engine coupler fail due to wakeboarding or towing tube?

_vn_

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Apr 23, 2012
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Hi, i just had my boat in the shop looked at due to failed engine coupler. their mechanic claim that that was done due to improper usage such as towing tube or wakeboard or any other heavy load with having 6+ people on boat for instance. can anyone confirm that this is not bs ?
its a 24 foot deckboat with merc 6.2 mpi, bravo 1 drive. coupler was replaced by that shop due to previous damage 1 year ago. shop claims that regular duty coupler isn't good enough for application and i should have gotten with heavy duty "work" coupler ....

thanks !
 

Rick Stephens

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I'd call BS on that. Sounds to me like something isn't aligned properly, the coupler wasn't properly centered when installed, bad splines on the drive shaft. Something like that. Your setup should pull wakeboarders and tubes all day long, both at the same time, without issue.
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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agreed, even if the prop is too steep, should lug the motor killing it prior to the coupling.
 

_vn_

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Apr 23, 2012
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yah, i kinda smelled that too, i think they just mis-aligned when installed last year - but its hard to prove. otherwise they said that i was too hard on boat etc. also they claimed that Mercruiser were the ones who supposedly suggested that i was not on plain all the way or not trimmed etc etc. still waiting on surveyor to assess ....
 

rallyart

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Wakeboarding is a very easy load on the boat and drive. Tubing can put a load on but only if you dunk it hard and that is more likely to break the tow rope than the drive. It sounds like they are trying to find a reason for it breaking, rather than finding our why it broke. Even 6 or 8 people in a 24' boat could not be considered a heavy load.
 

Grub54891

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Everyone would stop wakeboarding or tubing if their coupler blew out yearly.... Something isn't right with the shop.....
 

_vn_

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Apr 23, 2012
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Wakeboarding is a very easy load on the boat and drive. Tubing can put a load on but only if you dunk it hard and that is more likely to break the tow rope than the drive. It sounds like they are trying to find a reason for it breaking, rather than finding our why it broke. Even 6 or 8 people in a 24' boat could not be considered a heavy load.

I'm trying to see if that shop is trying to hose me. As far as i understand stripped splines inside coupler almost always = misaligned engine or lack of grease or both. They took out engine to change last coupler that went (together with twisted shaft and bearing carrier) due to us striking underwater structure last year so they were the ones who had their hands last there ....
their excuse for now is supposedly me gunning that boat while tow/wakeboard and not trimming it properly while having many people in the boat :)
 

Rick Stephens

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their excuse for now is supposedly me gunning that boat while tow/wakeboard and not trimming it properly while having many people in the boat :)

You musta been wearing a tacky tie or drinkin the wrong type of beer while towing wakeboarders. Cause what you describe is how everyone operates their boat. Including the knothead at the shop. They are CYAing for all their worth cause they don't wanna buy another coupler and do it right this time.
 

_vn_

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Apr 23, 2012
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i wonder if Mercruiser did actually said what shop claims and if they can put it in writing. Does Merc usually step in and help in such situations? is there representative from Mercruiser on this forum?
 

_vn_

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Apr 23, 2012
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Hi, wanted to update on the subject. Basically after some investigation into the issue by the shop and surveyor it was not 100% determined what caused coupler failure, however my insurance decided to pay the entire bill. My shop suggested that this time they install "work" coupler that is basically made from stainless steel vs aluminum, I guess if I hit something with prop this time my entire engine would rotate :)
 

jbcurt00

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If I had to guess, the shop could have installed and aligned the outdrive and coupler correctly, but over heavy use over the summer it all became misaligned.

The only misaligned coupler failure I'm aware of being posted with a known cause, was attributed to soft motor mounts IIRC.

Good luck w the new work.
 
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