1st alignment ever - lots of questions

[ChapMike]

Well I finally tried it and now i'm stuck. Since this is my 1st boat and 1st try at an alignment I had the following experience with lots of questions. First of all, her is the data for my boat:

2010 Chaparral Signature 290
Twin 4.3 MPI Bravo III's
72 hours total time

When I purchased the boat I sent it to the dealer after the first season to pull the drives and check the alignment. According to them, this was necessary to maintain the warranty on the boat. This was done 2 years ago and right around 19 hours. So I figured that I would take the drives off this year and check alignment as well as give the drive a pressure check and a once over.

Boy was I in for a surprise!!!!!!

First of all, the dealer never tightened one of the engine mounts since it is very difficult to get to. I was able to spin the nut off with my hand. After pulling the port outdrive, the o-rings were coated with gasket sealant That stuff is almost impossible to get out of all the o-ring grooves and I am not sure why they used it. After scraping for an hour, I discovered that the paint around the gimbal housing in the area that seals the shift cable is deformed (see picture). Perhaps this is why they used the sealant.

With that said, I am stuck in limbo until someone answers the following questions:

• Am I supposed to use a sealant on the o-rings or just some sort of grease?
• Based on the pictures, do you think the o-ring will properly seal?
• I need to adjust my motor up about 1/2 turn. How do I bend those tabs that hold the lower motor mount nut or do I lift the engine and turn the nut?

And then just a curiosity question... Looking at the design, does the u-joint sit in water the whole time? Since the seals are only around the water passage, shift cable and gear lube, I am assuming the u joint sits in water. If so, do I cover it with grease?

Thanks for helping a 1st timer.

Mike

 

[tpenfield]

Re: 1st alignment ever - lots of questions

When I purchased the boat I sent it to the dealer after the first season to pull the drives and check the alignment. . . . .

Boy was I in for a surprise!!!!!!

First of all, the dealer never tightened one of the engine mounts since it is very difficult to get to. I was able to spin the nut off with my hand. After pulling the port outdrive, the o-rings were coated with gasket sealant That stuff is almost impossible to get out of all the o-ring grooves and I am not sure why they used it. After scraping for an hour, I discovered that the paint around the gimbal housing in the area that seals the shift cable is deformed (see picture). Perhaps this is why they used the sealant.

With that said, I am stuck in limbo until someone answers the following questions:

• Am I supposed to use a sealant on the o-rings or just some sort of grease?
• Based on the pictures, do you think the o-ring will properly seal?
• I need to adjust my motor up about 1/2 turn. How do I bend those tabs that hold the lower motor mount nut or do I lift the engine and turn the nut?

And then just a curiosity question... Looking at the design, does the u-joint sit in water the whole time? Since the seals are only around the water passage, shift cable and gear lube, I am assuming the u joint sits in water. If so, do I cover it with grease?

Thanks for helping a 1st timer.

Mike

Hi Mike:

Aren't boat dealers fun ??? It is interesting that the dealer presumably could loosen the top nut, but not tighten it. They probably 'forgot'.

As far as your questions . . .

• Am I supposed to use a sealant on the o-rings or just some sort of grease? >>> I have done it both ways with good results. When I used sealant, it was permatex non-permantent type. when I used grease, it was marine grease.

• Based on the pictures, do you think the o-ring will properly seal? >>> It is a bit tough to tell, but if you think the surface is not quite good enough, then go for the sealant.
• I need to adjust my motor up about 1/2 turn. How do I bend those tabs that hold the lower motor mount nut or do I lift the engine and turn the nut? >>> Screw driver & Vice Grips. The screw driver can get under the tab to force it up a bit . . . and the vice grip can then clamp it up to the surface of the engine mount, making it flat. When you have the engine adjusted, make sure to bend a different tab back down, in order to avoid excess metal fatigue of the tabs.
• And then just a curiosity question... Looking at the design, does the u-joint sit in water the whole time? Since the seals are only around the water passage, shift cable and gear lube, I am assuming the u joint sits in water. If so, do I cover it with grease? >>> The outdrive makes a seal with the large silvery looking ring (in your picture) and prevents water from entering the bellows camber (theoretically of course). This is where I use some sealant (silicone II) as the outdrive ages, becasue the seal gets a bit of wear and tear. The u-joint should stay dry. I usually coat the thing in marine grease, just in case it does not.

I hope these answers help, and kudos to you for getting involved in the maintenance of your boat.

 

[ChapMike]

Re: 1st alignment ever - lots of questions

Thanks for the tips... Working on the alignment and getting the whole thing back together.

Mike

 

[Don S]

Re: 1st alignment ever - lots of questions

Here is a lot of good information on alignments.

engine alignment how to's - Page 1 - 443992

 

[ChapMike]

Re: 1st alignment ever - lots of questions

Getting ready to put the outdrive back on. I am still a bit worried about the paint defect and how it might affect the seal on the shift cable. Looked on the internet and some people recommended using bellows adhesive on that oring instead of the Mercury recommeded 2-4-C.

Has anyone used bellows adhesive to seal this oring? Are there negatives to doing this?

 

[MarkSee]

Re: 1st alignment ever - lots of questions

Has anyone used bellows adhesive to seal this oring? Are there negatives to doing this?

Bellows adhesive on the side that holds it in place with a little 24c on the side where the drive and the bellhousing meet. Same for the water passage oring and drive lube oring.

Mark

 

[ChapMike]

Re: 1st alignment ever - lots of questions

OK... This is turning into a nightmare. Finally got around to doing the alignment toady and this is what is happening...

Inserted alignment tool and it needed some help to go in. Splines are heavy on the bottom so I started to raise the engine. After 2 complete revolutions of the engine nut, the splines were still heavy on the bottom. I rotated the engine 180 degrees. Took 3 more revolutions and now the bar moves like butter. 1 finger to push in and 2 fingers to pull out.

When I rotate the engine back to the original point I cannot get the bar in. What is going on???

The engine was supposedly aligned by the dealer at 20 hours. We are now at 72. Is chasing engine alignment 5 complete turns excessive? Any ideas on where to go from here???

Mike

 

[tpenfield]

Re: 1st alignment ever - lots of questions

Usually you turn the engine at 90 degree intervals to check/set the alignment. I have experienced the same situation, that the alignment is better at one position of rotation than another. I attribute this to a slight 'set' that the coupler has taken to the improper alignment.

Make sure that you are doing the 0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees of rotation thing and get it to a good compromise of the 4.

 

[ChapMike]

Coupler

Coupler

2010 Chaparral 290
4.3 Bravo III

Having a very hard time aligning the port engine. Starting to think that I might have a coupler problem at 72 hours. Is there an easy way to test the coupler to make sure is is OK?

I spent most of Sunday trying to alight the engine. When I started, the tool showed heavy marks on the bottom. Rotated the engine 180 degrees and the marks were still heavy on the bottom. After I raised it 2 complete turns of the nut, I rotated the engine 180 degrees and had to raise it another 3 turns. Seemed excessive but the alignment tools slid in and out like butter. No binding and perfect spline marks all the way around.

After that, I tuned the engine 90 degrees and it got much tighter and at 180 I could not insert the tool.

Called the dealer and the mechanic is telling me that the coupler has probably gone bad. I would agree with him if not for the first check that showed spline marks on the bottom of the alignment tool at both 0 and 180 degrees.

Any thoughts?

 

[Don S]

Re: Coupler

Re: Coupler

You should have tried it at 90 and 270?
The original dealer or the boat manufacturer probably just split the difference from too far up and too far down.
That is something the selling dealer is supposed to check before selling the boat.

 

[84EdH]

Re: 1st alignment ever - lots of questions

when you make that compromise, turn the nuts 1/4 turn at a time and check the result on all 4 positions. once you get the best compromise, you should then tighten down the front mounts and check alignment again. it should not change. if it does, one engine mount is holding more of the weight than the other. this can cause the engine to twist on the mounts, and that is one reason you can get the results you got with different alingment at different engine positions. you correct the twist by adjusting the nuts so they lift even, then do the alignment procedure again. then tighten down the adjustment nuts again and prove to yourself the alignment didnt change. I did this with my engine, thinking the coupler was bad, but after I fixed the twist issue, I could get all four quads smooth and equal. check this thread out: http://forums.iboats.com/mercruiser...nt-problem-grease-marks-port-side-580427.html Don walked me through my alignment problem and it worked for me!

 

[Don S]

Re: 1st alignment ever - lots of questions

I merged your new thread with the old thread. It's still all about getting it aligned right, no reason to start a new thread on the same subject.

 

[ChapMike]

Re: 1st alignment ever - lots of questions

I did not tighten the rear engine mounts because they are so hard to get to. I am wondering if this could be part of my problem? Since the alignment bar showed splines on the bottom for almost 5 complete turns would it make sense that the rear mounts may be a bit loose?

 

[Don S]

Re: 1st alignment ever - lots of questions

You MUST tighten the rear mounts before you even think about trying an alignment. Then when you think you have it right, tighten the front mounts and RE-CHECK the alignment.