Prop key way is sheered

OK now I'm feeling frustrated.
So got all the motor mount adjusts loose. yeah! home stretch right? Nope. I almost have it dialed in so that the couplings are parallel. I just need to move the front (fore) end of the motor a bit more port. But when I leverage it over there it just seems to move back when I release the pressure. I finally figured out that the fore port motor mount is all the way in. The tierod ( don't know name) shaft that goes into the motor mount is up against the engine block. You can see it in the picture. I also noticed that the alternator rubs on the floor trim on that side and has been for a long time. It has worn two grooves into it from vibration.
So here's the big picture. I have the strut in dead center of the log and perfect top to bottom. The reason why I decided to adjust the strut is because it was very far over to starboard, almost touching the log. I would also say that the log doesn't look perfectly straight in the hull. This is a 250 hr boat with one owner who showed me all maintenance records and he didn't know much about boats so he never worked on it. He thought it had a carb until I pointed out the EFI and explained how it worked. So I think I'm looking at some factory stuff here.
So if this is all original then the following may have happened. The guy who put the log in didn't align it very well. So this made everything have to shift over , motor mount strut to accommodate as much as possible. The issue is that the motor mounts only have so far they can go and the floor opening only has so much room. The put the fore of the motor over to side as far as it will go (rod on block), alternator housing rubbing.
So now that I centered the strut to the log the motor can't make it that extra bit to line up.
wher eit is now If I center the two couplings I am around .008" off axis for parallel.

So my options are.....
1) Remove the Fore Port motor mount and take out the tie rod and cut a little bit off the end so I can adjust a bit farther and not hit the block. I would also have to grind a bit of the rail that trims the floor so the alternator isn't hitting them. I am able to get a bottle jack under the block so I can remove the mount.
Or..
2) Remove the strut and put it back where the shaft is almost rubbing the log. Basically the factory setting. I imagine like this the stuffing box is surely pulling on the shaft to one side which can't be good.

Or....
3) Remove the strut and the log. Center the motor on it's mounts. Then put the log and the strut back on aligned with the motor at nominal

Thoughts?

I looked back thru the thread but could not see what engine you have. Is it a Chevy? Could you use a shorter belt and bring the alternator closer to the block? I think I'd go with option 1. I can't imagine the factory placing the log off but yet can't explain why it won't align

When I pull the coupling up, the point of contact is at 3:00. My clock is me at the rudder looking at the tranny coupling. i.e. point of contact is dead starboard. The aft mounts are pretty centered left to right. If I adjust them to get the two couplings parallel then the two coupling axis are pretty far off.
So I first adjusted the aft mounts to get the coupling axis centered. Then to take that 3:00 point of contact and 9:00 gap closed I would then move the fore of the motor a bit port. That is when the mount bottoms out on the block and the alt hits the floor trim. Like I mentioned it has been in that extreme spot for a long time because the trim has the cut grooves from the alternator housing.
i agree removing the mount and trimming the yoke shaft (or what ever it's called) is likely the bet option. If I can just a get a smidge more out of that I should be able to close that gap in the coupling.
Any advice on removing a motor mount?
I wa also wondering why the fore and aft motor mounts are different styles?

Adam,
It was suggested but I don't recall if you ever checked if your strut was bent or off center causing the aft end of the shaft to be off center? If so , you could still get the shaft centered in the log but due to the angle of the shaft, it causes the engine to sit on an angle and off center as well. This could be the problem with you needing the extra adjustment on the forward engine mount? Get a measurement from each side at the chine to the shaft.

Yes,   I've mentioned this before.    I refer to it as an "Out of Parallel Alignment"
When you have perfect align at the coupling. Centered in the front of the log, but yet requires the front mounts to be all the way to one side.
This means your strut is still out of whack.

That would make sense.
But.... Having that extra little bit of adjustment I got everything spot on. There is far less than .002" gap on the couplings. Can't measure less. The shaft turns so freely that with the missing blade prop on it will turn the shaft just from the offset balance. So I have it nicely tuned for what is there.
I'll keep everyone posted as she get's stitched back up and heads for the water.
Thanks

[QUOTE=BaccoBouncer]   There is far less than .002" gap on the couplings. Can't measure less. /QUOTE]
Adam,
What are you using to measure? I'm curious why you can't measure less than the .002'.Are you trying to use a real thin feeler gauge which can be difficult due to how thin and flexible they are? If so, try using two that are thicker say ,011" and .012". The difference is .001". Below the .001" is by "feel" unless you have a set that has some .0005" increments in it.

I guess can't may have been too strong a term. I was excited to be done at that point. I was holding them together and if I let go and tried to make a space it moved. i recall now that you guys said to put a bolt in to hold it in place. I think I was also thinking that .001 of movement was likely considering the distance from coupling to strut just by it's own natural weight or the packing box etc.
I'll run it for a few days and then check/adjust again.

How tight should I do the packing nut?
Thanks,
Adam

What's a spud wrench? Sunds delicious

ok. I might just use a small C clamp which should be as delicate

gun-driver wrote: Slip joint or as we call them channel locks .

Or if you are really "dated" like myself, water pump pliers!! BTW, the only other person I know that calls them that is Billy.

Rib not slip

good to hear its all back up and running Adam,
That was a good undertaking. But i bet you completely understand now why marine mechanics charge $100+ an hr. They earn every penny and rarely catch a break.


I'm going to be that guy right now though,
Why do you guys not check them or suggest checking them in the water? I've always been told to do final adjustment when its in the water because fiberglass moves. and when its being supported on blocks or a trailer it may be in a different home location than when its being supported by water.
That said; under load, accelerating, decelerating, high seas conditions or overloaded with fat sacs that alignment is sure to be flexing around a bit so how picky can you get?

DayTony wrote: Why do you guys not check them or suggest checking them in the water? I've always been told to do final adjustment when its in the water because fiberglass moves. and when its being supported on blocks or a trailer it may be in a different home location than when its being supported by water. That said; under load, accelerating, decelerating, high seas conditions or overloaded with fat sacs that alignment is sure to be flexing around a bit so how picky can you get?

The simple answer is a small hull that most of us have flexes less.

Soooooo close
Everything is back together   but........ With the motor adjusted where it is I can't move the alternator enough to tighten the belt. It was already marginal as you saw by the bite marks on the aluminum motor frame. It's going to be hard to find "exactly" the right size belt because there is very little throw. I would say my best option is a smaller alternator. It's a standard V8 block and there might be someone who makes a "racing" lightweight alternator.
or.... Is there a bolt on tensioner pulley that could work?

I know I know This is all a likely indication that my strut is bent which is why the motor had to be put so far to one side. I totally agree. I just want to get the boat in the water before it just becomes a flag of my defeat in the driveway for all summer for all to see. My 8 year old daughter has already stopped asking about when it's going in the water. She gave up.