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Need help replacing my engine coupler

teckles

Member
"I need to replace the engine

"I need to replace the engine coupler on my 1992 mercruiser Alpha. Does any one have directions on what I need to do? My manual does not have this and I really don't want to spend $1100-$1300 to have someone do it for me if it is possible to do it myself. I know my way around a tool box pretty well, and I have an engine hoist so how difficult is it to replace it? are there any special tools?
Thanks for you help in advance!!!"
 
"pull the drive, pull the engi

"pull the drive, pull the engine,remove flywheel cover, replace coupler, reverse order on assembly."
 
"Ayuh,....

And the Only Too


"Ayuh,....

And the Only Tool I'd call Special would be the Alignment Bar....."
 
"Just did the same thing on mi

"Just did the same thing on mine and other than pulling the out drive, it's all nuts and bolts. No big deal, just time consuming.

Eric"
 
"Note that depending on your b

"Note that depending on your boat, a standard auto type engine hoist may not have enough reach to clear the hull to pull the engine.
Do some homework first to make sure it has enough reach and enough height to clear the hull.
Been there and done that.

The best type for boats is a double A frame and cross beam to completely staddle the boats beam.

Rod"
 
"do I need to pull the engine

"do I need to pull the engine out of the boat or just move it forward enough replace the coupler?
Rod I planned on using a come along and a tree in the yard if I could not use the hoist, dumb move or worth a shot????"
 
"depends on your boat's de

"depends on your boat's design whether you can do it without pulling the engine right out. I did the 140 Merc coupler in my old Slickcraft without any hoist...I just tied a rope to the back of the engine and swung it round - replaced the coupler and swung it back. Other boats, the engine would have to come right up and out. Some modern boats, I wonder how the engine even does come out....it looks like they put the engine in before they put the top half of the boat on..."
 
"Trey;
Ly Hy says, you will h


"Trey;
Ly Hy says, you will have to judge if you have enough room in the boat. It will need to move forward about 1 foot minimum so you can get the bellhousing off.

Make sure its a strong tree! Otherwise should work fine.

Rod"
 
"Alright I pulled the engine &

"Alright I pulled the engine (before I took off the foot) and the gear's teeth in the coupler were all gone. The shaft leading out of the boat seems curiously tilted to one side instead of straight through the middle. I wanted advice before I did anything else.

I left the drive in nutral before the removal of the engine... was that right or was I supposed to have it in gear (I've read something about taking off the foot and needing it in gear, but you guys did not mention it for this application)???

what is up with the off center drive shaft??

I did buy an alignment tool so hopefully I can get it back in, but should I pull the foot or get to a mechanic asap?
HELP---HELP---Help!!!

Thanks!
Trey"
 
"The drive shaft has U-joints

"The drive shaft has U-joints on it and it is most likely just relaxed down as there is no engine coupler holding it up. The gimbal bearing supports the drive shaft, and on some units is housed in a nylon cage and could allow the shaft to relax. Also if the out drive is in the up position and/or turned to the right or left, this could encourage the off center "look". The alignment tool is used to check the adjustment of the engine coupler in relation to the gimbal bearing. Theoretically(?)if the alignment was good before you removed the engine, you could just change the hub and slap it back together. I would remove the out drive, check the gimbal bearing, replace as necessary. When you remove the outdrive, that is when you move the shift lever into forward position so that the linkage slip apart when you pull the outdrive off. I would drop the engine in first, then with the out drive off check the alignment of the gimbal bearing in relation to the drive coupling and adjust as required using the hight adjustment at the front of the engine. When you say "foot" I trust you are refering to the front engine mount that bolts to the boat. With a new drive coupling I would surely remove the outdrive and check the gimbal bearing and use the alignment tool to re assemble every thing nice and straight. I am a home mechanic and I trust the Pro's on this chat will correct my advise as needed.

Eric<><"
 
"Bt Doctor said:
"pull th


"Bt Doctor said:
"pull the drive, pull the engine,remove flywheel cover, replace coupler, reverse order on assembly."
What part of "pull the drive" did you miss?

You will have one h*ll of a time re-installing the engine if you don't remove the drive first.

Rod"
 
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