engine pulling advice

[jjek]

We have to pull a 3.0l mercuiser motor to replace a bad oil pan. Any tips or tricks for a back yard mechanic....JJEK

 

[ziggy]

Re: engine pulling advice

i just did that job a few weeks ago on my rig.... same job. R&R the pan...
i planned for the deed and thought about what i was gonna do for weeks in advance. i read the s/m over to be sure i understood what needed to take place.
i have an Aframe i made for my last boat. i tried it out for size prior to doing the deed. i opted for R&Ring the pan with the engine pulled but not removed. if your gonna remove it think about how high ya gotta go to clear the boat and also if the chain is long enough to lower it back down onto the ground to get it on a stand or whatever.

have your ducks in a row if your gonna do any other work while the engine is pulled.

have your parts on hand..

replace the stater bolts if you need to remove it. use real stater bolts with the knurling.

i pulled my drive and unhooked the engine in one day.
i pulled the engine and R&Red the pan + put the engine back where i found it the next day.
i hooked everything back up, did my alignment and put it back to biz as usual the 3rd day.

i didn't even miss a weekend of boating...

good luck with your project.

if ya can find one. get one of them red things i got in my pic. don't know what it's called but my neighbor had it and it's used for leveling the engine fore and aft. i had very minimal clearance to pull my engine. this devise saved the day being able to tilt the engine...

edit. use a old box or two to lay inside the boat so ya don't get it all messy with lub and the likes... the cardboard will save the day..

 

[jjek]

Re: engine pulling advice

thanks ziggy for the info. I have read about an "alignment tool $119.00". I am assuming that it is to make sure there is not binding in the linkage with the stern drive unit "preventing wobble". Did you align with the "tool" or some other method.

 

[ziggy]

Re: engine pulling advice

the alignment bar is used to align the coupler and gimble brg. they have to be straight. real straight...

there is no sub for the alignment bar. i procrastinated about getting one. i wish i hadn't. if you do any work on your drive it's a must have item. the sooner ya get one, the sooner you'll feel good about being able to pull the drive and do the job proper. which is check the alignment if the drive is off..

 

[fraannk]

Re: engine pulling advice

"Alignment bar" on ebay for 40 dollars including shipping.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-...tQ5fPartsQ5fAccessoriesQ5fGear#ht_3544wt_1165

 

[smartwork]

Re: engine pulling advice

Looks like I may be doing the same removal but for a flywheel gear. What is the height of your top beam and did you already have the pulley to lift it out?

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: engine pulling advice

You can get the alignment tool on Amazon as well for around $40. Pulling the engine is fairly easy actually. Much easier than a car. The big issue is getting it up and over the back of the boat. We used a tow truck the first time, but at $65 to show up and then $25 per 15 minutes onsite, that proved to be a bit expensive. We borrowed a friends front end loader to put it back in. The "a-frame" looking thing in post 2 works too, but when I priced out wood it was gonna cost a fortune. Then I needed to store it someplace and I am hoping to not have to do this again for many years, so it would be in the way.

Basically follow the instructions in the manual, and its a fairly easy pull.

 

[ziggy]

Re: engine pulling advice

The "a-frame" looking thing in post 2 works too, but when I priced out wood it was gonna cost a fortune. Then I needed to store it someplace and I am hoping to not have to do this again for many years, so it would be in the way.

yep, i made that Aframe several years ago. best recollection is it cost me round abouts $120 + hardware. so yes, not to cheap. i am on my second boat engine pull though and it won't surprise me if i pull one again sometime in the future. yep, it's a pain to store. i just put it off to the side of my yard kinda in the trees. biggest head ache is mowing around it.

What is the height of your top beam and did you already have the pulley to lift it out?

11' 2''. the 4x4 legs are 12'. i got the chain hoist it self probably at harbor freight or the likes. only a 1 ton. if i had it to do again. i'd look at length of the chain as the one i got i've pretty much used the full length of it... it's close to not clearing the boat w/engine attached and close to not reaching the ground w/ engine attached. but it does both...

 

[smartwork]

Re: engine pulling advice

For a one shot deal, do you think the same could be done with 3 sides of scaffolding with a beam across the top?

 

[fraannk]

Re: engine pulling advice

my scaffolding is only 7 feet and the beam of my boat was more than that. I just used a normal auto engine hoist on the last setting.

 

[smartwork]

Re: engine pulling advice

I just used a normal auto engine hoist on the last setting.

And that was high enough, eh? I just checked our rental place here and they have an auto hoist (that's actually a tow behind and then flip down), but I didn't think it would be high enough with the boat trailered. On that note, does anyone know if I can change the flywheel gear by just raising the engine and not removing it all the way?

 

[Steven D]

Re: engine pulling advice

For a one shot deal, do you think the same could be done with 3 sides of scaffolding with a beam across the top?

I did mine with a couple of sections of scaffold and a 12" truss beam across. Tied the scaffold together with a 12' pipe and cheeseboro's for added stability. I feel safer with (load rated) steel over my head rather than wood as I'm hoisting 700 lbs of engine around...

 

[KRH1326]

Re: engine pulling advice

Consider giving your local tool rental place a call, to check for a price.

A forklift rental for a weekend may prove to be slightly more costly than what you might build, but I can say that using one was key for my engine work.

I do concede that I just borrowed one from where I work, but it was a breeze having power and mobility.

I have also used a backhoe / excavator. My neighbor has one for his business.

 

[fraannk]

Re: engine pulling advice

My engine hoist is just one I got from Harbor Freight.

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-capacity-shop-crane-7620.html

I used it on the 1/2 ton setting and it cleared the back of the boat. In the description is says maximum lift is 117 inches. That is almost 10 feet. To attach it to the engine I used the 4 feet of chain off my anchor and got it as tight across the attach points as I could. If you get one from a rental place make sure it has an arm that can reach out far enough to get enough height.

 

[acuraguy81]

Re: engine pulling advice

a cherry picker usually works if the boat is not to large mine is 21 foot i can do it. some come out the side with the picker. or you can us the rafters in a garage with a come along and pull the boat out from under it after lifting it out.

 

[bigskiohio]

Re: engine pulling advice

i used cherry picker just cleared. abut 1 hr to pull 1hour to fix and 1hr to replace so like 12 hrs thats my project math.

 

[Alpheus]

Re: engine pulling advice

Last time I pulled my engine a couple of weeks ago I had it out ans sitting on the driveway in 38 minutes...

Cherry picker works for me. I just have to let the air out of the tires to get the extra clearance I need...

 

[smartwork]

Re: engine pulling advice

Maybe you experienced engine-pullers can estimate this for me. I'm "just" needing to change the flywheel ring gear. It's in a Bayliner Capri that certainly doesn't have any complex engine compartment. Do you think this is something that can be done by raising the engine, but without swinging out of the boat? Reason I ask is that the differences in those clearances may offer me alternative options for lifting the engine.

 

[Alpheus]

Re: engine pulling advice

I pulled one out of a capri too.

If you disconnect everything and lift the engine high enough to spin it sideways you could change the flywheel...

You can see here that I had the engine lifted just enough to spin it around to tighten up a bolt I missed...

 

[smartwork]

Re: engine pulling advice

Thanks for the photos and the pulling info. Where did you get those chains between the hook and the engine and what do they look like up toward the hook? Are those specific for engine-pulling?