Engine mount repair question

[scb1712]

Hi all,

I'm still working on a variety of small issues on my 2001 Glastron 175Sx. The current challenge is what to do about replacing/repairing one of the lag bolts that holds the starboard side engine mount in place.

One of the engine mount bolts is completely rusted out and just lifts right out of hole. I can actually drop a size larger lag bolt in without it touching anything either. Now - i'm a bit perpelxed as my understanding of this generation VEC constructed Glastron was that there was no wood used in the construction. So i'm not sure how the bolt rotting out would have taken anything else with it.

However, i'm still left with the question of how to repair this engine mount?? Do i just use the largest lag bolt that will bite into anything? My other thought was to pour in epoxy and let it harden then drill it out to the size of the original lag bolt. However - i don't know what's under the mount so i'm not sure if the epoxy would just pour into either the bilge or the hull somewhere.

Any thoughts??

Thanks,

Scb

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Engine mount repair question

Well, perhaps there is wood in that boat, at least in the engine mount . . . so you need to ask yourself why the lag bolt came loose (the wood rotted).

How is the other lag bolt? My thoughts are that you need to probe the hole for the loose lag bolt and find out more about what is going on. If there is wood and it has rotted, then pouring in epoxy would not really do much as it will have nothing to grab on to.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: Engine mount repair question

I've never seen Glastron make a "100% wood free" claim...even today I don't see this on their website. I have, however, seen them brag that their VEC boats have "wood free stringers". Note the careful use of their adding the word "stringers" to that claim....

But this does not mean their VEC hull engine mount locations were or are not made of wood.

I do not know for certain whether or not they are wood, but based on your description, I am quite certain you have wood engine mounts, they are soaked solid with water, and no oversizing of lag screws or filling with epoxy will provide sufficient strength of structure at this location. It's pretty easy to figure out for sure whether this is a wood section or not...just dig around in that hole with a screwdriver or similar tool and see if some hunks of dark brown wet mulch comes out. If yes, it's wood, and it needs to be replaced.

At this point it's time to start cutting. Remove or suspend the engine as needed to allow safety and room to work, and start enlarging that hole, gradually cutting away until you stop finding wet mulch in side it. Eventually you'll clean out all the rotted wood out of a good sized fiberglass cavity, then you can glass a piece of new wood into place, and you'll have fresh attaching point for your lag bolt.

If one side mount is gone, the other side will soon follow. If you intend to keep this boat a while, then I suggest while you're at you should probe inside the other holes with an awl or something to see if it's also soft, or maybe you got lucky and it's still good wood over there and can get by with only fixing the one side...

FWIW, this is the Volvo section and this really is not a Volvo question. You'll get better response and more specific instructinos on how to fix this by postingh it maybe in the "restoration repair" section of these forums.

 

[scb1712]

Re: Engine mount repair question

Thanks - i've moved the post to the Restoration/repair section

 

[rickryder]

Re: Engine mount repair question

I guess the Mods moved it too You will have to check the mount to see what's in there....I would bet wood... if that's the case you'll need to cut it open and replace the wood core and reglass it in...someone just did a mount a few weeks ago.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=540003

 

[fat fanny]

Re: Engine mount repair question

Call and or e-mail them and ask them straight out whats down there? Or do as rick said your gonna have to get in there sooner or later. I would be cutting a section out as we speak and prepping a mold for seacast and then recap with a deep threaded boss in the mold. Good luck!

 

[oops!]

Re: Engine mount repair question

pull the motor........and drill an over sized hole in the lag hole.

the shavings will tell you what is going on.....

if the shavings are dry and allow a wood flour thickened epoxy to grab something......then you can fill the hole....and re drill it....and lag it.

if the shavings are bad.....well.....you have more work.

as far as the other side being the same......this is a valid point. drill it while you are there.

 

[scb1712]

Re: Engine mount repair question

Did some quick poking around with an awl and the wood seems dry and solid. I will have to drill it out and fill with wood flour/epoxy mix or maybe just a bigger lag bolt. If i can replace it with an oversized lag bolt i'll go that route as i'm kinda hoping to get it through the season without pulling the engine.

 

[oops!]

Re: Engine mount repair question

pulling a motor in a boat is a really easy thing.

with out being there ....it is hard to tell if you could over lag.....this will depend on the holes in the isolator base, and the angle of the holes.

a rusted out lag, means water. so something is fishy.

you are in ont......so you are in fresh water. i think there is more than you can see or probe.

 

[scb1712]

Re: Engine mount repair question

The boat is in Ontario now, but i pretty much made every mistake in the book when i bought it last year used.:facepalm: Turns out it was a Florida boat used in salt water. Spent the winter trying to get the seized together out drive apart for winterizing and we spent much of last season chasing an over heating issue caused by salt damaged exhaust. The first time we had it in to a mechanic, they asked me if she'd ever sunk which really makes me wonder...

As a result - since she's mostly sea worthy now, i'd really like to be able to use it this summer rather than work on it. The holes for the lags are pretty much completely verticle. I'll see if i can post a couple of pics so you can have a look.

 

[oops!]

Re: Engine mount repair question

yes...please post pics...

this is a link to a similar situation.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=544884&goto=newpost

 

[scb1712]

Re: Engine mount repair question

Ok - so there have been some interesting developments as far as this little problem goes. The first, is that i have been able to contact Glastron and they have told me that there is indeed no wood in the hull of my boat at all. They even attached an old brochure of their VEC construction which also indicates that there is no wood used in the construction.


Based on that information, i was able to do some addtional poking around and have come to the conclusion that the original bolt was installed into a small space (1/4) between the hull and deck pieces. This is where the screwdriver is inserted in the photo. What i've also noticed is that the starboard side engine mount was installed on an angle as opposed to the port side one which is aligned bow-stern. The yellow line in the photo indicates the bow-stern alignment.


As near as i can figure, the only reason for installing it like this is because to align it parallell to the bow-stern will mean it will be impossible to use a ratchet with socket on the lag bolts due to the design of the mount itself. So this leaves me with a couple of questions.
1) is there any reason other than ease of intallation that the port mount might have been installed on an angle?
2) does anyone see any issue with me drilling two new holes aligned bow-stern to reinstall the mount?
3) what purpose does the gasket that sits between the mount and the hull serve?