Engine mounts

[PaulAG]

Another query for the cognoscenti.
The conical rubber mounts on the Volvo MD11C in my Centaur - yes it is the original 1972 engine but with new cylinder heads! - need replacing, I have a set OK. Now, can I just lift the back of the engine with a car jack with wooden load spreaders under the gearbox/rear of the sump and on the hull? Or must I use a crane or similar? Similar problem at front of engine, but the large flywheel gets in the way. It would be very difficult to lift the engine out completely (although that would be the best way, as then I can clean out a very mucky bilge), as I have a large fixed wheelhouse.
Anyone done this type of job with useful hints? I have read the previous posts about the difficulties on re-aligning with the shaft and look forward to happy hours head down in the engine bay!

Paul AG

PaulAG

 

[stamfordian]

Hi,
don,t know if this will help but i am moving an engine at moment and use portable drive through gantry bought from Halfords years ago errected in boat,its basicly two "a" frames with a bar across use weight spreaders under each foot.You could make your own out of scaffolding ,if you only want to take the weight of the engine you can use a bosuns chair knot...its a loop of good quality rope with a bar passing though the loop..you then turn the bar which twists the rope shortening it..very good in tight spaces...

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.arweb.co.uk/argallery/stamfordian>http://www.arweb.co.uk/argallery/stamfordian</A>

 

[byron]

I'm probably the last guy you should listen to as I am a walking disaster area on anything mechanical or DIY. However when the engineer was fitting a new gearbox to one of my Volvo 306s I noticed he used a regular small car jack to manourvre the engine slightly.

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<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.freeware.mcmail.com/435.htm>http://www.freeware.mcmail.com/435.htm</A>

 

[pvb]

Don\'t know if this would work, but..

How about using the adjustment facility on 3 of the mounts to take the load off the 4th, so that you can replace that one. Then repeat, one at a time, with the others. You've got to completely realign the engine, so it wouldn't matter about losing the original settings. Might work.

 

[dickh]

When I did this last year, I disconnected the prop shaft and exhaust elbow, lifted up the front of the engine by fitting a rope strop around the front pulley, attached the main sheet to it and a beam across the hatchway, replaced the front ones. I did a similar thing for the rear mounts, but with a beam balanced on wooden blocks either side of the engine through the side access panels.
This was on a perkins Perama so you will have to work out your own method on your boat.

dickh
I'd rather be sailing...

 

[vyv_cox]

Back home I have a super chain hoist but it didn't seem to be worth bringing it over to Holland for a very short job. I bought a wire cable hoist, colloquially known as a "come-on" or perhaps a "turfer" from a local car parts shop. Cost was equivalent of about 8 pounds and it will easily lift a boat engine. I hung mine from a length of timber across the companionway.

Not sure how easy it is to remove your flywheel, but with the Bukh 20, removing it makes a world of difference to hoisting the engine around. I was able to stop the flywheel of the Bukh rrotating while undoing the fixing bolts by wedging an old screwdriver in the starter teeth - despite the crudeness of this method it worked fine.

 

[Kurrawong_Kid]

I have replaced the rear mounting on port side under fine filter of MD2B about 6 times on account of leaking diesel! Disconnect prop shaft. Support rear of engine with bowline around filter support, making sure that nothing bendable will be supported, connected to mainsheet led to sheet winch via suitable block and lead. Unscrew nut on top of mount. Raise engine just sufficient to take the weight. It may be necessary to release the opposite mount. Unscrew bolts of mount bracket from engine. Remove. Then unscrew the bolts that hold the mount to the bearers and remove base of mount. Unbolt rubber from base. Now the difficult bit! Prise out the collapsed rubber from the cap--may need a lot of persuasion. Put the new rubber in narrow end down and then reassemble in reverse order. The only tricky bit is to make sure, by adjustment of the sheet winch, that the bolts holding the lug on the engine go in without getting cross threaded. I don't know if the MD11C mounts are very different, but this info. may help. Same princple for the other three.