Pivot Housing Bolts Stuck!!

trippledigitss

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Messages
33
Removed my drive and trying to remove the pivot housing - all so I can replace a stinking trim hose. Everything was going fairly smoothly but I am stuck at the pivot housing bolts. I put the 1/2" hex drive socket on there and crank so hard it dang near lifts the boat. I stood on the stbd side and it will not break either. Heated them, pen oiled them - nothing. Any tricks or something I missing here? Man this stupid hose is kicking my rear!!

Thanks guys!
 

mjf55

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 17, 2014
Messages
462
Just to add what you have done, try penetrating oil, impact gun. I have also had some success in trying to tighten a little then sometimes it will loosen.
Let's see if the experts can add some tricks.
 

trippledigitss

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Messages
33
Well I am at an absolute loss at what to do next on this. I bought a corded Milwaukee impact and they wont even budge. They are getting so hot the pen oil is smoking but they wont budge at all. Short of hauling all the bits and pieces into the shop I have no idea what to do. This is sooooooo frustrating especially since I just need to change a GD hydraulic hose. I'm thinking about try to remove the whole gimbal housing next but I am not sure how hard that would be???

Dear God in heaven can you even please HELP ME!!??
 

Dave-R

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Mar 18, 2008
Messages
441
I had one just like yours. I used a propane torch and my breaker bar before the bugger came loose. More heat! Dave-R
 

muc

"Retired" Association of Marine Technicians...
Joined
Jul 7, 2004
Messages
2,170
Heat the helmet, not the bolt. Will probably have to replace the bellows because of the amount of heat you will need.
 
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trippledigitss

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Messages
33
Thanks for the advice guys.

Well I did go out there and try more heat but sounds like not nearly enough, especially considering that I didnt damage the bellows at all the first go round before I got them out of the way. And they still didnt move. I talked to a VP mechanic at the local shop and he said "NO HEAT no no no NO!"... but I had already tried it twice so it was too late for that. He said get a big breaker and they would come out, he said they are set with blue loctite to 110 ft/lbs so they are really tough. But I broke off two 1/2 to 3/8 reducer bits (my 1/2" hex is a 3/8" drive) so finally I gave up on the pivot pins.

I got the bellows out and squeezed a dremel in to cut the tubing on the hydro hose right at the fitting - then using an 11mm box end and another wrench to pry up the 11mm and turn it while standing on my head and humming Dixie I was able to move the fitting about 1/8 turn at a time and 30' later got the damn thing out. So then I cleaned up the tools, took a long 9hr break to have a few drinks to celebrate my hard fought victory before I get out there tomorrow to clean all the threads on the hydro manifold and all other nuts, bolts, screws, before I grease up and anti-seize every single one - unless loctite is critical - before I start putting it all back together.

I'm hoping I didnt damage the nylon washers and bushings too much with heat but it still pivots smoothly and there is nothing I can do anyway cuz them pivot pins are not coming out - or at least I am not willing to keep attempting whatever it takes to get them out!

Good news is that I finally got the hose out - I just hope the new one goes in easily and the whole things goes back together without any more issues!
 

Lou C

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 10, 2002
Messages
13,030
the VP transom design is very similar to the OMC Cobra and in the OMC shop manual all they said to put on the threads of those pins was OMC gasket sealer. I had my mechanic replace the bellows in 2005 and then I replaced them again in....2016.....all moored in salt water....all those years...and they came right out....so I installed them the same way....Loctite seem like the problem there!
 
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