mercruiser engine removal advise

[alan ber]

Mercruiser 488
Year 1984 on a Sea Ray
Down pipe has a whole and taking on a fair amount water.
Do most of my own work but recently found a small very
busy shop that I feel comfortable with his work and price.

Tackled many engine projects but never taken out engine.
I use boat short trips and close too land but for
safety 3 bilge pumps for back up.
Leak must be fixed .
Good winter job.

Shop charges 5 hundred for engine removal and install
Down pipe is a 25 dollar item , zero room too work and
change pipe. Engine has too come out.
Shop has lots of used parts for my old reliable fuel stingy engine
While engine is up and out fly wheel and oil leak must be addressed.
Answering my own question but I am curious if I was too take on this project what should I expect ?

Is there any Mc Dyver way too temp fix this leak???????????????
Single pipe,
I tested by tilting boat back as high as it will go.
Filled bilge with water, and it was coming out of exhaust holes
If it comes out with out engine running it is coming into boat same way while in water.

Thanks for advise

 

[ziggy]

Re: mercruiser engine removal advise

i don't understand what you want to do or your question.

i don't see a part called a down pipe in the parts description. do ya mean the exhaust pipe? they don't seem to be $25. http://www.mercruiserparts.com/selectDocs.asp?doc_nbr=41850

so your skilled in working on your engine. but yet ya wanna pay someone to pull the engine for you. why?

what to expect? well, ya need to replace the part with a hole in it and repair the oil leak. + whatever else breaks while your working on it. on stuff that you don't know about yet.

as for the mcgyver fix. your dealing with a hole in something that's letting water into your boat. this is a major safety hazard. do ya wanna sink? the mcgyver fix would be fine if ya were on the lake with no option but to try something to fix the leak to keep from sinking. if yer gonna go fix it. fix it proper with the proper parts, if available.


i don't know about pulling your particular engine. but if your mechanically inclined. pull it yourself and start fixing away..

do ya have a service manual? if not you are for sure gonna need one. unless your gonna pay for someone else to fix it for you..

 

[Incorrigible]

Re: mercruiser engine removal advise

Have a goodly amount of these "skills" (good luck?) myself. The big change working on the boat (i/o) for me was engine alignment. Make certain you have access to the alignment tool to make certain your lower unit is in properly. As to PULLING the engine? That's really a pretty simple one. There's not too much to remove from the engine in order to get it ready to lift out.

 

[SDSeville]

Re: mercruiser engine removal advise

Pulling the motor is no big deal. I am a CPA with no prior boat or engine experience and did it pretty easily. Get the right (oem) manual and it will guide you through it step by step.

 

[Fishermark]

Re: mercruiser engine removal advise

If you like mechanical work, now's a good time to tackle this job. It's not terribly difficult to pull the engine as the others have posted. You will need to pull the outdrive first. That's a 15 minute job as well.

I suspect you will find quite a few surprises when you pull the outdrive and engine. Hopefully your transom is not rotten.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: mercruiser engine removal advise

You just never know what you're going to get into when you get the engine on the ground. It could be about anything, including a rotted transom.

You mentioned something about an oil leak around the flywheel. If the rear crankshaft bearing is leaking, you'd need to pull the pan, unhook the connecting rods, lift the driveshaft and re-do the rear seal. Hopefully, your savvy enough to complete the job.

As everyone has said, pulling the engine is easy--really just a one hour job (or less) in the hands of a professional. If the shop has some salvage parts, it's a great plus. Hoipefully the shop owner is a marine service professional.