Strut & Shaft Alignment

Got the coupler on. Worked on the rear mounts and ended up breaking both studs. I see that I can buy new studs and isolators, but where do I get the trunnions that are seized to the old ones??.

I'm finally making some decent progress now.

I ended up having to use a real torch to get the trunnion pins loose in order to reuse them. After cleaning everything up and reassembling, I was able to get the engine aligned in (3) attempts. Amazing, considering how much things were off.

Should be able to finish re-installing the exhaust tonight and possibly lap the prop to the shaft. Still lots to do before I get to take her for a test ride!

Finally got the boat running but now have a leaking RWP and some transmission issues.

I replaced the impeller and was very careful when doing so. It seems that the leak stems from the shaft, but what would cause this and do I need a rebuild? It worked fine prior to replacing the impeller. Could merely taking it apart and putting it back together somehow damage the shaft seal causing it to leak?

The transmission issues include:
-in neutral, the shaft spins pretty consistently but is sometimes intermittent
-the shaft will not stop spinning going in and out of both forward and reverse (going to neutral)
-a distinct chatter type noise can be heard in both forward and reverse, but it tends to be more noticeable in reverse

I am at a loss as to what is wrong with the transmission, as it was just rebuilt last July and has less than 10 hours on it and the brand new damper. It ran fine after the rebuild last season, and I made sure to closely monitor everything to make sure the noise was gone and it shifted properly, which it did. What could have possibly happened???? I feel that I've done everything that has been recommended thus far to make things run smoothly, so I am confounded.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Yes.

and there is no load on the prop in the drive, so you will get alot of the symptoms you are describing

Should there be a paper gasket as well as an o-ring to seal the RWP? This does not seem right to me, but it is what I found when I replaced the impeller. Also, there is rust on the visible part of the shaft, so I am beginning to think that the shaft seal may have been leaking a little even before I replaced the impeller and I didn't notice it.

Eric:

Okay, I'll give it a shot. Is this normal for boats that are aligned properly?

Thanks!

like i tell the wife, you need a load.....

Eric:

You the man!! To think I ever doubted you. Just got back from the reservoir and, as far as I can tell, the trans performed well. I did not have the hood attached (don't have floor piece done yet), so I had to stop, shut the boat off, remove the hood, start the boat again, and then make my checks. I did not notice the infamous "rattling" noise, but the shaft still slightly rotated in neutral on occasion but was better than when in the driveway. I didn't have it on the water for a long time, so I guess I will monitor again the next time.

The only bad thing that happened is while docking the boat to take it out, I lost the ability to go into both forward and reverse. The shift control seemed locked and would not allow me to shift; it's like some one put a padlock on it. I've never had any issues with this. Any clue on what this new problem is?

BTW, idle rpm was at 750ish when I first got the boat going, and right before taking it out, it seeemed to be close to 900. What would cause this?

it doesnt pay to be a worry wart. it will make an old man out of you

Tom:

I'm not sure what to think about my situation. I can believe Pete's statements about factory issues and having to shim the strut with the brass plate I discovered, but as for the strut itself being bent, I'm really beginning to think that mine got bent due to a good whack job that may have also tweaked the shaft log enough that it had to have some glass work to fix it. I could be wrong, but the engine is sitting far left to get proper alignment, and I wouldn't guess that this is normal. Could also have come from the factory like this, but I am going to choose to believe they didn't do things that bad.

well if the UAW guys use to shove Pepsi bottles in the rockers of new 65 Impala's, surely boat building guys arent going to fix an engine to the left