92 TE60TLENE upper bearing o-ring leaking

[rdav13]

Hi all, I'm back.
In 2004 I was here with this same outboard and with every ones gracious help was able to replace the power-head with a reman unit and solve the problem that caused the failure. It had overheated and scored middle cylinder.
In 2011 engine began to run badly & I saw a slight amount of oil coming from under the flywheel. Well, at the time I didn't want to deal with it and parked it. Now I've got the bug again. Checked the compression and have 100 psi on all three cylinders dry, so I don't think I've damaged the engine. I ordered an upper seal, carb kits fuel filter and a water pump kit to get her running again.
Upon removing the flywheel and timing mechanism I sprayed WD-40 around the seal and turned the engine over by hand to verify the leak. To my dismay, bubbles appear around the upper bearing race on the port side at the case seam. So it looks like I have a bigger project on my hands. I do have a couple of questions now and I am sure more will follow as I get into this.
My concerns are, Is 100 PSI an indication of a healthy block-piston? I did not try the test with oil in the cylinders and it is surely dry after not being run for 7 years.
Secondly would I be foolish to do this without removing the cylinder head and pistons? We have no local dealer and everything must be ordered in. I would prefer not to remove pistons but if I must I need to order more parts to do the job.
I plan on ordering the upper bearing o-ring(I already have the seal), lower head seal and o-ring and reed plate gasket and of course the appropriate Gel-Seal replacement to seal the crankcase.
Am I missing anything?
TIA, Roy

 

[Bosunsmate]

Sounds like you have a good plan, personally id take the pistons out and check that they arent carboned stuck. Theres only three so often you can just lift off the whole crankshaft with them in place and do the same on return. They dont have needle bearings, only roller bearings so are easy to reinstall. Oil everything with two stroke oil when you replace and give it a couple of spins with starter before installing spark plugs
Dont forget the base plate adaptor gasket (its the gasket between the powerhead and middle section) its normally cheapish

 

[Bosunsmate]

I think 100psi across them all is fine, opinions may differ. And yes you can do this job without removing pistons, i suppose it depends how much bravado you have at the time, and how much time on your hands to do it. If you dont need a ring compressor and can just slide them in as the bottom of the cylinder is tapered then that makes it a much easier task. Im not sure if that motors cylinders a tapered at the bottom to allow it but many OMC i have worked on do have this good bonus feature

 

[racerone]

--In order to take the crank out of the block and put it on the bench you have to remove the rod bolts !----Pistons come out where cylinder head bolts on !!

 

[Bosunsmate]

Ah ok, well then i definitely wouldnt bother taking them out!

 

[racerone]

Bosun----Have you ever overhauled one of these above mentioned motors ??

 

[Bosunsmate]

Bosun----Have you ever overhauled one of these above mentioned motors ??

Apparently not. On models ive owned where i have replaced the bearings and seals and had pistons that need going out via the head ive had success on some replacing the bearings while pistons still on

 

[rdav13]

OK, Looks like the pistons are coming out. Is it usually necessary to use a ridge reamer to get the rings to clear? Will I need rings? The engine does not have many hours on it since the power head was replaced with a reman.
I have a professional auto mechanic who will help(do it for me) split the case and do the dirty work. I just finished pulling the power head and have it on the bench.

 

[Bosunsmate]

I just spray something like wd40 on the rings and work them with my hands, eventually any carbon liquidises and drips away. Youve done most of the hard work getting it apart so i doubt using a pro is really necessary from here on in. But if you cant get in a position to knock out the bearings and you have to remove the pistons then remember to keep the bearing cases for each piston as a set.
Unless broken i wouldnt bother with new rings, they are expensive and were probably done at the overhaul. You can spend money replacing everything on elder engines if you get fanatical, which some folk do on here

 

[racerone]

No ridge reamer required.----Should not need new rings.----Make sure you understand the concept of a metal to metal half joint.----Make sure you understand the concept of aligning bearing dowel pins too.

 

[Bosunsmate]

Dont freak out about lining up dowel pins, thats just lining up holes which is what toddlers do for playtime, easy as, just post photos if stuck. And when disassembling pay close attention to their positions, take photos.
Metal to metal half joint im not sure what Mr raceone means there

 

[racerone]

Careless assembly of the half joint resulted in the leak.---Hence the rework.-----More than one block / crank has been ruined by folks not positioning the bearings on the dowels !!!!

 

[Bosunsmate]

Ah-ha half joint, got it now, that term is used on my Toyota 4X4 half drive front axle, its called the front driveshaft half joint. Yes definitely those two metal halves of the casing need careful reassemble by Mr Seacadet. I always clean the joint with solvent, then wash that off and then use the compound, liberally more than sparingly is my habit too

 

[rdav13]

I've seen the cautions in my manual about the alignment dowels and will be certain to be diligent in following directions. I am familiar in the use of anaerobic sealers in the automotive industry.
What, other than an obvious gouge or something similar would I look for to be certain the block/crank is not damaged already?

 

[Bosunsmate]

Block- straight edge and close visual for cracks.
Crank, not sure why you think that may be damaged, but you can inspect the flywheel taper for one

 

[rdav13]

It looks as if I may be able to do this without removing the pistons. According to my OMC manual, the pistons and cylinder head are installed before the crankshaft goes in.
However-- - When torquing the rod bolts the manual cautions doing this without OMC # 39679 alignment fixture, or using an incorrect procedure could cause permanent damage to rods and crankshaft!
Is there a safe way to torque the rods without special tools? It appears this alignment tool is not available and would likely cost more than I would care to spend if it was. Surely this has been done before without the tool.

 

[racerone]

Tool is in the order of $400.-----Bin torqueing those bolts since about 1968 without using the fixture.-----Careful work is the order of the day.

 

[rdav13]

That's what I wanted to hear. Not the price of the tool but that it can be done safely. I assume the issue is keeping the cap and bearing aligned properly while torquing. Would torquing the bolts in multiple steps help? I usually torque in two steps but may go for three or four on these if that would help.

 

[racerone]

Some will argue----I do careful work.----Torque up to the 370 inch-lbs in 3 steps.

 

[Bosunsmate]

Ive used some blue loc tite as insurance on those rod bolts in my time too, its never come back to haunt me. Ive only once bought new ones with non stretched threads.
Most crucial part is keeping everything as a set with the corresponding piston.
Ive never used any OMC specialised tool and never had a rebuild needing another rebuild so far