found my mounts in the original setting they were shipped from Mercury to Rinker (fully retracted/engine frt down) and they'd NEVER been set/aligned, simply lagged down and the OD bolted on.
Mine needed about a full inch of rise but I didnt know it until it had already chowed a $600 coupler which requires an engine pull. $1500-2k if you dont have a shop of your own. Worst case it eats a drive too. Thats just too depressing to think about.
Absolutly check your drive alighment. It's just too easy considering the consequence$$ of neglecting it.
If you cant do an alignment yourself, absolutely insist on seeing (with your own eyes) that the alighnment tool can be easily inserted and withdrawn with two fingers in every quarter rotation of the crankshaft. No use of a hammer to "soften the coupler" or drive the tool into place is acceptable and is complete B.S...
Mike
Tiki - how did you manually rotate the crank?
PC BYC, Holland, MI
Ratchet/socket turning slooowly on the crank pulley nut while my kid would insert/extract the alignment tool. If it goes in too tight I'd hoist the frt of the engine a bit more until it was smoother. Then adjust the frt mounts down to a snug spot, let off the hoist tension and check again. Rotate the crank 90* and repeat.
A piece of tape on the pully helps with orientation.
Soak the adjusters with penetrating oil for a few days to ease any rust.Seriously, Its so simple that you want to smack a mech who wont take the few mins it requires.
Pull the coil wire, and use a cheater bar.. if you want it easy peesy, pull the plugs.. :-)
You'll want to smack him with the alignment bar he never uses!
Get an alignment bar off ebay as previously mentioned if you don't have access to a lathe.
Mark
2019 MTX20 Extreme
Owning the bar is great. Hiring a guy who owns one AND takes a few mins to get it right is the challenge. One crack on the noggin with that 25lb alighnment bar should do it.