Drive / coupler alignment issue is kicking my ass!
06-06-2011, 05:20 PM
#21
http://www.cpperformance.com/c-278-drive-couplers.aspx
this is the coupler everyone here told me to run, its $349, better than $500!
to be honest i would have replaced it anyway, that $349 is well spent IMO than banking on a 500 hour coupler living long and having to pull the motor all over again just to replace that.
my coupler splines were toast, surprised they didnt snap off. funny part is the alignment tool fit it just fine, my guess is because the splines were so worn...
I'm feeeling your pain though with all the "surprises"...... i found out over the weekend that my oem intake bolts dont work on a rpm air gap intake, would be nice if they told me that in the instructions so i could have ordered the right bolts with the manifold instead of now wasting ANOTHER 4 days waiting for parts again.....
then i went to put my new gear on my distributor for my new cam, and gee guess what IT WONT FRIGGEN FIT... some dingbat at mercruiser drilled the hole for the alignment pin crooked... now i know why the old pin came out so hard since it was BENT in order to fit through the holes that dont line up... now i need to find a new dist shaft and they dont sell the shaft separate........
this motor is supposed to be on the dyno in 7 days, all these little surprises are putting a serious dent in that dyno session happening.. I'm about ready to put this boat back in storage as my frustration level is getting pretty high with all the little surprises... i can only imagine what else i fond once this motor gets back in the boat...
this is the coupler everyone here told me to run, its $349, better than $500!
to be honest i would have replaced it anyway, that $349 is well spent IMO than banking on a 500 hour coupler living long and having to pull the motor all over again just to replace that.
my coupler splines were toast, surprised they didnt snap off. funny part is the alignment tool fit it just fine, my guess is because the splines were so worn...
I'm feeeling your pain though with all the "surprises"...... i found out over the weekend that my oem intake bolts dont work on a rpm air gap intake, would be nice if they told me that in the instructions so i could have ordered the right bolts with the manifold instead of now wasting ANOTHER 4 days waiting for parts again.....
then i went to put my new gear on my distributor for my new cam, and gee guess what IT WONT FRIGGEN FIT... some dingbat at mercruiser drilled the hole for the alignment pin crooked... now i know why the old pin came out so hard since it was BENT in order to fit through the holes that dont line up... now i need to find a new dist shaft and they dont sell the shaft separate........
this motor is supposed to be on the dyno in 7 days, all these little surprises are putting a serious dent in that dyno session happening.. I'm about ready to put this boat back in storage as my frustration level is getting pretty high with all the little surprises... i can only imagine what else i fond once this motor gets back in the boat...
06-06-2011, 10:01 PM
#23
Pulled the engine and removed the coupler tonight. Tool would not slide all the way in, even with the coupler sitting on the bench. Took a machinists file and filed the burrs down smooth. Now the tool slides right in. While I was at it, I put a much larger bevel on the alignment tool. The bevel was barely 1/16 inch. I put one on there that was a good 1/4 inch - more like the Bravo input shaft has.
Back to the coupler - I am really tempted to use it. Rubber looks fine, but I guess they all do right up until the time they fail. Teeth are pretty square. Question - I put the input shaft of my drive into the coupler, and it slides all the way in until the very back of the coupler. Should it go all the way through the back? It seems to taper back a little bit back there so it does not go all the way through.
Back to the coupler - I am really tempted to use it. Rubber looks fine, but I guess they all do right up until the time they fail. Teeth are pretty square. Question - I put the input shaft of my drive into the coupler, and it slides all the way in until the very back of the coupler. Should it go all the way through the back? It seems to taper back a little bit back there so it does not go all the way through.
06-06-2011, 10:39 PM
#24
Charter Member
Guess you could use it, ain't got nothing to loose if you don't mind changing it out later. But I understand the additonal cost issue involved. You do realize if you filed more off 1 side than the other, you'll be aligning the motor off center. It'll be ok at that point on every revolution till it all wears in evenly. 
Filing the splines and grinding the tool till it fits isn't text book material. The input shaft doesn't run on those tips you filed down, so really aren't aligning it. Chances are the drive will go on for the fact the splines have wear in them. The shaft is a little more forgiving than the tool.
Those teeth were pointed because material has been deformed and/or worn away. I don't see how it is possible for the splines to be good. Good enough to buy some time probably. How did it fell by twisting the shaft CW-CCW? Any free movement?
Run it.
Your input shaft feels tighter the more it enters because the coupler has less wear towards the back.
Filing the splines and grinding the tool till it fits isn't text book material. The input shaft doesn't run on those tips you filed down, so really aren't aligning it. Chances are the drive will go on for the fact the splines have wear in them. The shaft is a little more forgiving than the tool.Those teeth were pointed because material has been deformed and/or worn away. I don't see how it is possible for the splines to be good. Good enough to buy some time probably. How did it fell by twisting the shaft CW-CCW? Any free movement?
Run it.
Your input shaft feels tighter the more it enters because the coupler has less wear towards the back.
__________________
Some people are like Slinkies - Not really good for anything, but they
bring a smile to your face when pushed down the stairs.
Some people are like Slinkies - Not really good for anything, but they
bring a smile to your face when pushed down the stairs.
06-07-2011, 09:17 AM
#25
The very most I could have taken off the splines would be a thousandth or so. I would be surprised if that could affect alignment, as there is some slop factor. The splines are not pointed - they are pretty flat across the top. Otherwise I would have replaced it outright.
Is the drive input shaft supposed to be able to poke all the way through the coupler to the other side? The alignment tool goes all the way in until it hits the shoulder for the gimbal bearing, but the input shaft is slightly longer. It goes in fine until the very last 1/8 inch or so, then it gets too snug to go any further.
Is the drive input shaft supposed to be able to poke all the way through the coupler to the other side? The alignment tool goes all the way in until it hits the shoulder for the gimbal bearing, but the input shaft is slightly longer. It goes in fine until the very last 1/8 inch or so, then it gets too snug to go any further.
06-07-2011, 09:24 AM
#26
I guess I'm still on the fence with this one. New coupler is supposed to arrive with the boat dealer via overnight delivery today. My buddy had it ordered for me, as he assumed I was going to replace it anyway. I will be out the overnight delivery fees regardless, so if it gets here today, I will probably go ahead and use it. Otherwise, I'll probably stick the old one back in there and hope my luck changes.
06-07-2011, 01:24 PM
#27
The very most I could have taken off the splines would be a thousandth or so. I would be surprised if that could affect alignment, as there is some slop factor. The splines are not pointed - they are pretty flat across the top. Otherwise I would have replaced it outright.
Is the drive input shaft supposed to be able to poke all the way through the coupler to the other side? The alignment tool goes all the way in until it hits the shoulder for the gimbal bearing, but the input shaft is slightly longer. It goes in fine until the very last 1/8 inch or so, then it gets too snug to go any further.
Is the drive input shaft supposed to be able to poke all the way through the coupler to the other side? The alignment tool goes all the way in until it hits the shoulder for the gimbal bearing, but the input shaft is slightly longer. It goes in fine until the very last 1/8 inch or so, then it gets too snug to go any further.
__________________
Some people are like Slinkies - Not really good for anything, but they
bring a smile to your face when pushed down the stairs.
Some people are like Slinkies - Not really good for anything, but they
bring a smile to your face when pushed down the stairs.
Last edited by US1 Fountain; 06-07-2011 at 01:28 PM.
06-08-2011, 09:09 AM
#28
Well, my UPS overnight delivery for the coupler never made it, so I put the old one back in. Drive alignment went OK and drive went on without a fight. Hopefully I will get through the summer with no problems, and then I can assess replacing it over the winter. FWIW, splines still look good - big question is how long does the rubber hold up? Does it deteriorate with age? I am very careful about jacking the throttle out of the hole - I prefer to ease up on plane.
