Bravo one drive coupler question
11-24-2016 | 11:52 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Registered
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
From: Houston, Texas
Bravo one drive coupler question
Not sure if this goes here or not since its not an actual drive question. Did a search and didn’t come up with any real answers.
Mild build a few years ago on 454 mags, bravo one drives
.
Back story. Few months ago I was servicing one of my bravo ones. In doing so I checked the engine alignment. Found the alignment bar to be cocked a little to one side when checked against the drive mounting face of the bell housing. After rotating the engine 180, the alignment bar almost wouldn’t go into the splines. My first thought was engine was out of alignment. After hours of back and forth I never did find that sweet spot where it should be. But it is better. No separation between the rubber and steel outer housing, bubbling of the rubber ect to indicate excessive wear or possible future failure. The splines in the coupler have a little wear but nothing I would call in need of replacement. I’ve spent the last few months pondering and researching a potential cause and fix
.
Fast forward to today. I put a dial indicator on the outside steel housing of the coupler itself. Spun the engine over with the starter, about 6 or 7 revolutions to get and average reading. I got a reading of .050 out of round. Then I put the dial indicator on the splined drive shaft its self. Got a reading of .025. To have a reference point I put the same set up and did the same test on the port engine. Again on the splined drive shaft itself, got a reading of .008-.010. I also checked the engine to see how much it moves during cranking, to check the accuracy of the readings, it did not move at all.
I had to go rescue a friend a couple of weeks ago that broke down. Heading out to him I ran the boat at WOT @5000 rpm for a min to see if I felt any slippage or abnormalities. Other than a high pitched squeal at 4800-5000, which I think is a loose belt, I did find a belt that’s looser than I would like it to be, it’s since fixed. Everything felt looked and sounded as fine.
Now to my question. Do I have an out of alignment motor on one side? An out of round coupler? Is there something else that I’m not seeing? Or are these measurements within reason and I’m worrying about something that’s normal. I realize the only way to truly know is to pull the engine. Obviously I’d rather not do that if I don’t have to. If I do, I need to pull it this weekend due to time constraints.
Expert help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Mild build a few years ago on 454 mags, bravo one drives
.
Back story. Few months ago I was servicing one of my bravo ones. In doing so I checked the engine alignment. Found the alignment bar to be cocked a little to one side when checked against the drive mounting face of the bell housing. After rotating the engine 180, the alignment bar almost wouldn’t go into the splines. My first thought was engine was out of alignment. After hours of back and forth I never did find that sweet spot where it should be. But it is better. No separation between the rubber and steel outer housing, bubbling of the rubber ect to indicate excessive wear or possible future failure. The splines in the coupler have a little wear but nothing I would call in need of replacement. I’ve spent the last few months pondering and researching a potential cause and fix
.
Fast forward to today. I put a dial indicator on the outside steel housing of the coupler itself. Spun the engine over with the starter, about 6 or 7 revolutions to get and average reading. I got a reading of .050 out of round. Then I put the dial indicator on the splined drive shaft its self. Got a reading of .025. To have a reference point I put the same set up and did the same test on the port engine. Again on the splined drive shaft itself, got a reading of .008-.010. I also checked the engine to see how much it moves during cranking, to check the accuracy of the readings, it did not move at all.
I had to go rescue a friend a couple of weeks ago that broke down. Heading out to him I ran the boat at WOT @5000 rpm for a min to see if I felt any slippage or abnormalities. Other than a high pitched squeal at 4800-5000, which I think is a loose belt, I did find a belt that’s looser than I would like it to be, it’s since fixed. Everything felt looked and sounded as fine.
Now to my question. Do I have an out of alignment motor on one side? An out of round coupler? Is there something else that I’m not seeing? Or are these measurements within reason and I’m worrying about something that’s normal. I realize the only way to truly know is to pull the engine. Obviously I’d rather not do that if I don’t have to. If I do, I need to pull it this weekend due to time constraints.
Expert help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
