CrankyGypsy
Jetboaters Captain
- Messages
- 352
- Reaction score
- 297
- Points
- 202
- Location
- Tampa, FL 33615
- Boat Make
- SeaDoo
- Year
- 2008
- Boat Model
- Challenger
- Boat Length
- 18
(referencing a 2005 AR230HO. the wake tower is an integral part of my process - boats without will need to find another method)
@fairpilot was able to get his motor out by himself and without mechanical means. i think he unbolted the oil cooler and part of the exhaust prior to engine removal to decrease the weight and size. the majority of the weight is in the cooler. i didn't want to take anything off i didn't have to or risk any gel damage, so i lifted it mechanically.
Step 1: GETTING THE HATCH OFF
i ran some rope through both grab straps on the rear seats and tied it into a big loop. i will then be using a tie down strap (because it is adjustable) to connect this loop to the wake tower and allow the hatch to be opened wider without worrying of it snapping off the hinges and falling off the back of the swim deck. not awesome.
with the hatch open, i used a mop handle to prop the hatch up and completely remove both support shocks. using the adjustable strap, i stabilized the opened hatch vertically - just enough so it is wasn't falling forward because if it goes too far back the hatch will be making contact with the swim deck edge and may damage the gel coat or hinge areas.
in order to keep the hatch from dropping/sliding once the hinge bolts are removed, i used three scrap pieces of noodle (two about 4" and one about 18") i had laying around. i wedged the short ones vertically to keep the hatch from sliding forward and wedged the long one in under the hatch. i then placed a piece of scrap wood (about 1" x 2.5" x 30") between the engine compartment lip and the hatch edge to help keep it all in place:
(pic taken a little after this step, but you can see the placement)
i placed a thick blanket on the swim deck because this is where i will be laying the unhinged hatch. i also placed a blanket on the ground behind the boat because this is where it is going to end up off the boat. i lowered the swim deck ladder to prevent snagging the strap post that sticks out.
the manual says to remove the hinge bolts (screws) that go through the swim deck. with phillips heads and nuts, i simply couldn't reach both to do this alone. instead, i chose to remove the bolts that hold the hatch to the hinge, rather than the bolts holding the hinge to the swim deck. i used an offset screwdriver (using the blunter end rather than the skinny end) on the hinge bolts:
so with the hatch at 90*, i was able to sit on the side/stern hatches and place an offset screwdriver from underneath. bracing the screwdriver best i could, i used my electric impact with an 11mm long socket to back all six of the nuts off. i had to tap a few of the bolts down with the handle of a screwdriver to get them out. with the anchor strap and noodles, the hatch sat exactly where it was at even with all hinge bolts removed. while balancing the hatch from the swim deck, i disconnected the ratchet strap from the rope looped between the seat grab straps. standing on the swim deck, i slowly tilted the "top" of the hatch back about halfway (45*), keeping the fulcrum where the hinges were, and making sure the blanket was still between the hatch and swim deck. i then stepped down to the ground and completely lower the upside-down hatch onto the blanketed swim deck:
what i did next was to stand on the cleanout hatch between the engine hatch and the engine compartment. i carefully lifted the hinge edge of the hatch up while moving the hatch's seat area over the edge so that the backs of the seat rested on the lower portion of the swim deck (here is a really terrible photoshop of what i mean):
this is where it got scary. the hatch is not really all that heavy ...it's just big and awkward and fragile. still standing on the cleanout hatch and kung-fu gripping the hinge edge, i slightly lifted the whole thing to the very edge and then carefully lowered it all straight down to the blanket on the ground. keeping it balanced vertically, i jumped down and placed it flat:
i was able to get this far without any scratches or scrapes on any of the gel coat or seats.
i removed the engine clean out tray lid and the tray itself (there are three hose clamps holding the two clean out ports and the drain to the tray and the engine switches are coupled to the harness on the starboard side).
Step 2: PREPARING THE ENGINE FOR REMOVAL
using the manual as a guide (not a rulebook)...
- i put the filter back on after the oil was out.
- there is a ground connecting the two oil coolers that needs to be unbolted.
- the fuel line is kind of confusing with the seal that looks like a black balloon (no need to remove that). i unbolted the two tiny allen heads holding the clamp. and giving it a good yank, my fuel hose came right off. ? ...probably gonna need to replace that funky non-reusable clip.
- #6 and #7 were disconnected through the cleanout hatch (had to remove that cleanout tray) at the transom then pulled/pushed through the compartment wall. the manual makes no mention of the tray removal.
- the #9 couplers: one to the fuel pump and the rest behind the white, round starboard access hole under the side hatch.
- i was not able to loosen the four bolts that mount the engine to the brackets without the rubber twisting. i instead removed the eight bolts that mount the brackets to the compartment. this required some lift to prevent the bolts from binding under the engine weight and damaging the threads on the way out. they do not come out easily since they have red loctite. taking these bolts out allowed me to use lag bolts to mount the engine to 3ft sections of 4x4 instead of laying the engine on the ground.
- there are spacers under the mounting feet (not the #14 shims) - they are different thicknesses, so mark them.
Step 3: BUILDING "THE CONTRAPTION"
i already have a winch on my Jeep, a snatch block, and an engine load leveler. i'm also planning to get my boat off the trailer and onto blocks to restore the gel coat. so i bought two 10ft 4x4s, three 8ft 4x4s, three 8ft 2x4s, and 12 standard cinder blocks for both projects. i cut one of the 8ft 4x4s into two 3ft and one 2ft sections. i cut one of the 2x4s into three 2ft sections and then cut two additional 7" pieces.
using galvanized drywall screws, i mounted the 7" pieces of 2x4 on either side of one end of a 10ft 4x4 so that it extended an additional 3". on the other 10ft 4x4, i marked at 6.5" and 8.5". i then took my circular saw (set to a depth of 1.5") and made the two cuts. using a chisel and hammer, i removed this portion and created a notch:
with the boat level, i stacked the cinder blocks at the stern and in-line with the engine. i then lowered the 10footer with the extensions inside the blocks. i placed the notch of the other 10footer on the tower cross bar (secured with rope) and the other end between the vertical 4x4's extensions. with a short piece of chain wrapped around the horizontal 4x4, i anchored the chain ends to the two aft cleats with ratchet straps:
i positioned the Jeep (chocked), free-spooled the winch rope out, and used another rope to secure the snatch block. with it centered over the engine, i attached the engine load leveler with a shackle:
Step 4: REMOVING THE ENGINE
i bolted the chains from the load leveler to the three lift points on the engine. i wrapped the wires and the ECU up and placed them on top of the airbox. to unbolt the eight bolts holding the engine to the compartment, i used the winch to take a little of the weight off the feet to allow the bolts to come out without binding - lifting too much will cause the same issue. once the bolts were out, i slacked the winch and slid the engine towards the bow to disconnect it from the impeller shaft coupler/dampener and remove the short cone section of the exhaust (unbuckling and pulling the water box further back will help).
the load on the leveler has to be adjusted so the aft of the engine comes up first to clear the shaft coupler immediately followed by the large rubber area of the exhaust out from under the compartment lip. once these were clear, i double-checked that everything was disconnected, re-leveled the load, and began inching my way up being careful not to scrape anything. once the feet were above the compartment lip, i ran two of the 2x4s under the engine feet (place towels on the compartment edges to prevent damage to the seal):
on the lower level of the swim deck, i placed a 2ft section of 4x4 on either side of the table base and a 2ft section of 2x4 on top of these - the aft end of the 8ft 2x4s were placed here to alleviate any stress on the clean out tray edge. with the engine lifted higher, i placed the two 3ft sections of 4x4 on the 2x4 under the engine feet, lowered the engine, then lagged each foot with a 5/16" lag with washer. i took 2ft of 2x4 and secured it across the two 4x4s to help keep the base stable and give me a handle. i raised the engine slightly and rotated it 90*, lowered it back to the 2x4s, and unbolted the load leveler:
i disassembled "the contraption" and re-secured the snatch block to the wake tower. using the two chains from the leveler, i attached the ends to the feet on the oil filter side with the lag screws and the other ends to the winch rope with the shackle:
i stacked two rows of cinder blocks (four high) and placed the 10ft 4x4s between the swim deck and cinder blocks, inline with the 2x4s (probably a good idea to place thick cardboard between the wood and the very edge of the swim deck):
incrementally slacking the winch, i slid the engine to the 10ft 4x4s. once completely on the bridge, i secured the engine to the aft cleats with ratchet straps to prevent it from sliding port or starboard. i then started removing the bricks one level at a time until the 4x4 were on the ground. i placed the cinder blocks so that the 4x4s would stay where they were and placed a ratchet strap at the top to prevent it from widening:
after removing the ratchet straps and slacking the winch rope, i slowly worked the the engine down towards the floor. once it got near the bottom, the weight of the engine did a good job keeping the 4x4s planted to the ground, so i could stop relying on the blocks and get them out of the way. i placed the two sections of 2ft 4x4 inline (not that this is necessary) and brought the engine to finally rest on these:
@fairpilot was able to get his motor out by himself and without mechanical means. i think he unbolted the oil cooler and part of the exhaust prior to engine removal to decrease the weight and size. the majority of the weight is in the cooler. i didn't want to take anything off i didn't have to or risk any gel damage, so i lifted it mechanically.
Step 1: GETTING THE HATCH OFF
i ran some rope through both grab straps on the rear seats and tied it into a big loop. i will then be using a tie down strap (because it is adjustable) to connect this loop to the wake tower and allow the hatch to be opened wider without worrying of it snapping off the hinges and falling off the back of the swim deck. not awesome.
with the hatch open, i used a mop handle to prop the hatch up and completely remove both support shocks. using the adjustable strap, i stabilized the opened hatch vertically - just enough so it is wasn't falling forward because if it goes too far back the hatch will be making contact with the swim deck edge and may damage the gel coat or hinge areas.
in order to keep the hatch from dropping/sliding once the hinge bolts are removed, i used three scrap pieces of noodle (two about 4" and one about 18") i had laying around. i wedged the short ones vertically to keep the hatch from sliding forward and wedged the long one in under the hatch. i then placed a piece of scrap wood (about 1" x 2.5" x 30") between the engine compartment lip and the hatch edge to help keep it all in place:
(pic taken a little after this step, but you can see the placement)
i placed a thick blanket on the swim deck because this is where i will be laying the unhinged hatch. i also placed a blanket on the ground behind the boat because this is where it is going to end up off the boat. i lowered the swim deck ladder to prevent snagging the strap post that sticks out.
the manual says to remove the hinge bolts (screws) that go through the swim deck. with phillips heads and nuts, i simply couldn't reach both to do this alone. instead, i chose to remove the bolts that hold the hatch to the hinge, rather than the bolts holding the hinge to the swim deck. i used an offset screwdriver (using the blunter end rather than the skinny end) on the hinge bolts:
so with the hatch at 90*, i was able to sit on the side/stern hatches and place an offset screwdriver from underneath. bracing the screwdriver best i could, i used my electric impact with an 11mm long socket to back all six of the nuts off. i had to tap a few of the bolts down with the handle of a screwdriver to get them out. with the anchor strap and noodles, the hatch sat exactly where it was at even with all hinge bolts removed. while balancing the hatch from the swim deck, i disconnected the ratchet strap from the rope looped between the seat grab straps. standing on the swim deck, i slowly tilted the "top" of the hatch back about halfway (45*), keeping the fulcrum where the hinges were, and making sure the blanket was still between the hatch and swim deck. i then stepped down to the ground and completely lower the upside-down hatch onto the blanketed swim deck:
what i did next was to stand on the cleanout hatch between the engine hatch and the engine compartment. i carefully lifted the hinge edge of the hatch up while moving the hatch's seat area over the edge so that the backs of the seat rested on the lower portion of the swim deck (here is a really terrible photoshop of what i mean):
this is where it got scary. the hatch is not really all that heavy ...it's just big and awkward and fragile. still standing on the cleanout hatch and kung-fu gripping the hinge edge, i slightly lifted the whole thing to the very edge and then carefully lowered it all straight down to the blanket on the ground. keeping it balanced vertically, i jumped down and placed it flat:
i was able to get this far without any scratches or scrapes on any of the gel coat or seats.
i removed the engine clean out tray lid and the tray itself (there are three hose clamps holding the two clean out ports and the drain to the tray and the engine switches are coupled to the harness on the starboard side).
Step 2: PREPARING THE ENGINE FOR REMOVAL
using the manual as a guide (not a rulebook)...
- i put the filter back on after the oil was out.
- there is a ground connecting the two oil coolers that needs to be unbolted.
- the fuel line is kind of confusing with the seal that looks like a black balloon (no need to remove that). i unbolted the two tiny allen heads holding the clamp. and giving it a good yank, my fuel hose came right off. ? ...probably gonna need to replace that funky non-reusable clip.
- #6 and #7 were disconnected through the cleanout hatch (had to remove that cleanout tray) at the transom then pulled/pushed through the compartment wall. the manual makes no mention of the tray removal.
- the #9 couplers: one to the fuel pump and the rest behind the white, round starboard access hole under the side hatch.
- i was not able to loosen the four bolts that mount the engine to the brackets without the rubber twisting. i instead removed the eight bolts that mount the brackets to the compartment. this required some lift to prevent the bolts from binding under the engine weight and damaging the threads on the way out. they do not come out easily since they have red loctite. taking these bolts out allowed me to use lag bolts to mount the engine to 3ft sections of 4x4 instead of laying the engine on the ground.
- there are spacers under the mounting feet (not the #14 shims) - they are different thicknesses, so mark them.
Step 3: BUILDING "THE CONTRAPTION"
i already have a winch on my Jeep, a snatch block, and an engine load leveler. i'm also planning to get my boat off the trailer and onto blocks to restore the gel coat. so i bought two 10ft 4x4s, three 8ft 4x4s, three 8ft 2x4s, and 12 standard cinder blocks for both projects. i cut one of the 8ft 4x4s into two 3ft and one 2ft sections. i cut one of the 2x4s into three 2ft sections and then cut two additional 7" pieces.
using galvanized drywall screws, i mounted the 7" pieces of 2x4 on either side of one end of a 10ft 4x4 so that it extended an additional 3". on the other 10ft 4x4, i marked at 6.5" and 8.5". i then took my circular saw (set to a depth of 1.5") and made the two cuts. using a chisel and hammer, i removed this portion and created a notch:
with the boat level, i stacked the cinder blocks at the stern and in-line with the engine. i then lowered the 10footer with the extensions inside the blocks. i placed the notch of the other 10footer on the tower cross bar (secured with rope) and the other end between the vertical 4x4's extensions. with a short piece of chain wrapped around the horizontal 4x4, i anchored the chain ends to the two aft cleats with ratchet straps:
i positioned the Jeep (chocked), free-spooled the winch rope out, and used another rope to secure the snatch block. with it centered over the engine, i attached the engine load leveler with a shackle:
Step 4: REMOVING THE ENGINE
i bolted the chains from the load leveler to the three lift points on the engine. i wrapped the wires and the ECU up and placed them on top of the airbox. to unbolt the eight bolts holding the engine to the compartment, i used the winch to take a little of the weight off the feet to allow the bolts to come out without binding - lifting too much will cause the same issue. once the bolts were out, i slacked the winch and slid the engine towards the bow to disconnect it from the impeller shaft coupler/dampener and remove the short cone section of the exhaust (unbuckling and pulling the water box further back will help).
the load on the leveler has to be adjusted so the aft of the engine comes up first to clear the shaft coupler immediately followed by the large rubber area of the exhaust out from under the compartment lip. once these were clear, i double-checked that everything was disconnected, re-leveled the load, and began inching my way up being careful not to scrape anything. once the feet were above the compartment lip, i ran two of the 2x4s under the engine feet (place towels on the compartment edges to prevent damage to the seal):
on the lower level of the swim deck, i placed a 2ft section of 4x4 on either side of the table base and a 2ft section of 2x4 on top of these - the aft end of the 8ft 2x4s were placed here to alleviate any stress on the clean out tray edge. with the engine lifted higher, i placed the two 3ft sections of 4x4 on the 2x4 under the engine feet, lowered the engine, then lagged each foot with a 5/16" lag with washer. i took 2ft of 2x4 and secured it across the two 4x4s to help keep the base stable and give me a handle. i raised the engine slightly and rotated it 90*, lowered it back to the 2x4s, and unbolted the load leveler:
i disassembled "the contraption" and re-secured the snatch block to the wake tower. using the two chains from the leveler, i attached the ends to the feet on the oil filter side with the lag screws and the other ends to the winch rope with the shackle:
i stacked two rows of cinder blocks (four high) and placed the 10ft 4x4s between the swim deck and cinder blocks, inline with the 2x4s (probably a good idea to place thick cardboard between the wood and the very edge of the swim deck):
incrementally slacking the winch, i slid the engine to the 10ft 4x4s. once completely on the bridge, i secured the engine to the aft cleats with ratchet straps to prevent it from sliding port or starboard. i then started removing the bricks one level at a time until the 4x4 were on the ground. i placed the cinder blocks so that the 4x4s would stay where they were and placed a ratchet strap at the top to prevent it from widening:
after removing the ratchet straps and slacking the winch rope, i slowly worked the the engine down towards the floor. once it got near the bottom, the weight of the engine did a good job keeping the 4x4s planted to the ground, so i could stop relying on the blocks and get them out of the way. i placed the two sections of 2ft 4x4 inline (not that this is necessary) and brought the engine to finally rest on these:
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