Pulling the engine??

[ngk0325]

Good day,

I have a Merc 350 Alpha One. Anyone have a service manual as to how to pull the engine? I have the service manual for the outdrive. I have tons of work to do on this and can't afford to mess anything up (and certainly can't afford to have a mechanic do it)

Thanks y'all

 

[Driftwood 420]

Re: Pulling the engine??

Just pulled my 302 Cobra drive, untill someone else weighs in on the tehnical stuff i will tell you that you need to plan on lifting it higher than you think to pull the boat out from under it. I had to pull the drive, disconnect everything including the power steering (figured that out to late) and lift the motor about 6' (to the bottom of the oil pan) to pull the motor out. I used a "T"-Frame from work and it was not tall enough, scarey "hick fix" stuff going down in the driveway. Plan big...got any oak trees? GL

 

[ngk0325]

Re: Pulling the engine??

I think I will have a tractor with bucket and/or backhoe. Someone suggested renting a chain fall...gotta look into that. I don't want to do work myself...but it's going to save like 2,000 bucks.....

Boy I wish I had tons and tons of money! (just to buy a new boat)

 

[Driftwood 420]

Re: Pulling the engine??

Backhoe would work great i bet, take your your time and pictures... I would bet you need to pull the drive unless you have enough room to come forward 4-6" before going up. Wait till someone with this drive says "no" before trying.

Chain falls still have to be "hung" from something hence the tree comment.

Just take your time and keep the beer cold in the cooler for when you are DONE.

 

[WICKED FX4]

Re: Pulling the engine??

I just got done pulling the engine out of my bayliner 185. It has a 4.3L and the same alpha drive. You can pull the engine out without pulling the drive but you will have to pull the drive to get the engine back in, due to getting the driveshaft lined up in the coupler. It is fairly easy to pull the drive unit.

 

[Uraijit]

Re: Pulling the engine??

Yeah, just pull the drive. There are 6 nuts on the drive's bellhousing, take them off. Put the drive down as level as possible, put the boat in forward gear, and pull the drive straight out. If it's stuck, do a search on the forum for tricks for getting it off.

Disconnect and label the wiring.

Remove power steering hoses, and disconnect the coolant inlet hose.

Remove exhaust risers.

Remove the nuts from the front engine mounts. (you may need to remove the heat exchanger and brackets in order to get to the starboard mount)

Attach a chain to the engine. And remove slack (don't lift yet).

Remove the bolts from the bellhousing, where the engine mounts to the inner transom plate.

Slowly lift engine up. You may need to move it back a few inches once you clear the front engine mounts.

Check for any wires you might have missed before.

Once you're sure EVERYTHING is disconnected, lift it up and out.

This is MUCH easier than pulling an engine from a car.

Good luck.

Get a manual before you put the engine back in. You'll need to know how to properly align it, etc.

 

[imported_TheMan]

Re: Pulling the engine??

Most manuals can be found in this post by Don:
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=251571

 

[Don S]

Re: Pulling the engine??

Don't take the nuts off the front engine mounts. All you need to do is remove the lag bolts holding the mounts to the stringers. Then you don't damage the threads on the mounts, you have the mounts on the engine to sit it on the ground with, and your alignment may be ok when you reinstall the engine.

 

[ngk0325]

Re: Pulling the engine??

The drive is already off. (that cost me $75 when I was getting it checked out the first time to see what was wrong)

 

[Uraijit]

Re: Pulling the engine??

Don't take the nuts off the front engine mounts. All you need to do is remove the lag bolts holding the mounts to the stringers. Then you don't damage the threads on the mounts, you have the mounts on the engine to sit it on the ground with, and your alignment may be ok when you reinstall the engine.

Seems to me like you're more likely to tear up the holes in your stingers by removing and installing lag bolts... It would make it easier to slide the engine straight back, though. rather than having to move up, then back then up again. Just go back and out.

I'd probably remove the lag bolts if I had a stuck drive, but it seems like you're more likely to tear up wood and fiberglass stringers, than a hardened steel engine mount post.

I'd also think you'd have to be extra careful to make sure your side-to-side alignment was good again, before re-installing the engine.

I'm not arguing with you, I'm sure you've removed more engines from boats than I'll ever see. Just sharing my thought process as to why the manual recommends you remove the mount nuts, rather than lag bolts...

Edit: I just looked in the manual. Picture below.

 

[danond]

Re: Pulling the engine??

You guys are awesome. I'm about to yank mine (Sunday project). Leaving the PS pump in the boat is a great idea, and pulling the lag bolts out vs. the nut on top makes tons of sense to me. The wood blocks holding my engine up look a little iffy anyway, so it'll be a good time to get new ones. Requires alignment, I know, but even so, damaging those threads would be a bummer.

Any other gotchas or lessons learned?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Pulling the engine??

Seems to me like you're more likely to tear up the holes in your stingers by removing and installing lag bolts... It would make it easier to slide the engine straight back,

Ayuh,....

These motors are built to be lifted Straight Up,+ planted going Straight Down....

By pulling the Lags,.... You get to Inspect the motor mounting blocks,+ Decide if repair or replacement is Necessary.....

Doing it the Right Way may sound Harder,...
But Believe Me,... It's Much Easier than doing it a 2nd time.......

Right Don,..??

 

[ngk0325]

Re: Pulling the engine??

Thank you guys for all the help. I'm hoping to get to this round sunday if time and weather permits. First engine i've puled, but I have a few older, wiser men helping me...

hopefully this won't go too bad.....lol

 

[littlebookworm]

Re: Pulling the engine??

I've done it twice to two different boats. It's not really difficult. If you want to lighten the motor somewhat, you can pull the manifolds beforehand. Shoot photos of each section before you disconnect so you will know how hoses, wires, etc. are run. Put bolts from each section in separarte ziplock bags and label them. Double check that you disconnected the ground wires on the port side near the bell housing. Label any small wires you disconnect (a strip of folded over masking tape works well) so you know how/where to reconnect them. Never put any part of your body directly under the engine. Do NOT use the rings presently attached to the engine for lifting; they can't support the weight. They're just there for lifting the front or rear of the engine slightly, separately, if needed, when doing an engine alignment. Take you battery out of the boat before starting so it cannot be accidentally shorted or broken. I'm getting ready to reinstall the replacement engine in my present boat and am still undecided as to whether to lag bolt down the mounts first or not. Obviously, it's easier to line up one thick engine bolt on each side than it is to line up the mounts, blocks and two lag bolts per side, but, of course, you've got to watch the threads going down. Quite a decision to make. Good luck and let us know how it turns out. Hy

 

[danond]

Re: Pulling the engine??

Wait a sec...since when are the lift brackets on the engine not supposed to be used for lifting the engine? They were used to install the engine, I don't see why they wouldn't be used to remove it as well. My OMC manual specifically states to use the brackets on the engine for removal.

 

[Uraijit]

Re: Pulling the engine??

Ayuh,....

These motors are built to be lifted Straight Up,+ planted going Straight Down....

By pulling the Lags,.... You get to Inspect the motor mounting blocks,+ Decide if repair or replacement is Necessary.....

Doing it the Right Way may sound Harder,...
But Believe Me,... It's Much Easier than doing it a 2nd time.......

Right Don,..??

Wait, so which way is the "right way"? Removing the lag bolts, or doing it the way the factory manual states?

 

[danond]

Re: Pulling the engine??

Don and Bond-o are both suggesting that the book says to remove the nut and lift straight up, leaving the lag bolts, but by removing the lag bolts instead, it gives you a chance to inspect your mounting blocks and allows for a relatively useful set of "feet" to set the motor down on. While it's debatable as to whether it's harder one way or the other, the point is that this is one of the few times you'll be able to inspect your blocks and the stringers that the bolts go down into, so take the opportunity while it's right there in front of you.

 

[littlebookworm]

Re: Pulling the engine??

I'm going to have to double check, but I think I first read read it in the Mercruiser manual. I had heard it a number of times over the years. If I find the exact quote tomorrow, I'll post it. Just for argument sake, compare the thickness of the "lifting brackets" that are on the engine with the thickness of the lifting chain end pieces which are bolted into the ends of the engine for lifting purposes. The ones on the lifting chain are at least twice as thick. Would you trust the thinner ones when your 900 pound or so engine is 11 feet up in the air? I wouldn't. Hy

 

[Uraijit]

Re: Pulling the engine??

I'm going to have to double check, but I think I first read read it in the Mercruiser manual. I had heard it a number of times over the years. If I find the exact quote tomorrow, I'll post it. Just for argument sake, compare the thickness of the "lifting brackets" that are on the engine with the thickness of the lifting chain end pieces which are bolted into the ends of the engine for lifting purposes. The ones on the lifting chain are at least twice as thick. Would you trust the thinner ones when your 900 pound or so engine is 11 feet up in the air? I wouldn't. Hy

I would, and I did...

I only have 1 lifting bracket (on the rear with the circuit breaker mounted on it), so the other end of the chain was bolted to the power steering bracket. It was plenty solid. It lifted the entire bobtail out (engine, manifolds, accessories, everything). Put it back in just fine too.

 

[littlebookworm]

Re: Pulling the engine??

I'm going to have to double check, but I think I first read read it in the Mercruiser manual. I had heard it a number of times over the years. If I find the exact quote tomorrow, I'll post it. Just for argument sake, compare the thickness of the "lifting brackets" that are on the engine with the thickness of the lifting chain end pieces which are bolted into the ends of the engine for lifting purposes. The ones on the lifting chain are at least twice as thick. Would you trust the thinner ones when your 900 pound or so engine is 11 feet up in the air? I wouldn't. Hy