Rear Coupler

[FelicityRebuild]

I'm stuck. This may sound stupid, but I can't budge the nut holding the rear coupler in place. I'm trying to get the rear coupler off to replace the whole thing, but the nut wont move at all. Am I missing something, or do I just have to apply more brute strength? I did open the lock washer holding the bolt on, and everything looks clean of rust. I'm a bit of an amature engine rebuilder. I'm so damn close to getting my A4 back in the boat. This is the last bit of frustration for me.

Thanks.

[baileyem]

It should move with just a bit more strength or leverage.

I had to do mine in the boat last time and the biggest problem was getting into a position from which I could get the leverarge to use a bit of strength.

Good luck.

Mike

[FelicityRebuild]

ok. thanks. My engine is out of the boat, so position isn't a problem. I was able to put 140 ft lbs of torque on the nut while holding the coupling with large pliers. I didn't want to do anything more until I checked that it wasn't reversed threaded or something. I'll try putting some heat to it tomorrow. Right now it's soaking in WD-40.

[sastanley]

FR. what are we talking about.???

I busted loose the nut on the tailshaft with help from an air compressor I lugged to the boat (with impact gun!!) after I laid all of my weight on it with a pipe wrench holding the coupler and 4' pipe with no success.

Go check out my thread titled "Indigo" in the drivetrain/prop section for details. I think I may have visited your issue..and I mentioned alternate threads..if we are talking about the same nut, it spins off counter clockwise....if I am off base.. we'll continue to plug away at your problem.

[FelicityRebuild]

Good Read

I just read the entire thread. Very helpful considering I will be installing new couplers and mounting my engine over the next few weeks (with any luck). I am mildly concerned about the .003 clearance though. I had no idea it had to be that tight. I guess I'll jump off that bridge when I get to it. To bed now. I have to battle a 1 1/8" nut in the morning. Thanks.

[jhwelch]

I think I had to borrow a breaker bar along with a large socket when I had to remove that nut years ago -- it finally did crack loose.

-jonathan

[sastanley]

FR, it was a huge pain and sucked up some sailing season..but necessary in my case. I should have addressed it when I had the boat on extended dry dock in the winter of 2008-2009. We'll walk you thru it. Keep us informed!

edit - it is a big huge ego boost when you go thru the process and the silly gauge suddenly starts sticking at 0.005 as you line it up. Tedious, but rewarding.

[hanleyclifford]

There is a tool listed in the on line catalogue for exactly this purpose. That, coupled with a piece of well pipe over a breaker bar makes the job easy.

[ndutton]

it is a big huge ego boost when you go thru the process and the silly gauge suddenly starts sticking at 0.005 as you line it up. Tedious, but rewarding.

Shawn, I don't recall, did you ever check the alignment after relaunching?

[sastanley]

Neil, yes..I waited about 3 weeks & I had to make minor adjustments..if I recall, I had to drop the back end just a smidge to re-align things..but it was not too far off..currently at 0.002" all the way around.

[ndutton]

Neil, yes..I waited about 3 weeks & I had to make minor adjustments..if I recall, I had to drop the back end just a smidge to re-align things..but it was not too far off..currently at 0.002" all the way around.

Most excellent!!

[sastanley]

progress??

FR, I (of course) have more rambling advice & Neil popping this back up is reminding me to see if you made any progress.

1- The 0.003" clearance is tedious to achieve, but not difficult. It freaked me out too when the more 'wise' forum members gave me that little tidbit of info. My understanding is the spec is technically 0.001" per 1" of coupler diameter...The direct drive coupler is 3 1/4" if I recall, so Hanley & Neil said I had to get to 0.003". I even had to go buy a new feeler gauge to get that thin.. - The key is remember to think of the rear nuts as a pivot...use them for large adjustments, and use them as the fulcrum (adjusting the front mounts) as you get close. This seemed daunting to me and I did TONS of reading about it ahead of time, but once you get in there and start moving around the mounts..it sorts itself out and you see the clearance change pretty dramatically as you move the engine around...I was down to 1/8 of a turn increments on the 1" motor mount nuts when I was done.

2- (I am cheap, I should have bought the tools offered by Moyer..It may have helped with the issues mentioned below.) I wasn't really surprised when I was able to pop that nut off easily with the cheap impact gun - I'll loosely quote someone else on this forum - "rust is a terrible glue, except when you are trying to get two old parts separated." - I think in my case the constant pressure from the pipe and breaker bar was never going to snap it loose, no matter how long a pipe I used. There were just too many components that were moving in the assembly, so you never got a 'snap' on the nut to break it loose.., i.e., the pipe wrench on the coupler pushing against a fiberglass bulkhead, the breaker bar itself bending as pressure is applied, etc.. The rattling action of the gun however, made easy work of it..I have a semi-portable compressor..15 gallons and wheels on one end..I think it can run at about 3.5-4.0CFM @ 90 PSI. In hindsight, I suspect one of those little passive 2-3 gallon cans filled with 150PSI of air would probably provided enough pressure to the gun to achieve success...It took longer to unwrap the extension cord! it only rattled on it for a few seconds before breaking it free. I think it is all about the 'impact' part of the impact gun in this case.

[FelicityRebuild]

Update

Saturday morning I went out to the shed with knowledge of this discussion and my 145 ft-lb torque wrench as my only weapons. I applied pressure with the torque wrench careful not to go more than the rated 145 ft-lbs. (I didn't need a broken wrench to make my day longer). I was able to hold the coupler with an 18" pipe wrench between my foot and the floor. After several minutes of applying pressure I realized it wasn't working. I had no choice, I got out the hammer and sharpened my chisel.

After several not so light taps with the hammer, I thought I'd try the torque wrench again. As I was applying pressure to the wrench, something made a horrible screech. After a few long 'oh sh!t' moments where I thought I had broken something important (like my torque wrench), I realized the bolt was loose. I was able to take it off without any further headaches.

Next was the coupling. I only had 2 bolts that came out when disconnecting the engine due to rust. After drilling a third hole and jerry-rigging the wheel puller I was able to start applying pressure to it. After several turns, I realized that the shaft was being pulled into the engine instead of the wheel pulling away. Apparently the coupling and the Oile seal retaining flange were all stuck together. I disconnected the retaining flange and rectified the issue without too much trouble. All is well in the world.

As for the .003" gap, I figure I'll jump off that bridge when I get to it.

Nothing like moments of extreme panic to keep your day going. Thanks all for your help.

[sastanley]

nice..that is definitely progress!

If you noticed how long the saga went on during my time with my coupler, it will quickly become apparent that it was a series of many small victories such as the one you describe above which ultimately leads to the successful conclusion of this particular project.

[FelicityRebuild]

nice..that is definitely progress!

If you noticed how long the saga went on during my time with my coupler, it will quickly become apparent that it was a series of many small victories such as the one you describe above which ultimately leads to the successful conclusion of this particular project.

I've been rebuilding this little guy since May. A lot of little victories, some minor setbacks, but all overcome and a LOT learned. I'm looking forward to turning the key soon and hearing it purr like a kitten. My girlfriend said to me the other day "what if it doesn't start?" My response was I have new fuel pump and carb, I replaced the rings and valves, so as long as I have voltage, what could possibly go wrong? I then said to her that now I can NEVER replace her (the engine that is) with a deisel because I know too much about how she works. (Again, the engine. I have no idea how the girlfriend works).

It's been a great "little" project, but I'm looking forward to it ending so I can get to work on replacing my rigging. All before April 30th, Christening day.