Alignment good or not?

[drolds72]

1995 Searay with a Alpha 1 Gen 2 5.7

Highly confident this is the first time engine has been aligned. Drive came off with just a little tug, replaced bearing and now attempting to align. First pass, almost needed a hammer to get tool in. heavy on top, light marks on bottom. Found the port side lock nut on top to be loose. had to bring front of engine down a lot to be able to get the bar to slide in and out with 2 or 3 fingers. However, grease reads heavy on top. and does not quite register on bottom third. Is this acceptable, or do I need to keep dinking with it to get grease to read even all the way around. Not sure how it can go in and out so easy but be high in the splines. I have read, searched and watch videos. Measured my tool diameter and it is perfect according to another post on this site. only about another 3/8 of an inch and the adjusting nuts will be bottomed out. I have also been rotating engine with consistent results to what I am getting now. Good enough, or time for a pro? Any thoughts appreciated. 4 hours into this and I am tired of it.

just reread one of Don's responses. Said once the bar moves easy, grease tracks mean nothing. Also stated to clamp down locknuts and recheck. Back outside.....

 

[Don S]

Re: Alignment good or not?

Read this thread for some good tips. Did you bump the alignment bar up and down, left and right to set the gimbal bearing?

http://forums.iboats.com/mercruiser...utdrives/engine-alignment-how-tos-443992.html

 

[drolds72]

Re: Alignment good or not?

Yep read it. Got it feeling like butter, and then, as you mentioned in another post, I tightened down locking nuts and it went from 2/3 fingers smooth to a bit tight again. guess I am going to have to tinker with it till its good. I won't worry about the grease marks once its easy again...

 

[Don S]

Re: Alignment good or not?

I tightened down locking nuts and it went from 2/3 fingers smooth to a bit tight again.

Yeah, that means one of the front mount bottom nuts didn't have weight on it.

 

[drolds72]

Re: Alignment good or not?

Gotcha- one last question. What is the purpose of that tab washer? Am I suppose to bend tabs up to adjust and then down to lock the nut in place? royal PITA...

 

[achris]

Re: Alignment good or not?

Gotcha- one last question. What is the purpose of that tab washer? Am I suppose to bend tabs up to adjust and then down to lock the nut in place? royal PITA...

Yes....

Did you even up the lower nuts on the front mounts?

 

[drolds72]

Re: Alignment good or not?

Yep- took a micrometer and measured the distance between the base and top. They were over .125 apart from each other. I could feel the tension in the nuts even out so, they are def closer. I know this method does not take the stringer condition into account, but they are definitely closer then before! Is there a better way to measure this out, or is it all by feel?

 

[achris]

Re: Alignment good or not?

Can't do it with a measure. The only way to get the mounts even is to lift the front of the engine (there should be a lifting eye on the thermostat housing) VERY slightly and run the nuts up the studs until they just touch the bottom of the brackets. When both left and right are like that, start your alignment checks and if the engine has to be raised or lowered, move the lower nuts on each side the same number of turns, or parts of a turn.... THAT is the ONLY way to get it right.

Chris.......

 

[drolds72]

Re: Alignment good or not?

Ahhh- the lifting eye! Well, that is 6 hours of my life I won't get back. I think I got them pretty close. I knew they were off by measuring how much the "low" mount would drop when I tightened the top nut all the way. I slowly worked it back up about a 1/4 turn at a time, and got both to the point where the tight measurements were the same as the untightened. Also, the alignment bar finally felt the same with locknuts tight and loosened- 2 fingers smooth. All this being said, assuming my cherry picker clears the gunwale, would you pull drive and check side to side with engine raised? I got on those locknuts pretty good, and if it was off, I think I would have picked it up in the measurements.

 

[Don S]

Re: Alignment good or not?

If your mounts aren't all rusty, you can just use feel to get them where it feels like equal pressure on the wrench on both sides.
Then when you tighten the top nuts, recheck the alignment if it changes then figure out by the marks on the alignment bar which way it twisted the engine and adjust the mount.