Engine Alignment
 

we're going to drop my motors in my 311 this weekend ...Any tips or advice on engine Alignment? We replaced all the stringers ... I did make a template and the mounts should be close ...but I'm sure it wont be ....:cool: ........m

Do you have the tool? Do you have adjustable or plate mounts? Use weather strip adhesive to glue your fiber washer in place, don't forget spring washer positioned in the fiber washer.
Jim

Jim .. yes have a tool ..adjustable mounts ..and I have new fiber and springs ....

Bravo 1 setup ...use rear mount washers ect as book shows ? Seems I read where a washer or spring was omitted ?

I might be thinking of not using the spring when you mock up a block for solid mounts ? I was going to solid mounts but was convinced not too .... thanks for the input ......m

The alignment will be off without the spring lock washer. If someone did a mock up with out it, they wasted a lot of time or it was off in the end. Use the tab washers to lock the lower nut in place. Double check first engine after second is installed.
Jim

thanks Jim .... been a long haul... Jan 2006 ...Im ready to get er done .....

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...d.php?t=121456

I always use shims and washers to lock my rear mounts in place. This stops any motion in the rear mount.
Been doing this for years now.

If you replaced the rear motor mounts the springs were omitted. There should be a note in the bag the mount comes in telling you not to use the springs with these mounts.

BT .. you referring to the rubber bushings in the Flywheeel housing ?

The springs were omitted if you installed new rubber bushings in the flywheel housing. I can email you the service bulletin if you need it.

Got em in .... 3 times .... put em in ... oil cooler hit the inner plate where the internal steering mounts ..pulled them out and cut the bracket off ...put em in and oil cooler hits the steering tiller ... pull em out .. cut the tiller .... Put em back in in the rain ......:cool:

Question ..... we got the alignment close but I still want to fine tune ... Is it ok to make adjustments without taking the weight off the mounts ?

Yes, Just set it down firm and adjust. It is easier with out full weight. When you get it right double check with full weight before cutting chain loose. Good idea to double check first motor after second motor is set.
Jim

What happened to the silent thunder box?

settle down ... its going back on ... :)

Looked like the bolt holes were filled. Threw me a curve:(

I was getting ready to make a weekend run to Jax:)

yea we filled em all with "west System" and are going to redrill them ....

Don't mean to hijack thread but I have a question about the motor mount. I have a motor that I noticed is sitting lower on one side. I looked at the mount and the nut on the top of the stud is at the top like the other side but the nut on the underside has lowered all the way to the bottom making the engine drop down. There is some sort of little plates sticking out like a lock washer. Do you just try to tighten the nut up to bring the motor back up or do you have to pull engine up with hoist to relieve pressure?

Chances are good that as the motor moved down it ate the threads on the stud on the port side. The little plate thing is a tab washer used to lock the lower nut. The right thing to do is locate an alignment tool, remove the drive raise the motor back into alignment. If you decide to raise and guess the height you can try without a hoist, It is just a matter of how damaged the threads have become. You may get lucky. If you do lock the tabs so the nut cant move again.
If you run with the engine out of alignment you risk blowing your coupling, if that happens you will be pulling your engine.Good luck Jim

If the threads are wasted on the stud than do you have to replace the whole mount? Would that mean you have to pull the motor? The top nut is still in place so I would assume than if the threads were okay than I would just have to keep turning lower till engine went up to the top nut.

If the threads are damaged yes. You may have to lift the motor a little but not out. Maybe its possible to jack the side up enough to unload the mount. Access and working room will dictate how to go about it. If you don't think the top nut moved and you can raise the motor chalk it up to good luck.
Jim

I guess not being properly "locked" with the lock nut and tab would allow the nut to work its way down ?

Yes, It seems it is more common a problem on the port side. The torque of the motor seems to lift the weight off the mount and makes it easier for the nut to move. The tab locks the lower nut and the lock washer and/or polyloc nut locks the top. You need both locked.
Jim

how do you un-lock the lower nut? Do you bend the tabs? It looks like it has one tab going up the the mount and one going down over the nut.

anyone?

the one on the Mount is fixed ...just bend the one on the nut

neither are fixed. One is bent up to the mount and one is bent down over the lower nut.

By the way it is the starboard side that is dropped.

Any things possible, I've seen many that fell until the alt. hit the stringers. Anyway the tabs lock to the mount on engine and around the nut, holding the nut to the mount from engine. Its a tab washer and just bend in place. If you replace the mount get a new tab washer. One of the tabs is intended to go up and hold the engine side of mount and the remaining tabs offer different positions to lock to nut. It is not easy to see when its in place but the up tab is different from the others.
Jim

During Alignment ...The Brackets bolted to the stringers are sloted to allow movement of the front mounts ..Is that not a major factor in alignment ? I am thinking with rear bolts in place and torqued that the front mounts will have a natural position between the stringers ? So all the adjustment is up or down ?

I had one drop about 1" after a long road trip on rough roads. The tabs suck if you don't get the down really well. I brought the lower nut up, the threads were OK, and bent the tabs best I could. Later, I took a C-Clamp to bend opposing tabs so the washer didn't slip and not allow the tab's to bend all the way over.

That was about 70 hours and 2 years ago and it's still good to go.

I about flipped as I idled out with the hatch open for the first run after getting there and saw the motor bouncing all over. :D Needless to say, it went right back to the dock and I rode with someone else. :cool-smiley-011:

Offthefront- you are correct. Tighten back set front height.
Jim

The threads looked good so I tightened the nut up and everything seems to be okay. I will test this weekend. Thanks guys.:cool-smiley-011:

As long as you don't turn the upper lock nut, chances are your alignment will be back on par. 1 of my previous boats would always back the lower nuts down. The locking tabs where new and never showed signs of being bent out allowing the nut to turn. After several tiimes of retightening the lower nut back up, I made a pipe spacer to fit over the threads and against the nut. problem solved.

Port Motor aligned right up ... Starboard Motor will not let the tool into the coupler ...looks like the rear is too low .. the tool hits the top of the splines .. moved the front of the motor down and up to the limit without success ... I guess pull the rear bolts and see what happens ? m

Off the front, sometimes a coupler that has some time and wear on it will sharpen the splines and prevent the tool from sliding in. The rear is not adjustable. Also use tool to rotate gimble in its race, make sure the bearing isn't directing the tool up.
Jim

The couplers are in good shape .. Square tips on the splines ... I loosened the rear mounts and and can now insert the tool , But tight ..there is more adjustment to lower the front but dodged rain all day ... This is with the rear mounts loose so stll not sure where the problem is .... I am 99% sure the spring and leather washer are in place ...but still need to make sure .....

With the front mounts down and rear mounts torqued the tool will not slide in ..
Loosen the left rear mount 3 turns and it slides right in ...

offthefront, sorry I just got back to this thread. I was talking about the rubber mounts installed in the transom plate. The spring washer sits on top of them. The new mounts do not use the spring. This is only if the mounts were replaced.

Off the front, sorry to hear its fighting you. Was the transom plate off during repairs? Its possible the mount in bellhousing has failed. You probably would have been aware of a problem before you pulled motors. Did you move the gimble bearing around to make sure it is aligned?
Have you checked rear hardware to ensure everything is in its place?
Jim

I was looking at your pics and wondering, You replaced your stringers. On a wild guess I wonder if your coupling has taken a slight out of center set. If the motors were out of alignment when you pulled them. Try rotating motor and recheck to see if it may change.
Jim

Jim .. before we tore the stringers out I made a template of plywood ... bolted to the TA and both front mounts .. When replaced the stringers we left one side of each stringer and replaced the core with HD foam and then glassed in the other side .... we left the holes in the original sides and redrilled thru those holes ... I'm sure the new stringers are not the same width as the old ones ..But With the plywood templates we got the studs on the mounts pretty close to the orignal setup ..
I will rotate the motor and see what happens .. One possibility is that the spring poped out when we droped the motor in ....I looked in the bilge and could not find it but it also could be lying on the TA somewhere .. I'm thinking the only way to find out if its not there is to lift the motor ... thanks....m