400 DB port aftercooler access

M

Matt

Member
May 6, 2008
97
Braintree, Ma.
Boat Info
400 Db
Engines
Cummins 6cta8.3m 450
I am in the process of removing the aftercoolers on my 400 DB I have the Cummins 8.3m-450 engines and there are only two ways I can see to get enough room to remove the port aftercooler. one is to remove the hatch on that side wich looks to be a pain in the neck seeing that the hinge has a LOT of screws. the second is to remove the electrically operated sofa which I do not see how to take it out.
What I would like to know is if anyone has done either and which way would be the best way to proceed? And if it is to remove the sofa how the heck does it come out?
I did look under it and I can't see where the attachment would be as there is a carpet trim and no way to see any of the hold-down bolts.
Any help or insight would be appreciated.
 
I have the same question
hope someone gives us a good answer.
 
I hope so to. if not I am going to call Sea Ray customer service Tuesday morning and see if someone there can help answer the question.
 
There are three or four bolts that hold the aftercooler to the engine. I remove the hoses, remove the air cleaner and "slide" the aftercooler aft and through the exhaust hoses. Not easy, but very possible to achieve. Mine is remove annually to service and change the impeller. The engine room on our boat is the only negative for me. I removed the stbd aftercooler prior to tackling the port, made it a "feel" type job for bolts I could not see. I'm doing this project next weekend, I can take pix if you still need help. (I do open the salon floor for light, but technically you could do this job with the floor closed>)
 
Thanks for the reply. I am not sure if I can do it that way as I am short and round but I can give it a try.If I can get my son to help me as he is taller and thinner maybe it will work.
 
I just had a call from Sea Ray customer service. I spoke with Shaun Wilson who explaned that the sofa is removable by opening it partially just enough to see through the back and bottom cushions where if you look toward the back there will be some angle brackets with screws that hold the sofa in. there alos maybe a angle bracket at the edge near the dinette. you need to remove all the screws that are screwed into the fiberglass floor then disonnect the pigtail for the power. after that you can lift and remove the sofa.
You can also remove the carpeted trim piece at the bottom of the sofa agains the floor by finding the screws in the carpet trim and removing them then the trim board it might make it easier to remove the sofa.
 
How will removing the sofa gain more ER access? On my boat the hatch lifts up to almost vertical. Removing the sofa may gain me an inch or so of clearance at the hinge for the ER hatch. Is your boat different? Just wondering. Thanks
 
Hi, I had an occasion to fix that sofa bed once when a pile of adults were wrestling on it (bugger) and broke the damn thing.. I rescrewed it with larger screws and made up a couple more aluminium angle plates to hold down the timber beam..

I would suggest not mucking around with it as like always it won't go back like it was. As I recall there isn't any engine access there anyway.

What I find amazing is I now have a smaller boat less beamy with 2 6bta's 370hp and I can crawl all around those 2 engines. ( Not a Sea Ray) This boat doesn't have its fuel tanks on the side of the engines just 2 water tanks which are connected. The fuel tank runs nearly the length of the beam

Ozzie
 
On my boat the port hatch will only open to maybe 45 degrees that isn't enough to have clear access to the ouboard side of the port engine. removing the power sofa will allow the hatch to be opened straight up after you remove the gas cylinders. Sea Ray said that is the way their dealers will work to get the outboard side of the port engine. they also said that you should cut a 2x4 to keep the hatch opened all the way while the gas cylinders are disconneted so that the hatch dosn't fall on you while servicing.
I am going to try not to remove the sofa but at least I have a fall back plan if we can't get to the port aftercooler well enough.
 
in regards to the hatch you mentioned, and only tilting 45 deg ...yes I now remember this problem..but a thought came to me and might be worth considering, how easy would it be to remove the hatch??

Ozzie
 
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As far as I can see it would be more of a pain than removing tghe sofa. there is a hinge that runs the length of the hatch with a great deal of screws in it. my guess is at least dozen of the little bugges with nuts on the back side. then you have to lift the hatch wich is large and pretty heavy.
I am going to give the removal of the aftercooler on the port side a go without removing the sofa when my son his the time to help me. he maybe able to reach the hoses and bolts easier than I can without removing the hatch or sofa.
I have spoke with several Say Ray dealers and the factory and they all recomend remving the sofa for oputboard service on the port engine.

When I bought the boat I had Cummins Metropower do some work on that engine which the did remove the hatch to do. so I suppose you could go either way.
 
You can not access the screws on the piano hinge to remove the engine room doors without opening them fully or at least close to 90 degrees which means removing the couch anyway. I've removed my couch to service my RW Pumps on my 2001 400 DB. It's not a big deal.
 
Good to know. it's been to darn cold to go down and work on the boat lately. I have one aftercooler done and am going to have my son give me a hand with the port side when the weather slcak off some.
 
I was down at the boat two weeks ago with my son. we were indeed able to remove the port aftercooler without removal of the sofa or hatch. some of the bolts were a bit of a pain in the neck but we were able to remove them. I installed the cleaned reassembled aftercooler that was on the starboard engine back on the port engine. I have since cleaned and reasembled the one we removed and will probably go and install it next weekend.
I built a pressure check system to check them before and after they were cleaned. I used 20 lbs of air pressure on the water side with a pressure gage to see if there was a drop. I wanted to make sure that there wern't any leaks BEFORE installing the aftercoolers and starting up the engines.
 
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