Options
engine alignment
rasbury
Member Posts: 8,242 ✭✭✭✭✭
This is a bit of a mystery to me. When I did my gimbal bearing along with bellows and such. I could not get the outdrive back on. So my buddy comes over and say you have to align the bearing a bit. So, with the merc tool, worked it a bit, used a rubber mallet a bit and worked the tool into the coupler. So after putting my mother back in at the end of the day I grabbed the tool and pushed it in- turned it a bit but got it in without a lot of trouble...I'm going to grease it am so I can see the spline impression on the tool- what is an acceptable range of inserting tho tool?
Comments
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
Here is a trick I've learned, though:
Place the rod through the gimbal and into the coupler as far as you can without force... Then adjust the engine for a ballpark by watching the extended rod pointing up or down... That slight misalignment is exaggerated at the end of the rod. You obviously want it to follow the precise plane of the coupler/gimbal relationship... When its close, the rod will want to slide right out of its own volition. Just slip it back in, this time a little bit deeper, and do it again. When it bottoms out you should be able to extract it with minimal effort and reinsert it with same....
Its been my experience this trick ^ saves likely 40% of the time involved in this job, and by yourself that time is measured in hours.
turning the alignment tool only shows the error in the alignment tool itself lol not the actual engine alignment
Get it to slip in
First, I think about the fact that this alignment is minute adjustments to get it right as 212 states. I understand how how important the alignment it is- however, everything around the gimbal bearing and the coupler is anything but exact. So, you have a motor bolted down- everything boils down to the relationship between the transom and them motor. No way that transom is perfectly parallel and to that coupler. So, in comes the motor mount adjustment. I would point out at this time, when the motor came out, there is a spring washer that is supposed to be on each bolt for the rear mounts that were apparently not there. They would probably fall off and go to the bottom of the bilge when you pull the bolts out but after cleaning up, did not find them. I noticed going through the parts assembly they are required. Did not think much about it at the time, but, I'm sure they are needed to allow the motor to adjust- if they were not there the motor would be tied down tight against the motor mount and could not "flex" a little. So, all of that makes sense to me, except, you have the same issues with side to side with no ability to adjust? You put the rear motor mounts together, you can adjust the angle up and down with the front motor mounts. The motor can move side to side and if it can move up and down then it must also be able to move some side to side? And, what if the bearing is not 100% flat to the gimbal, maybe .010 would throw the hole thing out?
At one point I had a good pattern all the way around and I could slip it in easily but I'm looking for the sliding it in with no resistance correct? It does not feel it is starting through the gimbal bearing with "no resistance" so am I trying for something I can't get? I would say I could get it out with one hand with a little push and a little pull!
My serial numbers are: Engine: OW038097, outdrive is OW251759 and the transom is OW139887. If you can verify that for me I'd sure appreciate it...what happens if you mix them, I would think those spring mount would aid in adjusting the front engine mounts, taking pressure off the transom plate? Also, as mentioned above, the tool does not seem to want to go through the gimbal bearing "with two fingers", I had it where I thought it was pretty close with little effort but shooting for perfection here...at 60, I'm not sure I can go through this again in a couple of years if I do it wrong!!!!!
Jus sayin my 2 cents.
what about those spring washers? For my serial number, the parts list said they should be there....the more I think about it the less I understand what they would do....the engine mounts go between upper and lower mounts on the transom plate, can it move up and down at all?? I had mine aligned that good 3 hours ago....I'll go home and see if I can get it back to that...could have fired it up yesterday! Oh well, sure want to take the time to make sure it is right...thanks all. And @mattie you will be waiting to get yours back in the water- they will be busy getting everyone else in the water...why don't you have them do it now?? Also @reneechris14 have you pulled the motor up like this guy did??
And this is still not the one for my boat, I down loaded the wrong one!
I was looking at part 7 and saw the rubber split type washer.....wo WTF, looks like there are 3 different possibilities for # 7 on this list? This is the right page for my serial number!
I am going to remove the spring lock washer, review the parts I have and probably put it back together and move on .
I've lifted and dropped several engines, and a few had those half-valve-spring looking lock washers, and others didn't... the recess on the transom plate 'appeared' the same to me in either case, and all these got 'new' fasteners on re-install...
the 'new' ones have that thick fabric backed nylon pad that fits in, and my 'assumption' (uh-oh) was that it served the same purpose as the valve-spring-looking lock washer, and by allowing just a touch of wiggle when required...
I've gotta go back and re-evaluate this, now... I've yet to have an issue- but..... dang it!!!
now on the topic of misalignment and/or seized gimble bearings: when i lost the gimble altogether (seized) it shut the engine down hard- speaking with precision, it "stalled" it... the 'braking' power of the gimble was enough to overcome the available torque of the engine, so it stopped the engine cold. This happened on plane and nearing WOT as i was trimming up- the gimble couldn't handle the angle, but i could leave the leg deep (trimmed down) and it would run just fine... point is, this will be your warning and your only warning prior to a gimble and/or coupler failure.... the engine was properly aligned in that case, too...
I have the correct list of parts for my rear engine mount bolts and will pull them this weekend...I'm sure I have what I need, I'm just trying to add one more to the mix! I will get those off on Saturday and get back to the alignment. All I have to do is put the outdrive back on and put the boots from the Y pipe to the exhaust, top off the fluids and I'm ready to fire it up. I hope to have it at the marina Thanksgiving weekend. The admiral says we have to spend the night there first before we venture out to make sure we don't sink....which brings me to a question...all through the boat every hose is double clamped etc....to me, when you look at the shift cable boot and the drive shaft boot, there sure does not seem to be much between floating and sinking at that connection....
Got me thinking when I did my coupler are the right bolts and washers there? thanks for the diagram will double check for sure.
Remember captain Ron said "if it going to happen it going to happen out there"