nordic95

Are the XR couplers and the heavy duty couplers interchangable as far as the inner transome plate is concerned???. The reason I am asking is that I helping a friend out whos has a misalignment issue we are trying to resolve. Ever since the boat was rigged when new the drive has never lined up right and he has burned up one coupler in 40 hours of use.He has removed the heavy duty and installed the XR coupler and the motor now seems like it is hitting the snout of the coupler against the inner plate.When we install the bell housing bolts into the plate they go in at an angle,like the motor needs to go back towards the plate but it seems like the snout is holding it.Any one ever run into this before?Or have any idea what we should look for?We already know the front mounts were installed wrong as far as being square to the drive line.I removed the front mounts while working on the rear mount but for some reason we just cant get the motor to go back far enought to get the bolts to go straight down like they should.

Nordic95

Hot Boat

Did you ask Dr. Accor.

nordic95

ASK HIM,NO WAY. I just gave him the boat,let him fix the darn thing himself.

Big Block Billy

The newer style plates have the spring washers located differently if at all. The motormount bushings in the bell housing are made differently. This is one of the changes that allow easier installation of a motor even with the drive on. The new vulcanized bushings are longer and this seems very indicative why this is happening and why the angle seems off in the rear... Hope this helps...... BBB

nordic95

Billy,


This is what i'm trying to figure out.This is what we know so far:
1) Boat wa originally rigged by second party,not factory.
2)Boat is a 2001,not sure on transom
3)motor has been swithced out two or three different times for differnt blocks,cubic inches,efi,carb,ect,during original owers time frame.
4)now we have a mis alignment issue and we are not sure if the bell housing is the one that matches the transom plate or not.Could have come from any where.
How can I tell,or find info on the different style bell housings and transome plates???

Thanks Nordic95

nordic95

I have done some research of all transom bravo plates and bell housings

1) All inner transom plates from 1990 up to present are the same Merc part number for Bravo 1,X,XR,2,3. So I cant see having the wrong or different plate.

2)All Merc. big blocks use the same flywheel housing for all years except one series of motor,and that was the 500 Bull Dog series,even the 500 EFI was the standard as all big blocks.

So if we have the 500 Bull Dog flywheel housing it would still have to work with the stock inner transom plate because they are all the same for all models and years.

I even checked all the #s on the bushings, spacers and bolts and they are all the same for all models and years.

Something has to be set up wrong on the boat.

Thanks Nordic

Big Block Billy

What im saying is that the bushings in the bell housings or even the bell housings may have been replaced , and the newer bushings are taller and have about 1/4" more metal on the bottom where the through bolt goes through. Don't count on them being installed properly either.
This is just a suggestion, but could be a strong possibility. I wish I could see exactly what you have.
Also be leary of non-merc alignment tools. The real tool is $87 from Merc not a cheap ballpark alignment tool that may be out of spec or incomplete...

Mbam

The inners & flywheel housings are all the same. As Billy says the newer housings have different rear mounts, they DO NOT use the double spring washer like the older ones. If you use the washers the rear of the engine will be about 1/4 inch too high.

Pesky Varmint

Just a comment on an experience with the "new style"
rear mounts:

They come with an optional washer (not a double wound
lockwasher, a regular washer). The instructions tell you
it is only necessary if the front of the engine cannot be
raised high enough?? I expect they are referring to standard
mount installations anyway.

I found out the hard way, with my offshore mounts on
both of my 575SCi's in a 35 Nordic, that I must use the
optional washer. Doing so the alignment was perfect. I
would tend to think that any offshore mount installation
would require them then.

Pesky Varmint

nordic95

Is this a double fiber washer?Or a metal washer?? The rear of this motor is sitting about 1/4" low.By looking at the inner plate and the snout it looks like the snout is sitting on the lower lip that surrounds the hole through the plate.I can get it looking close if I lower the front of the motor about 1", but then the alignment is way off.

Thanks Nordic95