Help Please! Replacing Engine!

[Greg Debi Josh]

Our boat has a Ford 2401E [75HP] which runs well but has a leaking front crankshaft seal, and we are using/losing a lot of oil to the engine bilge! This seal appears hard to find so we were looking at the option of replacing and installing with a new Yanmar 4JH5E [53 HP].
We can have this done at either Spice Island Marine Grenada, or Grenada Marine - St. Davids.

Please advise with any info or help on any of the points mentioned above...it would be really appreciated. Thanks.

[delmarrey]

You're replacing a whole motor for the sake of a seal? Front seals are one of the easiest to replace. All you need is a bore size and shaft size, and I'm sure one can be found fairly EZ.

e.g. http://www.allsealsinc.com/klozure_catalog.pdf

or http://www.daemar.com/pdfs/216_DMR_S...change_W01.pdf

[Me-and-Boo]

When you have the seal off or the case off, feel the shaft for a groove or roughness. If you find either get a seal with a sleeve. That will provide a new surface that will seal like new.

[cdennyb]

The whole repair should only cost you $25 or less... plus some hand labor. You might need a puller to remove the front pulley as well.

[Boracay]

I feel your pain. Boracay came with a Ford 2702E slant 6 engine of 3.54 litres. It was hard to start and poured out oil. The 40 litre drum of old engine oil on the boat should have been a clue.

After more than a few boat bucks on "repairs" and a few opinions that "those Fords are great repairable engines" I bit the bullet and installed a John Deere 4045DFM/ZF63 gearbox. It turned out to be heavier than the 2702E, but has been very reliable since.

If your engine/gearbox is in generally good condition then repairing is worth considering. Looking at my old installation the engine would have had to have been lifted up in the boat so it would not have been a "$25" job.

Do keep in mind that these are now around 50 years old, so manuals and parts could be scarcer than hens' teeth.

You mention having a 2701 engine which would be the 4 cylinder version. If so the Yanmar could be a good replacement.

However if you have a heavier boat (Boracay is about 15 tonne) then a bigger engine may be indicated.

Some members with turbocharged engines have not been entirely happy...

[cdennyb]

I should've stated in my reply that the $25 repair cost meant the seal cost and a qt of oil. LOL
I had no clue it was such a difficult job entailing lifting the engine up, etc. since access to my own engine(s) is relatively simple and straight forward. But... upgrades are always a good thing in the long run...

[w1651]

It may be that you have to pull the front cover to replace the seal.