Alignment. Is this a symptom of a bigger issue?

RCSConstruction

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Mar 23, 2007
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I checked alignment when I pulled my drive and it was pretty darn good. Now after a bellows/gimbal/driveshaft replacement, the alignment bar is rubbing real hard on the bottom and starboard portion of bar. I got splines almost all the way around. But it's taking grease clean off on the bottom and starboard side.( I banged four ways on alignment bar to set the gimbal, I also turned motor over and got the same marks on the bar . Stringers and transom are rock solid btw (I'm told there's no wood in my 2004 Caravelle to rot?)

So I checked my motor mounts and the port is screwed way up and the starboard seems to be in it's "original" position. The port motor mount bolt is about 4 threads from the top and the starboard side is a full nut thickness" lower (about 1")
What's going on here?
And just so i have it right, I should try and raise the starboard to the same height as the port, correct? They shouldn't be that un-even, right? Thinking this has something to do with my rumbling/grinding/horrible noise when I turn full port.
It really looks like someone had the same markings on alignment bar I am getting and tried to adjust horizontally by screwing port side up?
 

BRICH1260

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It's just odd that the alignment changed so much in just a short time. My first instinct is that your gimble is not flush mounted but in at an angle. Did you drive it in with a gimble specific installer?
 

Thalasso

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It's just odd that the alignment changed so much in just a short time. My first instinct is that your gimble is not flush mounted but in at an angle. Did you drive it in with a gimble specific installer?

Those brgs will only go in one way. If he had to use a pipe to align the brg in the gimble that brg isn't seated properly. If it's in right it has no place to move
 

RCSConstruction

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I have a whole other alignment bar with the gimbal install tool bolted on.
I did turn the engine over, same markings on bar.
 

Dave-R

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To verify that the engine is seated properly, loosen the front locking nuts, and if you believe one side is too high adjust the bottom nuts to the same height. Then what I would double check is that the rear mounts round heavy washers are seated in the saddles correctly and tight. When they are tight, this is the base for both side to side and front to back plane of the engine. If they are in the right position, and tight. The front of the engine will have to be on the same plane. Then adjust the support nuts to support the front of the engine as equal as possible. I have used a short piece of 1" pvc pipe to give you a good idea which way the engine needs to go. The pipe will slip into the coupler splines and not be bound up by the gimbal bearing. Then you can adjust the front mounts to get you where you need to go. I am wondering if the front mounts were that off at the factory, or if someone else had worked on the boat. Good luck and post your success. Dave-R
 

HalfFish5087

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Recently went through this exact scenario myself. I had changed my gimbal and found that my engine actually needed to move starboard about 3/16". Like Dave-R mentioned, use a smaller bar just to fit into your coupler and that will give you a good idea in which direction you need to go. I would think that adjustments would be equal, but you could confirm with the alignment bar.
 

bruceb58

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The angle of the engine is determined by the engine mounts at the transom assembly. If those bushings are worn, it's possible your engine can move sideways slightly.
 

bruceb58

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Does having the front motor mounts at different heights (1") hurt the rear mounts?
it's likely normal that the front mounts are at different heights. The stringers themselves were likely made with slightly different height.

When the motors are first installed, you lift the engine onto the rear mounts and then extend the front mounts to hit the stringer. When adjusting the alignment, you then adjust the front mounts equally.
 

RCSConstruction

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Recently went through this exact scenario myself. I had changed my gimbal and found that my engine actually needed to move starboard about 3/16". Like Dave-R mentioned, use a smaller bar just to fit into your coupler and that will give you a good idea in which direction you need to go. I would think that adjustments would be equal, but you could confirm with the alignment bar.


Did you end up having to rebolt your front mounts in a different spot on stringers, or were you able to align as they were?
 

RCSConstruction

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Well this is quite embarrassing..
I was trying to loosen my motor mounts and they were not budging. Working on this boat is the worst. No access what-so-ever. Everything I do is hanging over the bench seat.
In one last attempt to see why my alignment was off, I totally misaligned the gimbal and then worked my bar slowly till it just barely went into the coupler. I could fill it nick the bottom of coupler before it went totally in, so I adjusted the bearing a little and the sucker slid right in and I have the same marks as before. Just a tad heavy on the bottom. (I can push and pull the bar with my thumb and index finger.)
I can't tell you how many time I banged on the bar 4-ways to try and align the gimball properly. I don't think this alignment bar does a very good job of that when it's all the way in. (ebay alignment bar) My advice with this bar is to slide it in until it just touches the coupler, then pull it up,down, side-to-side, while slowly pushing in and about half way in, smack it like you would normally.

I still don't feel any better about not really having any threads to raise the motor in the future or why they are so different in height or how the heck I'm even going to adjust the motor mounts (I may have to pull the whole mount out) but I think I'll taker her for a spin and worry later. I just hope the vibration/horrible noise is fixed by this new driveshaft.
 
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HalfFish5087

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Did you end up having to rebolt your front mounts in a different spot on stringers, or were you able to align as they were?

Yes. I had to redrill my lag bolt holes as I did not have enough adjustment left in the slots of the mounts. However, both of my mounts are roughly equal in height.

So have you not tried to move (up/down) the front engine mount adjustments nuts to see if the alignment gets better? BTW it sounds with alignment bar being hitting on the bottom of the coupler the front of the motor needs to go down. There is a good tutorial on youtube. Search How to align your boat engine.
 

bruceb58

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I really doubt you have a side to side issue unless you need to repair/replace your rear mounts or you have MUCH bigger issues.
 

HalfFish5087

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It needs to go up.

Disagree. If the alignment bar is hitting/dragging hard on the bottom of the coupler then the engine should go down.

I do agree that it is unlikely that he has a side to side issue unless that it was not set correctly initially.
 

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bruceb58

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Disagree. If the alignment bar is hitting/dragging hard on the bottom of the coupler then the engine should go down.
No. Not sure where you got your picture but its a very poor example of the mechanics.

Lowering the front of the motor will cause the back of the motor to rise causing the alignment bar to hit the bottom of the coupler worse.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wotxd5zpud...nment.pdf?dl=0

If the marks in the grease are deeper on the bottom
than on the top then your motor is too
low.
 
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RCSConstruction

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I'm glad you guys are disagreeing because I have been confusing the heck out of myself thinking this through. Whatever adjustments I do are going to be a serious chore so I can't really experiment too much.

It seems like I have three choices that will equally work. Screw down the port side that appears to be "jacked up" and hope it shifts to the side a tad. Raise the starboard motor mounts in hopes it evens it out, or screw them both down a tad.

I think I need to understand more about how the motor mounts move the motor. The rear never raises, correct? Are we actually just tilting the motor with the front mounts?
So if the bar hits immediately on the bottom, we would need to tilt down, if it hit bottom as you were sliding in and gets worse, it would need to go up?
 

bruceb58

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I think I need to understand more about how the motor mounts move the motor. The rear never raises, correct?
The rear mounts don't move. You are just tilting the motor. Imagine you lowered the motor all the way in the front, The coupler would be aiming up! This would cause the bar to hit the bottom of the coupler(like yours). That is why you need to move the engine up.

In most cases, when the alignment goes out, its because the stringers compress slightly. It's almost always the case the you need to bring the front of the engine up as the boat ages.
 
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