End of Chapter One

So this will conclude Chapter One of the this Blog.  We have decided to move on from our beloved əkwâr`ēəs.    The decision was an easy one my part and less so for the rest of the clan. Everyone has asked how can you part with something you have put so much work into?  She has taught us all that she can and now it is time to move on.  


I am now comfortable with all types of boat repair, both major and minor.  Electrical, mechanical, structural and cosmetic.  I am now knowledgeable enough to look at a boat and determine its practicality, functionality and maintenance level.  We are all more comfortable with sailing in a keel boat but would like to bring people sailing with us.  

We needed more room and more boat to do that.  I began our search about 18 months ago and my search was finally blessed by the Admiral about 6 months ago but not endorsed by the crew.  That gave me a lot of opportunity in the first 12 months to narrow down the field privately.  We had settled on the 34 to 36 foot range as a good target.  #1 on the requirement list was that the boat could not smell like a boat.  Much harder to achieve than you would think.  Since I had rebuilt our boat it had no smell. No moldy, damp, rotting smell.  Most boats we could afford were not so fortunate.

The #2 item on the list was a large state room preferable with an athwartship berth.  Also very hard to find.  The Catalina 34 MK I and MK II was the most successful in that design requirement.  The #3 requirement is that the boat had to have character.  That wiped out the Catalina 34 completely. #4 on the list was less than 5'-0" draft.  #5 on the list was preferably a Yanmar engine.  #6 on the list was some creature comforts like heat/AC/running water, etc.  We finally accomplished most of the list. We satisfied 1,3,4 and 6.  #2 could be achieved with a minor modification if we decide it is needed.  I did not get a Yanmar but did get a rebuilt Westerbeke.

This past weekend əkwâr`ēəs sailed out of lives and I had our first sail on Integrity.  A bitter sweet day to say the least.  We have already had more guest on  Integrity than we ever had on the other boat.  I am sure I will get used to all the systems and as I fix/repair them I will gain confidence and appreciation for this new boat and new chapter.

                                            s/v Integrity      1987 Pearson 39-2

The Switch

The old engine sitting in cockpit

A dirty bilge and engine mounts 

A clean painted bilge with new engine mounts

 This weekend the job was to pull out the old engine and fit the new one in the boat.  It began by trying to get the 4 engine mounts to release their rusted grip.  Next it was the four rusted coupling bolts.  The engine mounts released easily after soaking in PB blaster for two weeks.  The coupling bolts were very difficult to get a grip on and were proving more stubborn.  I used heat, PB Blaster and hammering.  Unfortunately they were not able to take a socket being too close to the shoulder of the coupling.  I had some open ended wrenches in metric which allowed me to release two of the four. The next was just slipping and rounding over the edges of the bolt head.  I went for the Vice Grips and was able to secure enough grip to break it loose.  The fourth and last refused the wrenches, vice grips and anything else I had.  By the end of Friday night I had 7 out of 8 bolts off and no closer to removing the engine.  The final bolt succumbed to the cutting wheel in the morning.  I was free to lift out the motor.  I had already disconnected all the plumbing and wiring to make the bolt access easier.  I attached a 4:1 purchase tackle to the boom over the companion way and lifted it up off the mounts and slid it forward halfway out the doors.  I then disassembled the tackle and put it on the other side of the engine compartment and lifted up and forward.  With help I had it up and out of the companionway sitting in the cockpit in a couple of minutes.  Phase One complete.  I removed the old engine mounts and scrubbed everything down in the engine compartment and bilge.  I painted all the areas I could reach with new Bilgekote.  While that was drying I began to disassemble the old motor in the cockpit.  The transmission came off easily and I struggled with the clutch plate a while but it too released and I could pull the flywheel.  I removed the starter and alternator and I was then able to lift all the pieces safely off the boat.

Half way in

New Motor in the door

Lower down

During this time the paint had dried and I installed the new engine mounts close to the same elevations as the old ones.  I figured this would be a good starting place.  Phase Two complete.  Now I reversed the process and carried the new engine, broken apart, onto the boat.  I put it down into the cabin and reassembled it on the floor.  From here, after torquing everything up to spec, I attached the same tackle and lifted it through the door, switched the tackle and lifted it into the compartment and onto the new mounts.  It went easier than I thought it would.  I spent the next hour leveling and getting the gap correct on the coupler.  When I had the coupler level to a .20mm gap all the way around I tightened everything up.  Another hour putting all the plumbing back in place and re-connecting all the wires.  I consulted the pictures I took before removing to be sure they were going back in the right place.

Late that night after priming and bleeding the fuel system I turned the key and pressed the starter.  Damn if it didn't just start right up.  Phase Three complete.  I used the morning to clean up and put everything away.  A friend came with me on a test motor/sail.  Everything went well.  Motor performed above expectations.  Easily a knot faster for the same RPM as the old motor and a lot more cooling water discharge.  I checked all the connections and found nothing loose or leaking.  My only issue is we still have no audible alarm when the key is on.  It works on the old panel but not the one in the boat.   I will start swapping out parts until I get this working.  I am forever leaving the power on.

We came back in and tied up in the slip.  The bilge came on and I out of habit looked at the discharge. Water and diesel were coming out.  I shut of bilge pump and opened the engine compartment to find diesel fuel everywhere.  WTF?  I wiped everything down looking for the source.  I could see a gallon or more in the bilge but no source.  I had my friend fire up the motor again and immediately saw fuel squirting out of the back side of a fuel line.  Shutting off the engine I wiped it all down.  I spent the next two hours cleaning out the bilge and replacing the blown fuel line with one off the old motor.  Primed and bled, she started right back up and ran fine.

Get your motor runnin....

My confirmation that I didn't screw it up too bad.  It works!  The tach on the old panel is not working so I am not sure of RPM but the alternator is putting out amps, the water pump is putting out water and the fuel pump is pumping fuel.  The oil circulating pump is work as evidenced by the drop in oil level as all the lines and ports filled with oil.  The buzzer on the old panel even works!

In the video (best viewed full screen) she is jumping around a lot.  I have it mounted on old solid engine mounts screwed into some wood. There are two tie down straps anchoring it to the deck so it does't flip over.  I just received the new engine mounts that should get it running a lot smoother when I install it in the boat.  After I get the other one out that is.......

Before and After

Front Before

Front After

Stbd Side Before

Port Side Before

I finished the final assembly and got ready to try to start the motor after the rebuild.  I added a bulb primer to help in bleeding and began to run fuel through the system, bleeding at each point.  I struggled getting a good flow at eh last point before the injector from the manual pump and hand cranking.  So I hooked up the battery to turn it over faster.  I re-bleed the system 2 or three times and got some odd colored stuff out of the fuel pump.

Stbd Side After

Port Side After

After that it was time to try with the compression lever down.  Below are the results. So did it all work? Did it run as good as it looked?  As soon as I figure out how to load a video I will show you......

Final Assembly

I was able to carry the partially assemble engine upstairs and set it on the old engine mounts I had saved.  I installed them on some wood blocking on top of a cart and from here would do the final assembly.  Once it was bolted down, I added the flywheel.  I meant to weigh it because I am impressed with how much it weighs in such a tight package.  After the flywheel came the clutch plate that had refused to give up the transmission when I was taking it all apart.  Now all the spines on the transmission and clutch plate have been cleaned and coated with anti-seize compound.

The transmission was assembled on the bench and carried up separately.  I did not replace anything on the transmission as it all seemed to be working smoothly and was within tolerance.  I did completely disassemble it for cleaning and inspection.  I reinserted the input shaft and the intermediate shaft together and drive it home into the casing.  The out put shaft slid into place and I installed the cover plate with a good coating of Blue Seal.  I reassemble the shifter and bolted it back into place according to the drawing.  As it turns out I was looking at the drawing the wrong way as the shifter pin was facing the wrong way.  I found this out after taking the transmission upstairs and bolting it onto the motor.  The shifter had limited travel and only on forward.  Reverse was not to be found and ultimately the shifter just bound up.  Back off the motor came the transmission and back to the bench to pull it apart and try again.  I flipped the shifter pin and reassembled checking it each step and it appeared to be correct.  Bolted back on the motor and it was running smoothly in forward and reverse.

I continued on with installing the oil lines and fuel lines.  I added oil to the motor and the transmission and hand cranked for a couple of minutes with the compression lever up to distribute some oil.  I have to assume the internal oil pump works as I had no way of checking.  The oil level in the sump did go down a bit so i will take that as a good sign.  My other concern is the fuel lift pump that I also have no way of checking.  The manual lever works as I hear it sucking.  After installing back on the motor the arm that is supposed to run off the cam shaft lobe appeared to make contact but I can not hear it sucking when I hand crank it.  If fuel delivery is a problem; that is where I will start.

I will continue with the front dress, starter, alternator, etc and begin to install the wiring harness.  I spliced the harness back together from where it had been cut and all the connection test out.  It would be a really great thing if the panel and harness works properly so I can start this motor soon.

More Bench Work

The next step in the bench rebuild portion after the oil pan installation was the bell housing on the rear.  This hosing was what the transmission bolted to but also had the two rear engine mounts bolted to it. With all the bolts torqued to spec I got ready to install the front gear timing case.  I dry fit it once and it went on as easy as the book says it should.  I don't know how it got so jammed up when I was taking it off.  I added the blue seal and the gasket and bolted it all together.  Once the case was on I added the front engine mounts and it was starting to look more like an engine again.

I set the bolts for the cylinder head back into the block and torqued them down.  Installed the new head gasket and bolted down the cylinder head in the correct sequence and to the required torque.  This was a stopping point as I felt the inside of the engine was no longer exposed and the assembled weight was going to be about the limit I could carry upstairs and outside to my make-shift bench for the final assembly.

Bench Work

With everything painted I began the re-assembly process.  I started with the newly painted and seated cylinder head.  The new valves also had new valve guides which I had inserted earlier.  The guy who seated the valves said there was a slight burr in one of them that he reamed out.  I did not notice it so it must have been very slight or I don't know what to look for.  Probably the later.

I also installed new valve oil seals over the new guides.  I reassembled the springs, retainers, etc. and then set aside until ready for assembly

 I had picked up an inexpensive piston ring pliers at Harbor Freight.  Not the best quality tools but for one off jobs like this it keeps the costs down on specialty tools.  I will admit I couldn't figure it out until I watched a video on how they actually worked.  I then carefully set the three rings in place on my cleaned piston.  The piston, pins and arm were all within spec so I reused them all.  I made a piston ring compressor out of a small piece of plastic and some hose clamps.  I was then able to tap the piston into place from the top of the black after coating the cylinder wall with oil.  It went in pretty smoothly and I cranked it down to the bottom so i could bolt the arm onto the crank.

It felt really tight as I tried to rotate the crank by hand.  there was also this horrible clanking sound when it hit the bottom.  I went on the assumption that this would all improve as I continued the installation.  I just wanted to make sure it ran through the full rotation.  I added the gasket and some blue engine seal to the oil pan and bolted the oil pan onto the bottom of the block.

Cylinder at TDC