How to Lift an Engine

[Charlie]

I finally found some time to give my engine some attention. She is four years old and runs well. I am having a problem with the lift pump but that is another story. I remember reading an article by Don Casey and that one of the things he does is clean the engine with WD-40 every year. I decided to do this as well. I spent maybe two hours cleaning. I removed the cover for the alternator belt and there was quite a bit of black dust under the cover that had come from the belt. I cleaned all of it off. I then found signs of some rust on the oil pan so I hit that with a metal brush and next time I go to the boat I am going to bring some paint with me.

I found a bit of salt water spray from the water pump impeller area and then a bit of rust on the engine mount. At this point I am going to need to lift the engine in order to remove the engine mounts so that I can paint them. I think it was Never Monday who suggested that lifting an engine was pretty easy if you had a basketball and just pumped it up under the engine. I have never moved an engine w/o a cherry picker and in this case I just need to lift it and then settle it back down. Rather then reinvent the wheel I thought I would try and use the collective wisdom of this forum to find the easiest way to do this. I just want to lift the engine repaint the engine mounts and then lower it back down.

What do you guys think?

[zeehag]

what i think is ---i have a piston jack from a truck i owned for that purpose. i would have to place a board between my stringers and use that as a base to lift the engine off mounts and paint.
now that is taken care of,,

mine, next, please.....

[perchance]

Regardless of how you lift your engine you will need to do a coupling alignment when you are done. My thoughts are that this should be checked annually anyway.

[Jim Cate]

If the space beneath the engine is restricted, even a el-cheapo scissors jack (as supplied by lots of auto manufacturers in years past) will do the job, unless it is a really heavy engine. BTDT.

Good luck, mate

Cheers,

Jim

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Charlie

I think it was Never Monday who suggested that lifting an engine was pretty easy if you had a basketball and just pumped it up under the engine.

I don't know that I'd want to be painting the mounts under an engine being supported by a basketball.

(Of course, my solution would be just to spray the mounts with Corrosion Block and forget about the paint.)

[Chief Engineer]

Some Use the boom

Some use a 6 by 6 across the comanionway

Some use levers and boards to slide the engine forward.

There are numerous ways to "skin this feline"

[mbianka]

Charlie:

I was able to move and remove the Westerbeke 27 of of my boat by myself and found it rather easy once I started. You can see how I did it here:
THE BIANKA LOG BLOG: Removing a Westerbeke diesel engine
Scroll down in the post and you will see the point where I had to lift the rear of the engine over some of the brackets screwed into the stringers. It was very easy to do with a couple of crowbars and wood blocks.

[zeehag]

all thi sjust to paint mounts??? methinks bash has it dead on......

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

If the space beneath the engine is restricted, even a el-cheapo scissors jack (as supplied by lots of auto manufacturers in years past) will do the job, unless it is a really heavy engine. BTDT.

Good luck, mate

Cheers,

Jim

My worry with doing this is that the scissor jack will bend the oil pan. I guess I could just put a piece of 2x10 there to spread the load and another on the hull.

Originally Posted by perchance

Regardless of how you lift your engine you will need to do a coupling alignment when you are done. My thoughts are that this should be checked annually anyway.

agreed that the alignment will have to be done.

Originally Posted by Chief Engineer

Some Use the boom

Some use a 6 by 6 across the comanionway

Some use levers and boards to slide the engine forward.

There are numerous ways to "skin this feline"

The engine is tucked underneath the companionway with no access from the top or this would be easy. I want to lift it straight up and then set it back down if possible.

Originally Posted by mbianka

Charlie:

I was able to move and remove the Westerbeke 27 of of my boat by myself and found it rather easy once I started. You can see how I did it here:
THE BIANKA LOG BLOG: Removing a Westerbeke diesel engine
Scroll down in the post and you will see the point where I had to lift the rear of the engine over some of the brackets screwed into the stringers. It was very easy to do with a couple of crowbars and wood blocks.

Thanks I'll have to look at the weight of my engine.

I thought of that BAsh but the corrosion has crept under the engine mounts and I won't be able to confirm that the rust is encapsulated.

[zeehag]

place piece of wood under oil pan on top of jack. use jack. paint mounts. replace engine
\ re align it
sleep happily
then come do mine.......






if they aint broken, dont screw it up.

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by zeehag

place piece of wood under oil pan on top of jack. use jack. paint mounts. replace engine
\ re align it
sleep happily
then come do mine.......






if they aint broken, dont screw it up.

Remember that commercial -- I think it was Ammco transmission -- Pay me now or Pay me later? If the mounts get too rusty and become a pain in the ass to remove I will have a lot more work to do down the road. I think that I will be able to lift it without too much problem. Just gathering ideas for my winter project.

[Don1500]

We lift BIG aircraft (747's) with air bladders every day, can't see why a basketball won't do the same if all you need is a couple of inches. Don't pump it full, you will exceed the rated pressure.

[donradcliffe]

If your engine is a Perkins, don't lift it by pushing up on the oil pan. It will compress the cork gasket and make more leaks. Don't ask me how I know this.

[Charlie]

Thanks to both of the Don's. It is a Yanmar engine.

[delmarrey]

Like Zeehag mentioned, I just put a board (with a step built in it) under the oil pan and used a scissor jack on my 3JH. It's easier if you do the port or stbd side first then switch. Just place the jack off center. I opened up the slotted side of the mounts to give them more free movement for adjustment.

One of the big down falls of Yanmars, the paint is not very good right out of the factory.

BTW a WD-40 misting should be parts of ones winterizing/storage.