alignment question

[ziggy]

so having never done an alignment i figured i'd run my bar into the gimble brg. prior to disassembly.....much to my surpirse it went in a little tight. i didn't think i had any alignment issues. no vibration, no howling no nothing. i did feel it was out of alingment though. the brg. did have feel to it so figured i'd best replace it. i just did the brg. spun it out of the carrier as the cutouts were faceing me as i looked at it. got that idea from mercstuff....reinstalled it per the mercstuff way. spun in. anyways. so then i'm off to align it. bar barley goes in. long story short. lowered the front engine mount 1 3/4 turns. down. bar now goes in pretty much with even resistance and bottoms out. tried at 12,3,6,9 o'clock.
i read in one post that if yer in alingment this year, and next year it's out of alignment it could be a sign of stringers or transom problems.
this is the first time i've run the bar in. so i guess i was going on the assumption that it was ok as i didn't have any issues....

so how concerned should i be that i got issues with the boat that i ain't seein yet?

 

[Don S]

Re: alignment question

While you can get away with turning the bearing around, it's not a good idea. The bearings are matched parts, and you want ot stick good insides in a possibly bad outer. Do it right!
One thing you might try, put the alignment bar in and tap it side to side, up and down with a rubber mallet, then make sure the bar will turn in the coupler and try it again. Some times the gimbal bearing gets bumped out of position and/or the coupler is dry. Lube it up, then try it again.

 

[ziggy]

Re: alignment question

While you can get away with turning the bearing around, it's not a good idea. The bearings are matched parts, and you want ot stick good insides in a possibly bad outer. Do it right!

man, that's two strikes for me. kinked hose possiblity and now this.....

i did this, method A.."http://www.mercstuff.com/gimbalbearing1.htm" used their brg too..... i take it yer saying that is not the merc approved way of R&Rin a gimble brg.......i wondered about the brg. and carrier being matched. another guess i shoulda ask first things.......least i'm trying. and learning a few things not to do it seems....

Some times the gimbal bearing gets bumped out of position and/or the coupler is dry.

the old brg. coulda used a few more pumps than i was giving it but it wasn't dry. coulda got bumped.......i don't know. i didn't really understand how to move the brg. around in the carrier till i removed the old one and reinstalled the new one......i feel my alignment is ok at this point. bar goes in evenly at 12,3,6,9 o'clock now. just had to adj. the ft. motor mount down 1 3/4 turns..... guess my question was more wondering about the boat. the haveing to adj. it down 1 3/4 turns..........now wondering what to do about the gimble brg. now that its replaced but not done proper....... three strikes and i'd be out.........

 

[Don S]

Re: alignment question

Merc SPECIFICALLY says NOT to replace only the inside. I'll see if I can't find the service bulletin, but it was an old one, and nothing has changed.
If you had to adjust the engine down, I would bet the rear motor mounts are going bad.

 

[Don S]

Re: alignment question

Well, that was easy to find.
Service Bulletin 85-26......... Told you it was an old one

http://www-alt.mercurymarine.com/mnetdata/Service/Cruiser/Bullet/85/85_26.pdf

 

[ziggy]

Re: alignment question

guess i'm feeling a little lead astray by method A right now........

sure can't argue with a serive bullitin....... i definetly get a strike for useing method A i would say.......hope someone else benifits from this thread before they do it wrong too.........

If you had to adjust the engine down, I would bet the rear motor mounts are going bad.

thanks dons.......that's what i was thinking. that haveing to adj. that much must be telling be something. i just didn't know what it was.......

 

[ziggy]

Re: alignment question

While you can get away with turning the bearing around, it's not a good idea. The bearings are matched parts, and you want ot stick good insides in a possibly bad outer. Do it right!

ok, hopefully i'm better off. i done it right dons.....thanks for the heads up...

got away sinfull i thought doing it too.......rented a three jaw brg. puller, for free. just a deposit i got back. it slamed out with a few good slams, 5.5 lbs weight.....up to the mercruiser store and got me a quiksilver brg. while i was there i vocalized my sadness that i didn't have a gimble brg. install tool......ut oh, guess the mechs there are starting to know me by first name and said i could borrow their mercruiser install tool......sweet.......said if i could have it back by monday that'd be cool with them.......got it back to them within the hour.....went home, hammered her in....the oem tool is sweet with the plate on the bellhouseing to keep ya straight with the world....went in easy. 40 pumps, snap ring with my home made chineze 16'' needle nose pliers converted to internal snap ring pliers.....i'm back to alignment.....didn't just go in......gonna have to try tommorow and see where it leads me......maybe up 1 3/4 would be good........

in the end i wasted $40 for a brg. only that i shouldn't have tried to do. at least it wasn't to hard of a lesson.....it coulda been worse........$ wise....

that's my story.........

so far......

 

[Don S]

Re: alignment question

If you had the alignment right before you changed the gimbal bearing, then just changing the gimbal bearing will not change the alignment. Like I said earlier, bump the alignment bar side to side etc. till it centers the gimbal bearing and make sure the coupler is not dry (COUPLER, not gimbal bearing)
[see the #3 post in this thread, second quote]

 

[ziggy]

Re: alignment question

If you had the alignment right before you changed the gimbal bearing, then just changing the gimbal bearing will not change the alignment. Like I said earlier, bump the alignment bar side to side etc. till it centers the gimbal bearing

yep, that's just what the mechs said at the dealer to me today....
for all the coupler grease i've been smearin on my bar. i can't think that it'd be dry. but i will look......

nothing sayin i did it(the alignment) right the first time either.....but felt like i was hip......it's been a long day, might have to go out in the dark and tap it around alittle.....my wondering might get the best of me..... might not too.......it's been a long day today....... got things accomplished. so thats cool.....