"Hi Paul,
Why are you takin
"Hi Paul,
Why are you taking it out?
It helps to be patient, persistent, creative and part contortionist. The first time I removed my heat exchanger, I had the engine out of the boat for re-powering so it was somewhat easier to get at, but still not easy. You definitely want to remove stuff around it to make it easier to get at. Getting some of the hoses out of the way may help. Taking the plastic cover over the electrical harness and oil pressure sensor is a first step. See if you can get at the starter bolts. One of the bolts on the starter flange held down one leg of the Heat-X on mine. The other was held on a bracket attached to one of the transmission mounting bolts. Try experimenting approaching from different angles with a small drive ratchet (with or without an extension and a universal joint), box wrenches or if needed an open end wrench, but if they are rusty, its easy to spin the head of the bold off. You have to be patient and make sure the wrench has a good purchase on the head before applying significant torque. For really tight places I've taken a cheap box wrench and cut the handle in half so I needed less room to swing it and and ground down around the outer perimeter, making it easier to get into tight places.
One thing I did when I put mine back was to fabricate a steel bracket that raised the Heat exchanger about an inch and a half above the starter flange bolt to make the bolt easier to access. I was advised not to change the height too much, but I've been running it like that for seveal seasons with no issues.
When I was repowering, I had a bear of a time getting the transmission bolts off. I eventually got them all loose except for one of the nuts which are on the lower set of studs. I eventually gave up and split that one with a dremel tool. But that was with the motor out of the boat.
Lots a Luck,
Chuck
1975 Trojan F-26"