I must have been very bad... working on a Moomba

Well, owner calls, 2005 Moomba LSV with Indmar Assault engine (GM 350 TBI) lost gears, I go diagnose the boat at the dock, turn it on and hear crickets on the bellhousing, shifted ZF tranny by hand no response. Suspect a broken damper plate.

I'm dealing with this boat since Monday, had to remove the floor, unattach the bellhousing and found this...


In order to pull the bellhousing, I had to remove the V-drive, the Hurth supports,
Oh, and the bellhousing was missing the lower bolts!!

Totally meesed up Bellhousing.



look how the flywheel scratched the bellhousing.


Damper plate worn grooves (look at the genious idea to silence the springs!!!)


The tranny input shaft is worn also, gonna send it to the local tranny expert.

My hipotesis is that when the engine was replaced, they forgot the washers between the flywheel and damper so the transmision input was merely into the damper grooves, also the weight of the whole unit (hurth ZF and walter v-drive) which is only held in the middle by the ZF supports and the bellhousing, which also mas missing the lower bolts helped it work uncentered and worn the whole linkage while cracking the BH.
What's the experts opinion on this?

I'm really considering pulling the engine to assemble everything outside and squeeze it back in again, what a pain!!!

Not grease, Sika I believe. It's to prevent the weak springs from rattling.

I'm not sure who replaced the engine, but I'd think he didnt remove the tranny and could not reach the lower bellhousing bolts. It's pretty tight in there!.

As for the washers behind the damper, I'm waiting on Eric to chime in, but I'd dare say it had washers sometime because of the marks on the disc. The damper I took out of the Mercruiser didnt have washers, Borgwarner gear there, this uses a ZF-Hurth.

IMHO this is an bad installation issue, not an owner asking for cheap "I need to sell" work. You gain nothing from saving on 6 washers and 2 bolts. I met Martin once, he seemed a nice guy.

the ZF and BW are the same stack up with a 26 spline input shaft, no washers should be needed on the damper, it should be dished though facing out

I know more about this boat that the new owner does.
Blown engine a year ago, new base engine was installed, I dont think they removed the tranny for this. Engine supports are missing the top nut.

6 months ago, hit a summerged object, can see how the strut was re-straightened on the base, there's an ugly scar on the hull between the prop and rudder that could be the prop hitting.
Alignment was very good though.

One month ago this guy bought the boat, funny thing is he's my Nautique's PO. He knows of the engine swap but not of the underwater gear repair.

I have not asked for price at the local dealership yet. Yes it's a 450 D.
I guess I wont need and Indmar Bellhousing, any 350 inboard will work right?
I dont think boat is insured, nor there arent any moomba or indmar dealers neither.

Just shoot you an email for my other patient.

I will take pics on monday, but the splines on the shaft end are gone aprox 1/8 - 1/4 inch. We have though of adding a washer between the damper and the flywheel and it would fit on the undamaged spline, but as you have said in the other topic, around here this kind boat's are the Mercedez Benz, and we couldnt guarantee this work either. So, after I get a quote for the parts it will be a new shaft or we wont guarantee the job.

Sorry to insist, did you get my Email? I have that guy stepping on my toes.

My intention is to have the trans repaired/quoted on the ZF dealer in Buenos Aires, then any trans warranty will be on the dealer. Then I install as the book says and warranty my work too.
If he wants to save on the tranny work, no warranties at all. But I'd still prefer to have the shaft replaced.

Just sent another mail, tell me if you got it.

Wow, that is a serious mess.
Good luck on the repair Luch!

Luch, do you want me to look for that shaft?
last time I called on one of those transmissions form ZF Florida it was 1100.00 brand new
Ive come to realize something, im not charging enough

holly molly!!645 on a gasket set!!!
HAHA guys drive MB and like to pay spare parts as if they were for fiats!!!

Kapla, did you get that refurb trans from Bettiga?
He warranties his work, at least he claims so, but I never heard anyone complaining yet.
We are installing new bellhousing and damper, and probably some washers between the damper and flywheel to drive the splines in for better contact.

I will also look into making some supports for the Walter unit.

Bettiga offered me a 9 springs damper for U$D390, gotta see what Barrera offered for U$D330.

Ha! just left you a lovely message on the atm.

The service claimed that they had to put it all apart to take the shaft out, they even asked me to send the oil cooler for pressure testing, I guess that's for the warranty.

I'm probably gonna drop by this week to take a look and make numbers with them.

Custom polices are changing down here, not trying to stop imports, just make them more expensive, I fear anything you send will end up detent at customs with a ridiculous fee, not a gasket set maybe, but a machined shaft could be stopped.

Anyway it's a good heads up on the gasket set/seal kit, gonna check what they did on the unit and talk that out.

Luciano,

Yes, watch out for customs, especially changes to customs rules. I would make sure you know the rules so you don't get surprised and end up eating your profits.
Hopefully Argentina is nothing like Brazil for Customs purposes.   My former employer got burnt for a large sum of $$ when the corrupt Brazilian customs dept seized and never released a spare parts order of all sorts of electronics, motors, and power transmission stuff.

If you have any customs questions regarding stuff coming out of America, or wherever, LMK. Now Argentina I can't offer much support for regarding customs laws.

come to think of it all the times i went in and out of south America and the simple hand waves to let me thru, i shoulve belted up and stuffed my luggage, a man could easily get in alot of trouble down there. its funny about the cultural differences, I was begging the company i contracted for to keep me on and all the guys that worked for the company down there wanted to come to America, they all thought that you could come to the US and be rich...not so true

Luch you wanna know who did the engine swap? Gorecki...nice job juh?