Issue with engine alignment

[PQvyper340]

Long story here but really need help...So frustrated I'm ready to light my boat on fire. Anyways, twin 496 HO's, Bravo 1x drives. Removed engines last fall to do maintenance replace the water heater (had to remove the engines to get to it). I did remove couplers/flywheels on both engines in order to mount them on stands. Noticed that the center stringer and lower bulkhead were rotted. Took to a fiberglass shop and had that all fixed/replace. They replaced the center stringer and lower bulkhead. Now, I'm putting the engines back in. Got the port engine in and aligned perfectly. Now on to the starboard engine. Got that in and can get it aligned perfectly but then when I rotate the crankshaft in 90 degree increments it is WAY off. So, I pulled the engine again and installed a new coupler. I can get the alignment perfect, but then when I rotate the crankshaft 90/180/270 it is way off. I followed the procedure for installing the coupler per the merc service bulletin. I then pulled the engine back out again and checked the runout on the flywheel and it is within spec. Checked runout on crankshaft where the flywheel mounts and the most I got was 0.0015. I also checked the runout on the coupler where the steel hub sticks out and the most I got was 0.005. I'm just so confused about this......

 

[Fishermark]

Try setting the gimbal bearing. With the alignment bar in the coupler give the bar a good whack up down left and right. The gimbal bearing "gimbals" but does so "reluctantly. It is very tight. The bearing always needs to be set when aligning.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,..... I've got one to do tomorrow, a freshly installed bearin', in a freshly installed transom assembly,....

Trouble I've got is,...
The motor ain't freshly installed yet,....

Gotta hang it on the crane, set the bearin', align the motor,...
To measure where the motor mounts gotta be built up too,.....

Stuffin' a late model Alpha 1 drive/ 350 V8 into another ole Hi-Liner 222,....
Dug out the rotten mount beds today, 'n fab'ed oak replacements,...
Gotta find out how high to build 'em,....

 

[fhhuber]

Do runout checks on the other end of the coupler...

Maybe the engine being able to move damaged the trans side of the coupler

Its sounding like you've checked everything on the engine side...

 

[PQvyper340]

Try setting the gimbal bearing. With the alignment bar in the coupler give the bar a good whack up down left and right. The gimbal bearing "gimbals" but does so "reluctantly. It is very tight. The bearing always needs to be set when aligning.

I did do that... :-(

 

[Fishermark]

Try it at the 90 degree increment and see if it helps the overall.

 

[PQvyper340]

Just got it figured out on Sunday. Got another new coupler from Merc and it solved the issue. Seems as though my original coupler was bad (wasn't true) and so was the first new one I got. All is good now! Thanks to everyone for all the help