Reinstallation of Motor 780 SLX

[Lockout]

Any thing I need to know about re-aligning the engine when I reinstall? Im thinking(hoping) that I can use the old score marks on the motor mounts (damn I wish I would have marked them before removing). Would it be acceptable to install the motor, leave loose and install shaft then tighten the mutha up?

[starflight]

I would feel more comfortable w/ an alignment tool. A little shift of the engine makes my alignment tool hard to insert.

[Lockout]

I would too but....I dont have one. Dont even know what an alignment tool looks like. Cant see buying one for one installation if I can get around it.

[starflight]

Beerdart rents them.

[K447]

Any thing I need to know about re-aligning the engine when I reinstall?...
Would it be acceptable to install the motor, leave loose and install shaft then tighten the mutha up?

Not really.

The purpose of the alignment process and the shims is not to make it easy to get the drive shaft installed, but to avoid any offset between the drive shaft centerline, the motor coupler, and the jet pump impeller.

If the drive shaft ends up running with side or angled forces on the splines (because things are not aligned), the splines will suffer excess wear as they slide against each other with each rotation of the shaft.

Sometimes, even if you do get the engine shims all back where they came from, the alignment can still be off, or it can be just fine. Can be hard to tell without the tool, even if the drive shaft seems to fit without binding, the alignment can still be off.

The alignment tool is a long metal shaft, precision ground and very straight. You install a pump stator without the stub shaft or impeller, grease the tool, then slide it in through the pump stator bearings, then through the hull fitting, and into the engine coupler. If it slides into the coupler with almost no resistance, then the engine is aligned.

[ph2ocraft]

Any thing I need to know about re-aligning the engine when I reinstall? Im thinking(hoping) that I can use the old score marks on the motor mounts (damn I wish I would have marked them before removing). Would it be acceptable to install the motor, leave loose and install shaft then tighten the mutha up?

Rent the tool from BD and take the worry about ruining couplers, driveshafts and/or impellers off your "what could ruin my trip this weekend" list.

[Lockout]

Understand...so it sounds sort of line the tools we use to use in the machine shops to check spindle alignment. PS - My engine did not have any shims believe it or not. I was suprised myself. I figured there would be some sort of shiming from the factory. Nuthin. Nuts and washers...Dats it. Either polaris didnt care or my hull was aligned perfectly.

I will get with BeerDart when I get the engine back together.

Thanks ya'll.