Reduction gear removal

[Mo]

Hello folks,

The A4 in my boat with a direct drive finally has to be removed and replaced. I have, pretty much, a drop in engine that I bought 11 years ago when a guy put a diesel in his C&C 34. That engine has a reduction gear.
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Pulling the engine out of the boat on Friday and need to make that one going into the boat a direct drive. There is no room to put the reduction gear in there and it would involve a lot of changes and carpentry to do so....so that's where I am with that.

The engine that I'd bought 11 years back came out of a boat from Lake Ontario and as soon as it showed up they ran it up, winterized it and took it out. I came home from an Actic trip and was asked if I wanted to buy it. Compression is 110 on all cylinders, checked it this am.

I need to know if I just pop off that reduction gear and change the back end off my direct drive....or am I into a major.

Thanks
MO

[Mo]

Looks like it has to come apart...so be it.

[Al Schober]

Not a biggie. Easiest way is to keep the rotating parts of the reversing gear. Remove the reduction gear and the guts of the reverse gear from the donor engine. Drop in the guts of the reverse gear from your present engine.
Trickiest part is removing the tapered dowel pins before you try to lift the transmission cover.

[Mo]

Thanks Al,
I'll have both my engines in my garage for the switch over. I'll send you a PM because I know of people that had issues with gaskets not seating right. They put it all together in the boat though but I don't want to pull this a second time. I'll send a message.

Mo

[Mo]

all good...and another engine in the wings.

Yesterday switched the reversing gear to make my new engine a direct drive. Also changed everything over from my old engine to the new one that I wanted to keep.

I also have a friend that salvages boats....he has an engine for me. I know it is a freshwater engine like the one I'm putting in the boat tomorrow. I actually worked on it spring of 2019 and it sounded real good then. The new incoming engine is out of a boat that was at our club. Two military members owned the boat and because of commitments weren't' around to look after it. Since the boat's scrapping that engine was kept inside at my friends place of business.

So it looks like after takeout in about 3 weeks I gear myself up another "duty ready drop in" engine.

[Mo]

We have an engine.

Installed the engine today. I'd figured she would start first try...it didn't. I was miffed...jumped in the lazarette and had a friend turn it over while I rotated the distributor ...vvvvrrrrroomm....We have an engine. Like we are talking 30 seconds later. She pumped out blue smoke for a few minutes but I'd driven the oil to it when I bought it and stowed it long ago...after about 10 minutes awesome...no steam, no oil...nothing. Did notice small oil leak running back on sbt side of reversing gear but I don't think it is a major...if I can't sort it out guess what....up she comes!

For those that don't know me....I'd rip a dash out for a rattle, I'd haul an engine over a leak. LOL

Edit: I took extra precautions yesterday to measure the old motor mounts and set up the new ones just perfect...it went in with a bit of jiggling around and into place....the mounts were so exact that there was a perfect bolt up to shaft and no vibration on start up. Took it for a run up the harbour.

[W2ET]

MVP.

Bill

[Mo]

Time saver...if you have the room.

When I removed the engine I had enough room on the prt side to remove the exhaust manifold from the engine and leave it there hung with a zip-tie. It was far enough out of the way for removal of the old engine and installation of the new one. This saved a lot of time because when I bolted the manifold back on my exhaust was DONE. Total time from start to finish was about 4 hour but we did spend about 1/2 an hour positioning the engine being careful not to hit the engine mounts that I'd installed yesterday...we used the mast crane the lower the engine in and put a line around the back end up to the prt and sbt winches. This allowed us to pull then engine back with the winches and gently lower and position until perfectly over the motor mount posts. I'd previously measured the position of the old mounts and set the new ones exactly in the same place. We gently lowered the engine...I was on the rear with the lines in my hands to both prt and stb winches. My friend Alden was in the cabin watching the front motor mount holes and he could also see the rear ones. George was standing in the rain like me, outside working the mast crane winch....we lowered it into place and the shaft lined up perfect...no vibration when I ran it up under load. Had that whole thing pictured in my mine yesterday...coming out is easy, but it has to go back in with precision or it's just a nightmare. Luckily, we had an easy go.

The boys took off while I was hooking up my wiring, grounds, tightening mount nuts etc....they came back with a 40 of dark rum and we took her for a run and got into that. It was a good day. George is my usual partner in crime, but Alden went out of his way to help...he live about 60 miles away and was there for take out and installation. About 3 years ago he called me after he broke down...I went out and towed him home. His reversing gear failed. I had a spare and handed it to him no charge. He called with trouble around 10 am and we had a new reversing gear in his boat around 2:30 pm...that night his family and my family were anchored on our boats watching a live concert. What goes around comes around.