Engine coupler alignment - 5.7 EFI

K

KHE

Member
Feb 28, 2012
238
West Michigan
Boat Info
1997 Sea Ray 240 Sundancer
Engines
Mercruiser 5.7L EFI alpha 1 Gen 2 drive
A couple of days ago, I was ready to install my drive (Alpha one gen 2) and checked my coupler alignment. It wasn't easy to remove with two fingers and the spline marks appeared to be heavier on the top of the bar so I lowered the front engine mounts in order to reduce the alignment bar efforts but was not able to get it perfect. The odd thing is the alignment appears to be off side to side - the spline marks appear heavier on the port side vs. starboard side but since there is not a sise to side adjustment, I installed the drive.

The drive installed OK and the first cruise of the season went OK but I am concerned about not having it perfectly aligned.
 
Are your rear mounts in good condition and tightened properly? That is the only thing I can think of that could affect side to side alignment. I have to check alignment on both of my Gen I's in the next week so I will see how they look side to side. My mounts were all replaced when I repowered so my mounts are all new and tight. I'll try to remember to post back what I find.
 
Thanks Scorpio. I looked at the rear mounts (what I could see) - they are on the flywheel housing about mid way up. I couldn't see much of a mount - looked like the bolts have a spacer at the top with the flange about 5/8" above the flywheel housing. The bolts appeared to be threaded into the nuts from what I could see. After contorting myself into a position to see the mounts, I didn't know if I was going to be able to get out of the engine compartment...lol.
 
see page 42 http://www.*******.com/merc/Install/gas/86017211.pdf
replace the *`s with b,o,a,t,f,i,x no comma`s
UntitledRM4_zpslndkotu8.jpg
 
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Bt Doctur, can you explain what that difference does? Also, I assume that it is 'fixed' and non adjustable or am I off base?
 
The one that you dont see above the housing has slightly collapsed and the engine alignment went out. The rear mounts must be the same height so the motor is not tilted. Rear mounts are fixed The pics are upside down for clarity
 
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I checked the rear mounts this evening - they were tight and they appeared to be at the same height. They are so buried that I had no way of telling the exact height of each mount but they appeared to be the same height and neither one was collapsed.
 
The gimbal bearing is somewhat self centering. Is it possible that the bearing itself got tweaked to one side when the drive was removed? With the alignment tool installed you could try giving it some light taps up and down as well as side to side. Have found it helps to align the bearing with the coupler during mount adjustments.
 
Thanks - I did tap it with a rubber mallet up/down/left/right and it didn't make any difference. I just installed the drive and it installed fine. I just wish I was able to get the alignment perfect. I suspect if I went through all the work to pull the engine, replace the rear mounts , and reinstall the engine, nothing would improve...
 
KHE said:
Thanks - I did tap it with a rubber mallet up/down/left/right and it didn't make any difference. I just installed the drive and it installed fine. I just wish I was able to get the alignment perfect. I suspect if I went through all the work to pull the engine, replace the rear mounts , and reinstall the engine, nothing would improve...
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I agree... I just went through the exact same thing while repowering... Hopefully everything is ok...
 
KHE said:
Thanks - I did tap it with a rubber mallet up/down/left/right and it didn't make any difference. I just installed the drive and it installed fine. I just wish I was able to get the alignment perfect. I suspect if I went through all the work to pull the engine, replace the rear mounts , and reinstall the engine, nothing would improve...
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Is this the first time you have checked alignment? The front mounts allow side to side as well as up and down adjustments. Is it possible your trailer is adding some sort of unusual strain to the hull? If it is a possibility, you may want to try to support the hull in 3 points during alignment. Rear corners of chines at transom and near front under keel. Good luck!
 
Thornton69 said:
Is this the first time you have checked alignment? The front mounts allow side to side as well as up and down adjustments. Is it possible your trailer is adding some sort of unusual strain to the hull? If it is a possibility, you may want to try to support the hull in 3 points during alignment. Rear corners of chines at transom and near front under keel. Good luck!
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I checked the alignment last spring and I don't recall the alignment bar dragging like it did this spring (It may have, I just can't remember). I never thought the boat's position on the trailer might be affecting the alignment but I suppose it is a possibility.

How would the side to side position be accomplished with the front mounts? They only have an up/down adjustment and shouldn't they be adjusted equally and be in the same vertical position? Or is there clearance at the mounting bolts of the mount where they fasten to the pads in the boat that the engine can be shifted?
 
The front mounts have a slotted hole where they mount to the hull. Unless you have other problems going on, would not be something you would normally have to adjust (more of an installation adjustment). Is there any witness marks on mounts or hull indicting they have shifted? Was just throwing some more ideas out there.
 
No witness marks or any indication that something has shifted that I can see.

I was at my local marina picking up some parts and spoke to the service manager about it and he said that some just can't be aligned perfectly like on the youtube videos.
 
KHE said:
Did tapping the alignment bar with it partially inserter into the splines do the trick for you?

I hit the alignment bar with a rubber mallet up/down/left/right a bunch of times and it made no difference.
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From my last post
"Update - After weeks of fighting with this - we are finally lined up. So just after I was about to give up, I tried tapping the alignment tool left and right before fully inserting the tool into the splines. This moves the gimbal bearing in its housing prior to the tool hitting the splines in the coupler. I was quite surprised that after inserting the tool in the splines and wrapping the tool, it did not self center the bearing. I had taken the shim washers out, moved everything a million times. I ended up putting the shim washers back in once I realized centering the bearing would make such a big difference."
 
boatrboy said:
From my last post
"Update - After weeks of fighting with this - we are finally lined up. So just after I was about to give up, I tried tapping the alignment tool left and right before fully inserting the tool into the splines. This moves the gimbal bearing in its housing prior to the tool hitting the splines in the coupler. I was quite surprised that after inserting the tool in the splines and wrapping the tool, it did not self center the bearing. I had taken the shim washers out, moved everything a million times. I ended up putting the shim washers back in once I realized centering the bearing would make such a big difference."
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I read that in the link and was a little confused when you said wrapping the tool did not center the bearing.

Once you replaced the shim washers and hit the tool, it must have lined up? For me, hitting the tool didn't make a difference but I had it partially inserted into the splines per the shop manual. Did you have it partially inserted into the splines when you hit the tool?

I am now wondering if I should pull the drive and attempt to get it centered or just leave it for fall when I pull the drive for storage... The alignment bar went in, it was just a little snug - not the two finger removal like the videos on youtube.
 
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