transom leak

[rickasbury]

Rick- since I did seal the gimbal (no leak) and unsealed the gimbal( big leak) Is is leaking past the gimbal seal and not the bellows. I will get it apart and look at it and see what is what. As long as moving the motor back about a foot gives me enough room to inspect it. I would never feel safe with it in the water until it is apart and know the reason for the leak. I want to go over to the bahamas this summer perhaps, on my bucket list. Will not go with boat that is sinking!

 

[rickasbury]

New plan. After researching what it would cost to put a sufficient A frame together, which would probably be around 300 bucks. It makes more sense to see if I can just have it pulled. Where I store has a hoist and we have a pretty large facility that is a city marina as well- figure if I can get it all loose, make an engine stand of sorts and put that on a trailer, I can have it pulled, set it on the stand and take it all back home and get the motor in my garage. That way, I can inspect my oil pan, I can get in that nasty beige and get it really cleaned out and get to the bottom of this transom leak without trying to squeeze in there to do it. I will get back to this thread in a couple of weeks with the results, depending on life anyway...always something!

 

[rickasbury]

looking at the manual, removal of the motor does not look like a lot of stuff has to be disconnected? Out drive is a 30 min job and I have a stand I made for that already. Any idea how I would find the mounting hole pattern for the engine as I want to build a stand and bolt the engine to it....

 

[alldodge]

Here is the drawing, which shows the drain hose from the oil pan. If you do not have that then this will give you another inch to work with.

https://mercurymarine-gsdesign1.net...41bb-90c9-f0958ee21906/57lalpha_1996-2001.pdf

An easy way (sort of), get 6 each 6x6 blocks, some 3 inch long screws, and ratchet strap, and pallet or other mounting surface. Two of the blocks (6x6) are stacked together and go on each side of the rear bell housing mounts. One each block is used to sit the front mounts on. Once motor is sitting on all blocks use the screws and fasten it to the pallet, then wrap ratchet strap around motor and pallet

 

[rickasbury]

Thanks- I will study that post/ info- thanks for all the input. I'm starting to look forward to the pull mow that I have a plan! Will repost when get things worked out...

 

[Rick Stephens]

I agree with AllDodge. Keep it simple. I set my motor on 6 x 8 blocks I had and stuck a couple lag bolts through the back flywheel cover mounting bolts and fired it up before I dropped it in my boat. After install, I found out I pinched the 0-ring for the Y pipe and had to pull the motor again. Complete out and back in in 45 minutes. I own a tractor that for my little 17 foot boat can easy lift the motor, so a lot easier than you have it. But the point is, not all that many connections to pull a motor. Setting it back in is a little longer in that you have to get it close enough to get mount bolts in. But still plenty fast. LOTS easier than any car or pickup ever made!

Good luck. I doubt you have any trouble at all. I really like your wheeled dolly idea.

Rick

 

[alldodge]

The things folks forget to disconnect are: ground wires going from the block to the transom plate and trim pump ground

 

[rickasbury]

Here is a picture of the one I made for the out drive....kind of hard to see how I make this but it is a furniture dolly from harbour freight- I built a frame around it and then uprights to hold the drive. I think I will have to have something a little heavier/bigger to handle the motor but the same principle . I was able to push this up in to the carport...

 

[rickasbury]

OK, got through fixin my truck, replaced all the plugs and coils on my 5.4L so I'm ready to start planing my engine removal. Now I have pulled a motor out of a 370Z and that is my ony experience with that. So,I need a list of stuff to disconnect to pull it. I will probably bring it home this weekend to pull the out drive and take some measurements for the engine stand... The above diagram helps a lot. I need to make sure the engine is as low as possible on the stand, but, still leave room for the oil pan not to bottom out and also all the stuff on the front of the motor clears. So, what I need to put together is a check list of stuff to discount to pull the motor. I will post the results for the next guy and perhaps we should start another thread so it can be found. this is a 2005 MPI Horizon 1/2 fresh cooled motor.

 

[rickasbury]

So, got my boat home and pulled the out drive. Having done that before was only about a 30 minute job. Made one very large error- decided to pull the trim cylinders off also and ruined the fittings getting them off- should have left that alone. So, looking at the diagram alldoge provided to be thinking about my dolly....front engine mounts have all the dimensions and height and width of the motor and extremely helpful....back of the motor mounts to the inner transom plate, correct? Is there any sort of diagram showing the relation to the front mounts to the back? I want to build a support to set the motor on and bolt it down on a dolly until I sort out the transom issue....

 

[Grub54891]

Just set the motor on a pallet, bell housing sets flat down, on a wood block, and a couple blocks under the front motor mounts, high enough to clear the oil pan, I remove the front mounts right off the stringers and set it down. Lag bolt it to the pallet.

 

[alldodge]

Unable to find the dimensions, but your going to bolt it down to the blocks with the tabs/feet below the rear mounts.
http://www.mercruiserparts.com/bam/subassembly/31786/2333/270

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... If ya pull the lags from the stringers on the front mounts, leavin' the motor mount assembles on the motor,....

A pallet with a sheet of plywood on it's top,...
The shippin' mounts on the flywheel cover sit on the plywood,....
'n a couple pieces of 4x4, or a 6x6, 'n a 2x4, go under the front motor mounts,....
The motor will then sit fairly level, 'n very stable on the pallet,....
A few lag bolts into the pallet, 'n it's ready to be shipped,....

 

[rickasbury]

Ah, see it now...and the diagram above does have the dimensions vertically for the relationship for the front mounting, just not the horizontal which I can get off the boat. I want to build a cart of sorts I can put the motor on, really clean an organize the bilge- and I don't know how long it will take to repair the transom if it is other than just the seal that has gone bad so I want to be able to store it safely- clean it up, paint some pulleys, maybe change the oil pan....I see above what looks to be the coupler cover where the tabs are for the rear mount so will look at the boat tonight and come up with a design and get to work!

 

[Rick Stephens]

If you are going to work on the motor, then go get an engine stand from harbor freight or any automotive store. You can wheel it around and turn it to access the bottom, whatever. Make sure you get one heavy enough to handle the weight. Engine stands are crazy cheap and have wheels made for moving the weight around.

 

[Bondo]

If you are going to work on the motor, then go get an engine stand from harbor freight or any automotive store. You can wheel it around and turn it to access the bottom, whatever. Make sure you get one heavy enough to handle the weight. Engine stands are crazy cheap and have wheels made for moving the weight around.

Ayuh,.... That works, after ya pull the flywheel cover, 'n coupler,....

I'm more apt to put a furniture dolly under the pallet I just screwed the bobtail motor too,....
'n push it 'round that way,.....

Ya gotta search piles of discard pallets to find something smaller than normal pallets, yet big enough for Yer motor,....
The extra searchin' 'round industrial parks for the Right pallet, pays off in more usable floor space in the shop,....

 

[rickasbury]

I agree- I will make something out of some 2x6 and then when I'm done I can use them for the next hurricane for my windows! The one I built for the out drive worked out great, just need something a little more heavy duty.

Thanks all for the input, all are great idea....

 

[rickasbury]

https://mercurymarine-gsdesign1.netd..._1996-2001.pdf I tried to re print this but it says file not found?

 

[rickasbury]

OK- getting down there and looking at the motor, this will be a bit more of a "challenge" perhaps than I thought. I will build a platform with wheels to set it on but my idea of duplicating the engine mounts on the "pallet" probably will not work to well. I don't think I can get accurate enough dimensions to do it- so I will come up with a way to block the front mounts. The rear, well, I would need a tab of sorts to catch those and unless I had perhaps another inner plate I could mount, I don't think I could built something of wood that would be strong enough. So, I will build something for the front so I can run a bolt into it through the mounting tabs to secure it and at the rear of the motor, just have some other blocks or something there to support it.

Getting the motor undone is getting to be of a concern. I did pull a motor out of a car several years ago, it was a fuel injected type motor but boy, I sure don't remember having as many wires on it that this motor does.

So, I have taken a couple of pictures to try and identify what all has to come off to pull this rascal out. So is that harness labeled main harness indeed the main harness? I know it has to come apart but is that mainly it? I know I have a hot wire to the starter. I have what looks to be a heavy ground water from the grounding system bar on the transom going to the motor somewhere, is this the only engine ground? I have the wire to the alternator, another little bundle of wires by the main harness that a connector has to come apart, my water inlet hoses, the hose for the power steering . Two front bolts and two rear bolts....is that it? What am I missing?? Obviously I have the out drive off already per above!

Also, I have an electric hatch to the engine below- once I pull that ground off the motor, will that still work? Is that the ground for the whole electrical system?? If so, can I ground it some other way??

 

[Bondo]

this will be a bit more of a "challenge" perhaps than I thought.

Naw,.... Yer just Waayyy over-thinkin' it,.....

For the storage pallet, I already told ya,...
The full dressed bobtail motor sits flat, 'n level, on the flywheel cover(little tabs, with bolt slots),.....
'n ya sit the complete front motor mounts onto *' blocks of wood,.... 8x8, 6x6, 'n a 2x, 2, 4x4s, whatever it takes,...

Getting the motor undone is getting to be of a concern. I did pull a motor out of a car several years ago,

Again,.... Yer just Waayyy over-thinkin' it,.....

Ya unhook the fuel line from the fuel filter,....
Ya disconnect the battery cables,....
Ya unplug the cannon plug for the wirin' harness,...
Ya disconnect the water lines,...
The drive is off,....
Ya pull the 2 aft motor mount bolts, 'n the lags outa the front mounts,...
Ya lift the motor straight up, 'n out,....

There'll be a few incidentals, but that's the totality of it,....

As for the power hatch,....
Just take the Whole hatch off,.....
Or disconnect the rams, 'n manually lift it,....