79 Cobia/ Mercruiser 140 I/O project

[Wikkidd420]

First off, this is an amazing community that I am excited to be a part of! This is my first post, so hopefully I get everything right :lol:

Now for the question. I am hoping someone here can give me some advice on removing my Mercruiser 140 from my 79 Cobia Montecarlo. I have disconnected all electrical, throttle, and water/fuel lines from the motor. The problem I have is lifting the motor out. This boat has almost no clearance above the motor, and only the front 1/3 of the motor is clear of the body.

Has anyone removed a motor in a boat like this? I am thinking a counter-balanced lifting arm, with a weight near the console to keep the motor level for removal? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[dubs283]

Re: 79 Cobia/ Mercruiser 140 I/O project

is the portion cover the aft part of the motor part of the fiberglass top deck??

the more you can get out of the way the easier it will be

 

[fat fanny]

Re: 79 Cobia/ Mercruiser 140 I/O project

Remove the flame arestor and did you remove the outdrive? You may have to let the air out of the tires or even remove them and set the trailer on blocks then raise the tongue of the trailer as high as possible. Good luck and post back! And welcome aboard!!!!!

 

[Wikkidd420]

Re: 79 Cobia/ Mercruiser 140 I/O project

Thanks guys! The fiberglass portion you see in the picture is the rear part of the boat body, like the upper shell. After removing the flame arrestor, there is around 2" of clearance to that part of the shell from the top of the carb. Total, it's maybe 5" to the top of the valve cover. There doesn't seem to be a way to remove that part without cutting it and re-doing the glass work to put it back. I'm really hoping I don't have to go that far with it :faint2:

And the out drive was removed right before I bought the boat, as the bearings in it have seized and I will have to tear it down and rebuild it, but that will be another thread As far as the setup to lift it out, I believe I am going to put my engine hoist in the bed of my truck and back it up to the transom, to get the lift I need to pull it out. Then hopefully I will be able to lower it straight to an engine stand.

The main problem is the top clearance and being able to hook the back of the motor without ruining the shell. Quite the rock/hard place situation :facepalm:

 

[fat fanny]

Re: 79 Cobia/ Mercruiser 140 I/O project

Once it starts to lift move the hoist or trailer forward to give you more clearance then up and out!

 

[dubs283]

Re: 79 Cobia/ Mercruiser 140 I/O project

Once it starts to lift move the hoist or trailer forward to give you more clearance then up and out!

yep

there are very few boats that allow for a straight up engine pull, alomost every single one you have to move the motor forward before lifting up

what i would suggest is bolting your chain links together as low as you can, this will help get you clearance to the rear of the engine, and once the engine is up slide it forward

be glad you have one of the smallest sterndrive engine merc makes, ive had to pull big blocks with less room than you have

 

[fat fanny]

Re: 79 Cobia/ Mercruiser 140 I/O project

You could even make it a lil easier by removing the carb!

 

[Wikkidd420]

Re: 79 Cobia/ Mercruiser 140 I/O project

Thanks for the advice guys! I was really afraid I would have to take the top end of the motor down in place then lift it out, but if V8's come out of tighter spaces, I should be good :joyous: I should be able to tackle it this Saturday weather permitting, then order the parts and start on the electrical and blower cleanup while I wait. Is there anything you guys can think of that I should take a look at while the motor is out besides the bellows and such?

 

[Wikkidd420]

Re: 79 Cobia/ Mercruiser 140 I/O project

Ok, the weekend is here, and it is beautiful weather for an engine lift! I got my cherry picker set up today, and decided the only way to pull this thing is to slide the boat off the back of the trailer and build a cradle across the legs of the lift. So, who knows the best way to get the boat to slide back on the trailer? I am guessing a come-a-long to the transom, but where can I attach it?

 

[fat fanny]

Re: 79 Cobia/ Mercruiser 140 I/O project

Did you ever put any thought into removing the tires from the trailer and setting it onto blocks or jack stands for more clearance? Allot easier than sling rig off trailer!

 

[Wikkidd420]

Re: 79 Cobia/ Mercruiser 140 I/O project

I did, but the problem is getting the legs of the cherry picker far enough under the transom to be able to hook the motor, then have enough lift to get the motor over the back deck. It's anther beautiful day, so I will trying out some ideas shortly.

 

[dubs283]

Re: 79 Cobia/ Mercruiser 140 I/O project

sounds like you may have to ditch the cherry picker and find either a stout tree or build an a-frame over the top of the boat, using a block n tackle to raise the motor

if you search the forums there are some pretty good threads with photos of some folks' "back yard" set-ups

 

[Wikkidd420]

Re: 79 Cobia/ Mercruiser 140 I/O project

Well, today was a success! the motor is out, and teardown can start next weekend. I can't thank you guys enough for all the help. I ended up just having to muscle it out with the cherry picker...

It was a super close fit, but it turned out ok. I had to take the bolt out of the arm and once I raised the engine up a little, I used a hammer to tap the arm and extend it to get the engine off the rear mounts and out of the cave it was in :joyous:

Here are a few pics I took during...



Thanks again for all the help, and I look forward to getting advice from you all on the next steps

 

[fat fanny]

Re: 79 Cobia/ Mercruiser 140 I/O project

Good job keep us updated on the project

 

[Wikkidd420]

Re: 79 Cobia/ Mercruiser 140 I/O project

The weather in Alabama this weekend did not cooperate :-/ I did get a break in the rain to take a look at the motor, and actually got it to bar over from the flywheel. It turned over enough to push some ATF/PB Blaster mix out of one of the spark plug holes, so that was a relief. Still going to rebuild, but now hopefully I can hone the cylinders instead of boring them over I will update as time and weather allows.

 

[achris]

Re: 79 Cobia/ Mercruiser 140 I/O project

One trick I use when pulling an engine from an enclosure with such little space is instead of a 2-leg chain lift, I use a spreader bar across the top of the engine, then a single chain from the centre of the spreader to the lift apparatus (in my case a chain block mounted to the shed roof A-frame).

 

[Wikkidd420]

Re: 79 Cobia/ Mercruiser 140 I/O project

Dodged the rain drops this Easter Sunday and managed a little tear down on the motor. Apparently the guy that sold it to me did not know about winterizing a boat, or keeping the motor covered So much water was sitting in the intake runners of #3 and #4, the rust floated and made a bridge lol. Here are the pics I took today.

 

[achris]

Re: 79 Cobia/ Mercruiser 140 I/O project

That's appalling. People who do that, shouldn't be allowed to own machinery.... Glad you found it and can restore it to a good state of repair.

Chris......

 

[Wikkidd420]

Re: 79 Cobia/ Mercruiser 140 I/O project

Got some nice weather today, so I pulled the motor down a little more. It was worse than first thought, but still looks salvageable. Water sat in the intake manifold and head for so long that the #4 intake valve was rusted open :cold:. The motor still will not turn even with a bar on the flywheel, so I think #1 is BDC and the rust on #3 and #4 is keeping it stiff. Tried putting the starter back on to bump it over manually, but I think the starter is toast too. It's looking like a longer project every time I move on to another step :facepalm:

 

[achris]

Re: 79 Cobia/ Mercruiser 140 I/O project

I think it might be a good time to go find an old truck with one of these engines. Salvage what you can from yours and swap it onto the good long motor. Remember to change the head gasket to marine and the core plugs to brass.

Chris......