Alignment help
 

First time trying to check engine alignment and after searching forum thought I had a handle on it. Just a few questions before I decide alignment is off and have to adjust mounts. How far should the tool go in. Right now it just stops as soon as it goes into the gimbal bearing about an inch. Tried tapping with a rubber mallet in 4 directions but still will not go in any farther. Smeared some grease on tool and will not slide in any farther. Am I doing this wrong??? Finger is where the tool is stopping.

Sounds like you are doing it correctly. Next step is to get a hoist hooked up to a center point on the front of the engine. Loosen the front mount nuts and raise engine above what you know is acceptable. Now while lowering engine, continually try to get tool to go into coupler, by hand. Should start to go in further at some point. Once it does start to move in, do the mallet trick again in all four directions to make sure the spherical part of the gimble bearing is aligned. Eventually you should be able to slide the tool in to a definitive stop as it bottoms out. If you don't get that, something is wrong. I usually raise the engine up and down a few times as I feel the tool go from not fitting to, getting better to, goes in all the way, to getting worse again, then repeat until proper center can be established.

Good luck,

BT :cool:

Dick is not entering the coupler. Bearing is angled off so as to prevent insertion into coupler. Pull up and down on tool after insertion into bearing only and feel it move around. It will loosen up as you move it. Once bearing centers on coupler you should be able to push it into coupler and them begin your grease testing. If bearing ring does not move around it may be frozen.

Also, it does not look like you are using Mercury Coupler grease. It should be blue.

Ed B

Since I do not have a hoist, should I raise engine up with the mounts until it goes in(or down as necessary?) And you are right is not right grease, it is on order but wanted to go ahead and begin process. Gimble bearinr rotates freely in all directions, and everything appears lined up to the naked eye, although I am sure that just a few turns of nuts on mounts can make the difference. Thanks for the advice and as soon as I can get another set of hands over here will try again.

Also how do you get to the grease fittings that go on the coupler? I can see them now that the outdrive is removed. Also, the up and down trick worked as the tool will now go in until I feel it hit the coupler, but does not feel like it will go into the coupler, so alignment is off I assume. Thanks for the tip and hope I can adjust this without the use of a hoist.

Something I do that makes the process real easy is to insert a 1" O.D. shaft into the coupler. Then look at how it goes through the bearing as you wiggle it and you will know which way you have to go. I have a lathe so I usually just measure the primary bore in the coupler and make the shaft the same size but its usually somewhere around 1".

Sometimes the rear mounts delaminate trom the rubber and one side of the motor can drop slightly.If the things the guys say above don't seem to work it could be rear engine mounts. Merc also makes a mount for their diesel bell housing that has a steel outside case instead of alumn.They fit in the standard Bravo bell too.

Greased the tip of alignment tool and slid it in until I feel it hit the coupler, pull it out and has marks on the bottom front edge of tool, so motor is too low in the front, right??? Will try and adjust it tomorrow. Thanks again for the help and will check the rear mounts also.

Yes, that is typically what happens. There is a locking tab that is supposed to keep the lower nut from working its way down but very few if anyone uses the locking tab correctly. Try and just tighten-up the bottom nuts until they are tight and check the alignment again. When you have the alignment correct, one tab should face up towards the outside of the mount and then bend the other tabs down around the nut to keep it from coming loose again. Lots of torque too.

On the rear mounts, stick your finger between the flywheel housing boss and the transom assembly boss. Then check the other side. They should be close. If one feels like there is less gap then the other, it may have failed.

After you get it right, turn the motor over 180 degrees and check it again. This will let you know if the coupler is running true with the crank.