Changing the heads - a report

Hey, if Jeff can do a report, so can I!

Problem: Starboard Chrysler 360 has a couple of low pressure cylinders. #5 is at 95 lbs. The boat is a 1980 Silverton 34C. Time to take the heads off and see what's happening.

Location: An ice cold shed in Connecticut. Maybe that's not cold to others but I'm old and it's very cold to me.

What's happened: Took the exhaust risers and manifolds off. The risers are heavier than when I changed them a couple of years ago. The manifolds came off but not without a lot of effort. The exhaust manifold on the off cylinder side didn't look good. Intake manifold next. Really difficult to get to the mounting bolts. Some new offset box wrenches did it, finally. Then off with the rocker arm assemblies and after that, the heads. The rocker arms and push rods looked like new.

Next: Two new exhaust manifolds. Keep the risers since they are only three years old. Two rebuilt heads. All new grade 8 bolts and gaskets. Most of you good mechanics could do this a in a day. It will take me at least two weekends and, I won't be able to start that engine until spring. Cost? Creeping up on $1500.

It's good we really like the boat.

Bill

..."The risers are heavier than when I changed them a couple of years ago."'

Wait a few years and they'll get even heavier!

Know what you mean about being cold. There's something about working in a bilge, in winter, that goes right through you.

Jeff

PS: When you reattach the riser(s), be sure to apply a THIN smear of silicone on both sides of the gaskets. Important!

Cost? Creeping up on $1500.

Click to expand...

Perhaps spending money on our boats can be compared to:

An expensive dinner out.
We had fun, we were nurished and spent money doing it.

Full tank of fuel.
Enjoy it... and spent money doing it.


A first and only date! (nuff said!)

A great snow ski trip or great camping or traveling adventure!
We had tons of fun and spent money doing it.


I've found that owning/operating a boat is never an investment, and is always an expense.
We just use it up in the form of personal, family and friends enjoyment.


.

Damn well said!

Merry Christmas all.

Jeff

Update: Putting the rebuilt heads back up on the boat required some help. We did ground-to-swim platform then swim platform-to-cockpit. Then same thing with the intake manifold, which we had taken home, stripped, primed and repainted. Then the exhaust manifolds, same routine. By then, each piece was really getting heavy.

While I had help, we took the old heads off the boat. At this point, I need deck space with the engine hatches open.

I also stripped and repainted the valve covers and the brackets that hold the control cables in place. While everything was apart, I also replaced the seawater pump with a new one I had on hand. That took me almost two hours. Cold fingers slow everything down.

Now I have everything on the boat and I'll begin putting it all together next weekend.

Jeff: Thanks for the reminder about silicone on the riser gaskets. Will do.

Bill

Photos, photos!

Jeff

We do video and still pictures every time we are on the boat. I look kinda stupid but you are more than welcome to watch: silverton34c.********.com. Lots of detail there.

Bill

I thought I'd circle back and let you folks know how this project ended. If you read through my posts, you'll see what I was attempting to do and, as it turned out, doing it through a very cold winter.

We got back in the water about two weeks ago and the starboard engine started immediately after getting a teaspoon of gas in the carb. Great oil pressure and for the first time in a couple of years, no oil sheen coming out of the starboard exhaust. It took and hour or so of running at the dock to burp out all the air out of the cooling system but eventually, the heat exchanger stayed full.

A note about the Jabsco or Sherwood raw water pump. (They are the same general pump design and either pump will fit a Chrysler 360.) If you have trouble accessing the pump to remove it, pull the inlet and outlet hoses off and then take the mounting bracket off the engine with the pump still attached. This could save a lot of time and effort since getting the pump back into the bracket can be difficult and time-consuming in some installations.

Our first cruise of the year was 62 miles to our summer dock. The starboard engine, that before wouldn't run over 2000 rpm, ran like a champ. I didn't push it but 3200 rpm resulted in no problems at all. Solid oil pressure, nice constant 160 degrees temp and o steam out of the exhaust. After getting to our destination, I did re-tighten the exhaust manifold bolts on that engine. Amazing how much they had loosened up after getting up to temp.

Thanks again for the info and encouragement.

Bill

Congrats for work well done, and thanks for the feedback.

Jeff

PS: After the initial warm up those bolts were ready to be retightened--it didn't take 62 miles!