Spline wont go in

"1979 Searay with 228 stern dr

"1979 Searay with 228 stern drive. V8 engine.

Today, I installed a new shift cable, removed and installed new U-joints on the drive shaft, installed new bellows, and a new water tube. OK. I was getting ready to put the gaskets et al on the unit, when I thought: "maybe I should try to put this thing back in just for practice". So I tried, and I tried, and I tried. The spline is only going into the motor about 1". It needs to go in about 3". I know that the spline is the problem because I tried removing the drive shaft from the unit and pushing just the shaft in. When it goes in that 1", I can't turn it, so it must be engaging the splines. Any tricks you can offer would be most appreciated."

have a friend go in the boat..

have a friend go in the boat...turn the motor manually...i used a BIG screwdriver and stuck it through the holes in the balancer on front of the motor....have him turn slowly while you push the shaft in

"Duane
Did you check the alig

"Duane
Did you check the alignment of the gimble bearing to the engine with a line up shaft ??

The drive shaft can also get a bit tight where the Orings on the drive shaft are going into the gimble bearing, a bit of vasoline or marine grease on the orings will fix that.
Cheers
Peter C"

"Thanks Peter. After some redn

"Thanks Peter. After some redneck measureing with a wedged stick to determine that the id was the same on the old and new gimbal nearings, I tried putting the old gimbal on the drive shaft and it got very tight at the new o-rings. During my practice, I did not oil anything. There is about 3" of spline on the drive shaft and I only lack 2" of getting the shaft in completely. Does that mean that I <u>am</u> getting the splines lined up? Or am I too confident? Any problem with installing just the drive shaft and then attaching the leg to the drive shaft? It looks like I'm gonna have to hit it with a rubber hammer to get it past the o-rings."

are you shifted into foward ge

are you shifted into foward gear?you need to be in foward to get the drive on.

"Forgot to answer Peter's

"Forgot to answer Peter's question. No, I haven't checked the engine to gimbal alignment. Since I didn't move the engine, the transom mount, or the gimbal ring, why would I need to do that? Yes Kieth, it is in forward gear. I'm going to remove the o-rings and see if the shaft will engage all the way. Would still like an answer to the last question in my previous post."

"mounts wear. check alignment.

"mounts wear. check alignment. splines need to be greased. if they have run dry, splines can wear, causing clearance problems."

"I believe you are right about

"I believe you are right about the motor mounts wear, Matt. I'm pretty sure that the spline is OK. It's obvious that I need to move the motor. But which direction and how much. I've seen a picture of this Mercruiser shaft alignment tool and I can't see how that is going to tell me which way I need to move the engine or how much. Is there a way to tell this information? Another question: How do the rear V8 engine mounts work? Do they hold any weight or are they just rotation dampers and the front motor mounts hold the weight?"

Was it hard to remove the driv

Was it hard to remove the drive? yes is a indication the alignment was off.the 2 rear mounts support the motor thru the bushings.

"Duane;
The splines engage cl

"Duane;
The splines engage close to 3 inches, so it sounds to me like you have the first part of the splines lined up. As I understand the situation you have it inserted except for 2", right? Is this the same driveshaft that you took out?
The O rings usually hit the gimbal bearing at about 1.25" from fully seated, so it is not likely them. You can usually get the O rings thru with a few good raps with a rubber hammer or similar. If it hits solid however, something is wrong.
Sometimes the second O ring hangs up and I have had to use two of the nuts to get it to go through. Once started, it goes easily however. Make sure the O ring part of the shaft is liberally greased.
Have you made any further progress at all?
I think it is unlikely your alignment is out that far if the drive was relatively easy to remove, and you haven't adjusted anything. If you adjust anything it should be only the front mounts, not the back. Can you borrow an alignment bar from a local boat shop?
Is it possible to get a light and mirror down in between the engine and transom plate so you can see if the splines are in? Or if there is some obstruction?
Rod"

"Good info Rod & BT! Yes,

"Good info Rod & BT! Yes, I am getting the splines started; they go in about 1". Yes it is the same shaft, and no I didn't have any problems getting it out. The old, worn out gimbal bearing probably allowed this. I have removed the u-joint bellow so that I can see it better (remember, I have removed the shaft from the leg). I can see into the female splines and see no obstruction. I have cleaned, inspected, and re-greased the male splines. I am not getting to the o-rings. It is hanging up at the end of the taper about 1/2" before the o-rings. I tried hitting it lightly with a rubber hammer, it goes in a little more but gets stuck and is hard to get out. I'll see if I can borrow the alignment shaft. The mirror is a good idea. Thanks BT for the front mount idea. Assuming that it is just mount wear, would it be feasible to just raise the engine maybe 1/4 turn on the mounts and try again? Thanks again guys."

"Duane;
If you are going to a

"Duane;
If you are going to adjust the mounts, borrow an alignment bar, as otherwise it's a shot in the dark at best.
Are you sure the new gimbal bearing is correct and has the right inside diam for the shaft? If you have an inside caliper I would check this closely, cause something just does not sound right.
Since you have changed the gimbal bearing, it would be the first suspect. Are you sure it is in correctly aligned and far enough?
Rod"

"You know Rod, I thought of yo

"You know Rod, I thought of your idea about the gimbal bearing being the right size. But there aren't that many different sizes, are there? And I bought the gimbal bearing in a kit that included the bellows, gaskets, o-rings as well as the gimbal. And everything else fits perfect. But I will measure it before I try again. I'm out of town with work and will get back at it Friday. But I ask again, how does the alignment bar tell me which direction I need to move the motor?"

grease up the end of the align

grease up the end of the alignment bar...insert it through the bearing...it should slide into the coupler...take it out slowly....look at the coupler marks in the grease...it should be evenly marked all the was around....if not...the engine is not alingned correct...it says in the seloc book which way to adjust the engine if the marks are only on top of the bar ....or if the marks are only on bottom..

"SG has your answer.
There i

"SG has your answer.
There is a tiny amount of play in the gimbal as you slide the alignment bar in, and if you are careful you can kind of feel if the inner end of the bar is being lifted or pushed down as it enters the splines.
You don't need to worry about alignment side to side; as long as the rear engine mounts are secure on the transom plate (and they should be), the left/right alignment will be bang on the bubble.
Rod"

"One more thing; make sure you

"One more thing; make sure you adjust both front mounts the same amount up or down. You don't want to be putting a torsional twist on the front mounts relative to the rear mounts. Think of it like a 4 legged chair; if one leg is too short, the chair will rock corner to corner.
Rod"