A Three Hour Tour...
- Thread starter The Chairman
- Start date
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OP
The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
Update... life happens and I have not been able to finish this project... yet. 
The summer heat as well as two trips to Mexico and other trips here and there have kept me from getting her back in the water.
Here's what transpired. The pump works perfectly. In fact, it was so quiet that I could hear yet another noise coming from the engine. It was a tinkling sound and had no real rhythm to it. The OBM (Owner Before Me) told me that the engine had just been rebuilt, with only a few hours on it. It didn't sound like a bearing knock: it wasn't deep enough and lacked the resultant cadence. It wasn't a grating noise either like a timing chain. I have suspected the quality of workmanship on this engine rebuild for some time. The raw water pump that was misaligned, the frozen circulation pump that was not a marine pump as well as other indicators gave me the feeling that this too was an "I Couldn't Care Less" kind of problem. After much consternation and second guessing, it was my opinion that the flywheel bolts were loose. That, or I had a cracked flex plate. That meant that it was time to pull the engine out of it's cradle and check.
Ryan was a great help when I first started the pull. He was eager and wanting to getrdun while I had serious doubts about what I would find. In all my years as a mechanic, I had only found loose flywheel bolts once, and it too was on a newly rebuilt engine. Still, this is a long, long shot. It took us no time to disconnect the engine and here is where I made a mistake. I was hooked into the front and ONLY the front. It took a bit of persuading, but when the back of the engine flopped down I was really, really embarrassed. I had gotten too focused on getting the engine free and had forgotten that I needed to support it both front AND rear. Moreover, I was just not that confident of my diagnosis. Did I mention that this was a long shot? I might have to re-do this engine. Mind you, that's a possibility I have been contemplating, but I just want this puppy to work. That was just before I went to Mexico the second time and we covered the work area with a tarp.
While I was in Mexico, Elena and I were cooling off in a pool at our hotel drinking cervezas. Another gringo and his wife came up to the pool side bar and we started to talk. "That noise" he told me with confidence "is going to be the bearing behind the engine!" Rly? Well then, I need to pull this engine up higher in order to get into the bell housing area. He ran a boat and RV repair facility, so I had no reason to doubt him.
So, I get home and am faced with Isaac. Lots of rain coming and I had to batten down the hatches. The boat might not even survive the hurricane, so I put it off yet another week. This morning, I constructed a rig off of the balcony using a 2x4, the railing posts, a length of chain, a come-a-long and an engine sling. The come-a-long only has a three foot pull capacity, so I won't be able to move the engine OUT of the boat. I carefully pulled it up and when I look at the flywheel, there is a flex plate there. One bolt is just a little loose and it was obvious as the split ring washer was deformed. That can't be it. I go ahead and pull the three bolts holding the flex plate and WHOA! All the flywheel bolts are obviously loose. I don't even need to put a wrench on them to see that there is an air gap between them and the pulley. Now I am going to pull all the bolts to make sure they and the flywheel haven't been damaged. My long shot was dead nuts on target. It's been over a dozen years since I left the automotive industry and it's good to see that my intuition hasn't lost much. This is definitely another rookie mistake by the guy who rebuilt the engine. BTW, a quick search of Google tells me that 65 lbs/in2 is what those bolts need to not rattle!
The summer heat as well as two trips to Mexico and other trips here and there have kept me from getting her back in the water. Here's what transpired. The pump works perfectly. In fact, it was so quiet that I could hear yet another noise coming from the engine. It was a tinkling sound and had no real rhythm to it. The OBM (Owner Before Me) told me that the engine had just been rebuilt, with only a few hours on it. It didn't sound like a bearing knock: it wasn't deep enough and lacked the resultant cadence. It wasn't a grating noise either like a timing chain. I have suspected the quality of workmanship on this engine rebuild for some time. The raw water pump that was misaligned, the frozen circulation pump that was not a marine pump as well as other indicators gave me the feeling that this too was an "I Couldn't Care Less" kind of problem. After much consternation and second guessing, it was my opinion that the flywheel bolts were loose. That, or I had a cracked flex plate. That meant that it was time to pull the engine out of it's cradle and check.
Ryan was a great help when I first started the pull. He was eager and wanting to getrdun while I had serious doubts about what I would find. In all my years as a mechanic, I had only found loose flywheel bolts once, and it too was on a newly rebuilt engine. Still, this is a long, long shot. It took us no time to disconnect the engine and here is where I made a mistake. I was hooked into the front and ONLY the front. It took a bit of persuading, but when the back of the engine flopped down I was really, really embarrassed. I had gotten too focused on getting the engine free and had forgotten that I needed to support it both front AND rear. Moreover, I was just not that confident of my diagnosis. Did I mention that this was a long shot?
I might have to re-do this engine. Mind you, that's a possibility I have been contemplating, but I just want this puppy to work. That was just before I went to Mexico the second time and we covered the work area with a tarp.
While I was in Mexico, Elena and I were cooling off in a pool at our hotel drinking cervezas. Another gringo and his wife came up to the pool side bar and we started to talk. "That noise" he told me with confidence "is going to be the bearing behind the engine!" Rly? Well then, I need to pull this engine up higher in order to get into the bell housing area. He ran a boat and RV repair facility, so I had no reason to doubt him.
So, I get home and am faced with Isaac. Lots of rain coming and I had to batten down the hatches. The boat might not even survive the hurricane, so I put it off yet another week. This morning, I constructed a rig off of the balcony using a 2x4, the railing posts, a length of chain, a come-a-long and an engine sling. The come-a-long only has a three foot pull capacity, so I won't be able to move the engine OUT of the boat. I carefully pulled it up and when I look at the flywheel, there is a flex plate there. One bolt is just a little loose and it was obvious as the split ring washer was deformed. That can't be it. I go ahead and pull the three bolts holding the flex plate and WHOA! All the flywheel bolts are obviously loose. I don't even need to put a wrench on them to see that there is an air gap between them and the pulley. Now I am going to pull all the bolts to make sure they and the flywheel haven't been damaged. My long shot was dead nuts on target. It's been over a dozen years since I left the automotive industry and it's good to see that my intuition hasn't lost much. This is definitely another rookie mistake by the guy who rebuilt the engine. BTW, a quick search of Google tells me that 65 lbs/in2 is what those bolts need to not rattle!
OP
The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
OK, the engine is back in and bolted down. I have to charge the batteries and connect the wires, but that shouldn't take long. I'll run it this afternoon on the hose and hopefully splash it tomorrow. Let's hope for no more supplies!
Darnold9999
Contributor
Too late now, but while I had the engine out I would have pulled the pan and checked the tourque on the "rebuilt" bearings. If the rebuilder couldn't put the flywheel on correctly I would have serious doubts about their ability to assemble and lock down bearing caps. Would have cost a new pan gasket, but they are cheap.
OP
The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
There were a number of things that could have been checked while the engine was out. Bearings are so critical, that if they had not been torqued right, the engine would not have made it for even an hour. Since all of them were loose, I am counting on carelessness or a brain fart. BTW, the deformed split ring washer was one size too big. You have to use the right size for that to work. OK, lunch is over and I am back to work.
OP
The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
YES!!! I have my boat back and there are no extraneous noises (at this point). It has run for over an hour and I even had it above the dreaded (shudder) 4,000 mark and even up to it's red line (5,500) for thirty seconds. I only hear exhaust and it sounds MANLY! Very manly at that. I think I'll go diving tomorrow.
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