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Mjamie

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I have a unique problem. I just upgraded my 1992 Wellcraft Eclipse 233 with a brand new MarinePower 5.7 vortec engine, brand new transom assembly and outdrive. While attempting to align the engine, I can push the solid alignment tool in smoothly BUT if I rotate it 180 degrees it is very difficult to remove and reinsert. I couldn't figure out why it was easy and then difficult. Could the new gimbal bearing not be positioned correctly and if not, how do I correct it. I do have the bearing insertion tool. Thanks in advance.
 
What are you rotating, the tool or the engine crankshaft? The gimbal bearing is fixed position. The engine has to move to line up with it. In which plane is it getting pinched? up-down or left-right??
 
o2batsea said:
What are you rotating, the tool or the engine crankshaft? The gimbal bearing is fixed position. The engine has to move to line up with it. In which plane is it getting pinched? up-down or left-right??
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I am rotating the tool. If I have a dot in the 12 o'clock position on the tool its fine. I get the grease impressions from the coupler all around. If I rotate the tool only, with the dot in the 6 o'clock position, I can get the tool in and out BUT its a very tight fit. If I rotate the tool around to the original 12 o'clock position the tool will go in and out with relative ease (3 fingers).
 
Mjamie said:
I am rotating the tool. If I have a dot in the 12 o'clock position on the tool its fine. I get the grease impressions from the coupler all around. If I rotate the tool only, with the dot in the 6 o'clock position, I can get the tool in and out BUT its a very tight fit. If I rotate the tool around to the original 12 o'clock position the tool will go in and out with relative ease (3 fingers).
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The tool is made to go in and out only not turn. If you have good witness marks of grease you are probably fine as is. In my experience two things have made this harder than it needs to be sometimes-

The grease does get jammed in there from repeated checks and can make it hard to get in with the textbook two fingers

Couplers can be out of round try rotating the engine 90 degrees.

This is a worthwhile video of how to center the bearing when replacing https://youtu.be/C6NsazweZyw

If you rotate the bar and its tight you may not have a straight or properly machined alignment bar... the steps could be ground on different centers

I have a 21 ft Sea Ray that I repowered 6 years/250 hrs ago, couldn't get the witness marks perfect on it underside was light adjusting up to get more marking on underside just made the top light... spent hours screwing around. Haven't touched it in 6 years witness marks come are the same , drive comes on and off with ease, and I do a ton of towing tubes, skiers, and boarders with a boat full of my kids and friends - no coupler issues. bottom line I don't think this is as precise an alignment as it is made out to be sometimes.
 
VERY helpful info. Great video. The most informative I've seen (and I've been looking for a while). Took your advice and did some more checking. First of all, as I mentioned, everything is brand new including the updated coupler with the grease fiitting. Also, I performed the Mercury Service Bulletin which uses the 3 3/8-16 x 3/4 taper head screws to ensure the coupler is centered on the flywheel. With the grease fitting as a reference (while turning the engine with the spark plugs out for ease of operation) , the alignment tool at the 9 o'clock position was the easiest, the 12 and 6 a little harder and the 3 o'clock position was tough. With the alignment tool left in, I could rotate the engine with ease in all positions and the tool rotated with the coupler. You could be right about the bar being slightly out-of-round. I borrowed from a friend and it's the generic one without any accessories. You were also right about the grease build up. It did help. When I'm ready to install the outdrive and it goes in without any heavy persuasion, I'll leave it as it is. Thanks for your response.
 
Mjamie said:
VERY helpful info. Great video. The most informative I've seen (and I've been looking for a while). Took your advice and did some more checking. First of all, as I mentioned, everything is brand new including the updated coupler with the grease fiitting. Also, I performed the Mercury Service Bulletin which uses the 3 3/8-16 x 3/4 taper head screws to ensure the coupler is centered on the flywheel. With the grease fitting as a reference (while turning the engine with the spark plugs out for ease of operation) , the alignment tool at the 9 o'clock position was the easiest, the 12 and 6 a little harder and the 3 o'clock position was tough. With the alignment tool left in, I could rotate the engine with ease in all positions and the tool rotated with the coupler. You could be right about the bar being slightly out-of-round. I borrowed from a friend and it's the generic one without any accessories. You were also right about the grease build up. It did help. When I'm ready to install the outdrive and it goes in without any heavy persuasion, I'll leave it as it is. Thanks for your response.
Click to expand...

The only thing you should be doing is getting another alignment tool and rechecking your work...... Turning the tool and having it bind tells you the tool is machined incorrectly or damaged.
 
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