I'm Lifting the Engine (Evinrude 200) Off my Stern: Advice Please

KVH

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I'm back to work on my steering. I have a hoist from a friend. It's almost at full height just to get above the flywheel, so I hope if has the strength. It should since at that length it's supposed to be 1/2 ton and my engine weighs 450 lbs.

My question now is whether there's enough room with all the equipment still attached to pull the engine away from the boat and get those rods out of the steering tubes.

The wires and hoses are sheathed in a netted wrapping that gives me about 14 inches of play. The gas line also has about that much play. Do I just leave all that attached and pull the engine away as best I can?
 

KVH

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Hanging Engine on Engine Hoist

I'm still looking for help because I've not removed an engine before. Mine is a 200 hp Evinrude, but I've got a good engine hoist and lifting ring for the flywheel.

My questions are:

a) since I'm only doing this to access the steering cables, must I remove any wires, cables or hoses?
b) is a 200 hp too heavy (450 lbs) to lift with a good stout grade 8 lifting ring; and
c) once lifted, can I let the engine dangle like that for 5 hours while I play with the tilt tubes and steering cables, grease them, etc.?

Thanks guys.
 

64osby

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Jul 28, 2009
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Use the shortest setting on the lift arm possible.

Quite often you only have to slide the motor down the transom to remove the cable. Some you don't have to even move the motor.

The ring should be fine, use grade 8 bolts if it doesn't have them.

It would be better letting it rest lightly on the transom once the cable has been removed.

My .02
 

emdsapmgr

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If you have any concern, put a typical floor jack under the skeg of the engine while working-to help steady it while suspended by the engine hoist. Unnecessary, but it may give you peace of mind during your changeout.
 

Scott Danforth

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I've hung a big block olds and TH400 from my engine hoist for days. I would feel comfortable hanging an outboard that weights less than half that for much longer
 

gm280

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I would say a mere 450lbs isn't anything for most engine hosts to left, even on the longest arm reach. If you do remove it from the transom, lower it down 'til it reaches the floor and stop. Then the floor supports some of the weight if your not sure about your engine host.
 

KVH

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No Title

My hoist is 1 ton capacity with 1000 lb capacity at the setting I need. Sounds like I'll be OK if I can get the motor far enough "to the left" to make room to remove the cable. The three 5/16 inch bolts for my universal flywheel removal tool are offset with a wider shaft (see below) to avoid bending under pressure, and the threaded part below is only about 1/2 inch deep. That part bothers me a bit, as the available threading in the flywheel bores is more like 3/4 inch deep.
 

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boobie

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The depth on the thread of the bolt should be fine. You don't want the bolt to long or you may hit something underneath the flywheel.
 

jr150hp

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Dec 4, 2014
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If it's still on the trailer drop the front all the way down ,then hook it up, lift then crank the boat up . This helped me get just enough.
 

gm280

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If you really think about it, you would have to shear three bolts for the setup to fail. And we are talking about pure shear strength of those bolts. I believe the shear strength is many times more then your engine weighs. The only time that shear strength comes into play is if you have momentum. Then that weigh increases with movement. But I seriously don't see anything wrong with your set up... But I'm not there either. To be able to actually shear off three threaded bolts would take a huge amount of force. Even for just the treaded sections...
 

gm280

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Isn't there already a post about this? I think there is...

NO LONGER! GA_B
 
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KVH

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Mar 8, 2009
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If you have any concern, put a typical floor jack under the skeg of the engine while working-to help steady it while suspended by the engine hoist. Unnecessary, but it may give you peace of mind during your changeout.

Is the skeg really strong enough to use for any kind of support?
 

KVH

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Victory. Partially. Thanks to all of you I lifted my engine off the boat and yanked out those steering cables. They were beautiful. Immaculate and like new. Gleaming stainless steel. So I gooped them up with grease and put the motor back on.

In doing all this my steering is still very stiff. In fact is was stiff while the cables were out of the tubes, so it's clear something else is causing all the binding and stiffness. I'm still reluctant to go running for a new kit. My cables look like new. So I disconnected the rack and pinion at the steering wheel. The grease there seems cake-like but it's not dry. There is some grease. Can I pack moly grease into those pinion assemblies? What else should I be looking for? Kinks in the sheathed cables running fore and aft?

Related to all this I noticed that the bolt that holds the steering arm to the short tiller bar at the motor is a full threaded bolt. Shouldn't it be shouldered so that the streering arm isn't swiveling against threads?

I'm also curious any other thoughts you might have. Thx
 
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Tnstratofam

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If the steering was stiff with the cables removed from the rack under the dash then I would think there is your problem. Clean the rack, and re grease. You could also check to see if there is a resistance setting for the steering. It may need to be loosened a little. My steering has a small nob at the bottom of the column that allows me to increase or decrease the resistance as i need it to counter act torque steer from the engine.
 

KVH

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Mar 8, 2009
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I think I've got my stiff steering issue narrowed down. It's not the tilt tube or steering tube, nor the stainless steel cables at the rear, nor is it the front rack tube that services the steering tube cable (mine is a dual cable teleflex setup). Rather, the problem seems to be entirely the front rack tube (at the steering wheel) that services the rear cable in the tilt tube.

I could freely operate the linear cog track for the rack servicing the steering tube, but the one for the tilt tube was jammed tight. I greased it up liberally, sprayed lithium grease into the mechanism and tried again, but it only helped a little--it operates a bit more freely when refastened and operated with the steering wheel, but likely due to the increased force that can be exerted with two hands on the wheel.

In other words, it seems I need new steering cables after all.

By the way, when I was greasing up that linear cog track for the cable from the tilt tube I noticed a round rubber seal that seemed out of its proper home at one end of the cogged rack. What was that? More of the same problem?

thx
 

gm280

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When you disconnected the actual steering at the helm, did you try to turn the steering wheel to see if it was stiffen up? That would have told you if the cable was the problem or the steering section itself. I think you may have steering cable issues without being there and seeing for myself... But that is just my opinion.
 

KVH

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Mar 8, 2009
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To close out this thread and leave something that may be of value, here's the upshot and conclusion relating to my stiff steering problem(1996 Stratos, Evinrude outboard): It had nothing to do with the tilt tube or steering tube, nor the condition of the stainless steel steering cables at the rear of the boat. Rather, the problem was the rack/track in one of the two cable assemblies at the steering wheel. One was fine; the other shot. This is the old, pre-1997 style, where two separate cables attach at the steering wheel. The modern setup still has two cables, but they join at one track and use a different style of helm. So, the point is that those racks wear out fairly regularly. Mine was 18 years old and probably used 40 times in the life of the boat. Anyway, that's the conclusion. Thanks for help here.
 
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