Gimbal housing coupler alignment issue!

[Lwarden]

Ok reinstalled my mercruiser 5.7 yesterday, I bought an alignment tool and followed all the instructions I could find in print and on Youtube. I have it aligned so the tool slips in with some (slight) resistance but the end looks like its got all the spline marks evenly around it in the grease. So my question is just how easily should this tool slip in and out of my coupler? Once I seat it into the opening it takes a good push with my thumbs to seat it to the bottom of the coupler. Pulling it out is equally resisted but not difficult. Should this thing just slip in and out like butter or what?

 

[Lwarden]

Ok reinstalled my mercruiser 5.7 yesterday, I bought an alignment tool and followed all the instructions I could find in print and on Youtube. I have it aligned so the tool slips in with some (slight) resistance but the end looks like its got all the spline marks evenly around it in the grease. So my question is just how easily should this tool slip in and out of my coupler? Once I seat it into the opening it takes a good push with my thumbs to seat it to the bottom of the coupler. Pulling it out is equally resisted but not difficult. Should this thing just slip in and out like butter or what?

OK! went back and re read all the alignment stuff in the how to stickies, one thing i need to mention, the motor mounts on the engine are not exactly the same height, I relate this to when I rebuilt the motor mounts in the boat that they might not be exactly the same in height one to the other but I know they're darn close. Another thing is how can I turn my engine over to check 360 if not hooked up to power/no battery or ignition?

 

[Lwarden]

ok! check that AGAIN!! (how can I turn my engine over to check 360 if not hooked up to power/no battery or ignition?) remove the plugs and turn over manually! got it!

 

[Lwarden]

ok! check that AGAIN!! (how can I turn my engine over to check 360 if not hooked up to power/no battery or ignition?) remove the plugs and turn over manually! got it!

Sounds like I got some more adjusting to do!

 

[84EdH]

LW, it does not matter if the mounts are exactly the same height. just adjust the bottom nuts to hold equal weight (through the suspending the engine front by the ring on top of the thermostat instructions), then adjust each nut equally when going up or down. the bar should slide very easily, in and out. when you get very close, make very small adjustments. the grease marks are a guide, and become less important as you near the end point. the goal is easy alignment bar movement. I have found, I can get different grease mark readings with the engine in the same position, depending on how straight I pull the bar out.

take the plugs out and use a socket on the harmonic balancer nut to check the 6, then 12, then 9 then 3 oclock positions.

 

[Watermann]

After replacing my gimbal bearing and grease seal, the alignment tool I have fits snugly inside the bearing and doesn't just slide out with 2 fingers no matter what kind of adjusting is done. It's the witness marks in the grease on the tool that have to be the same all the way around. If you watch AChris's video on alignment you'll see how he pulls the alignment tool out, and it's not like the tools just falling out on it's own.

 

[Lwarden]

After replacing my gimbal bearing and grease seal, the alignment tool I have fits snugly inside the bearing and doesn't just slide out with 2 fingers no matter what kind of adjusting is done. It's the witness marks in the grease on the tool that have to be the same all the way around. If you watch AChris's video on alignment you'll see how he pulls the alignment tool out, and it's not like the tools just falling out on it's own.

Right! mine takes a little effort to pull it out ( not with 3 fingers) but the marks are equal and even all the way around. It doesnt push in with 3 fingers either you have to push it in some to get it to bottom out. Im wondering if my coupler is just newer than most as the engine was just rebuilt before I bought the boat and quite possibly had a new coupler installed! But I wasnt told that but then again the guy that owned to boat prior to me was dead.

 

[Watermann]

I got mine to where the grease marks were perfectly even, moved the front mounts 1/4 turn up and guess what the grease piled up so I put them back down 1/4 turn and all was well again so I put them down 1/4 turn and once again the same. After putting the mounts back, I rotated the motor and re-checked 4 times so I know there is no way to get it any better than that and the tool still has resistance to being pulled out. It could be the new parts and it could just be the tool, either way even grease marks means your ready to go. :thumb:

 

[Lwarden]

I got mine to where the grease marks were perfectly even, moved the front mounts 1/4 turn up and guess what the grease piled up so I put them back down 1/4 turn and all was well again so I put them down 1/4 turn and once again the same. After putting the mounts back, I rotated the motor and re-checked 4 times so I know there is no way to get it any better than that and the tool still has resistance to being pulled out. It could be the new parts and it could just be the tool, either way even grease marks means your ready to go. :thumb:

Your not going to believe this! I came home today after work ready to spend a few hours spinning and adjusting and rechecking! Well before I decided to get in to deep you remember I knew I was close and I had pretty good grease marks already. So I remembered reading somewhere that one guy put his alignment tool just barely into the coupler and the gave the tool a wack on the top,bottom,left, and right, to get the gimbal bearing centered, so I said what the heck and decided to try that first. Well I wacked it up and down and right and left and what do you know the damm tool slipped right in like butter. I about fell over, I said no way it could go in that easy, so I pulled it out slowly and what do ya know the grease marks were perfect...greased it up and slid it in again and wa la same thing perfect grease witness marks.... so I turned her over 180 did it again and perfection, then to 45 and 90 and both were perfect..... I was really prepared for a long arduous job of adjusting and rechecking but god was shinning on me today and now Im drinking a cpl beers and watching the Tigers play!!!! Thanks so much for all the detailed help and I hope I can return the favor someday...Lee