How to Lift an Engine

[Me-and-Boo]

If lifting by using a jack under the oil pan - always - use a board to distribute the load. The bare jack head on the pan could deform it causing it to block the oil pump pickup; that is very bad.
If you have access over the engine, use it to lift your engine. It is safer for you and your engine (and transmission). There are lift plates available for almost all engines so lifting and tilting the engine is easy and safe. Attached to a winch those are good tools to do the job.

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by 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.

Del I wish I had half the mechanical skill you have. Your work always looks perfect!

Yes I agree on the Yanmar paint it isn't very good. I'll see if I can find a scissor jack maybe they have one in those antique car shops LOL. The boat being in SoCal doesn't get a very good winterizing because she is in use all year.

I'll have to study what you mean by the slotted side of the mounts. Is it easier to do port and starboard as opposed to bow and stern? My engine access is much more limited then yours so that Front and back would be easier to work on.

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by Me-and-Boo

If lifting by using a jack under the oil pan - always - use a board to distribute the load. The bare jack head on the pan could deform it causing it to block the oil pump pickup; that is very bad.
If you have access over the engine, use it to lift your engine. It is safer for you and your engine (and transmission). There are lift plates available for almost all engines so lifting and tilting the engine is easy and safe. Attached to a winch those are good tools to do the job.

Thanks MB no access from the top. I actually have an old diesel engine in the garage that I am going to try and lift with a basketball this weekend.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Charlie

I'll have to study what you mean by the slotted side of the mounts. Is it easier to do port and starboard as opposed to bow and stern? My engine access is much more limited then yours so that Front and back would be easier to work on.

The design problem is the slot is straight but should be on a radius in relation to the hole on the other end. If one uses the 12 mm bolts and tries to swivel the mount, the straight slot digs into the threads of the bolt causing a bind. And when you try to tighten the bolt it moves the mount. IAW the round hole should be tight on the 12 mm bolt but loose at the slotted end with a heavy washer to cover the slot.

One spends all that time trying to get an alignment and then when one tightens the bolt it moves the mount. What were they thinking?

As for jacking the motor, front to back should work too. Just protect that oil pan with as much surface contact as possible. Even some kind of cushion between the board and pan helps. I took a board and sprayed foam on it, covered it with plastic and shoved it up under the motor. Now I have a memory bed that I keep on board with a scissor jack just in case I need to jack the motor in an emergency.

The board covers the complete bottom of the pan, and I can move the jack around where ever I want it, fore, aft, P/S.

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by 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.

Jeeze--What I would give to have access to our engine like that...

[Capitain Mike]

Originally Posted by Bash

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.)

Exactly!!!!! Why make work when you don't have to?

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

The design problem is the slot is straight but should be on a radius in relation to the hole on the other end. If one uses the 12 mm bolts and tries to swivel the mount, the straight slot digs into the threads of the bolt causing a bind. And when you try to tighten the bolt it moves the mount. IAW the round hole should be tight on the 12 mm bolt but loose at the slotted end with a heavy washer to cover the slot.

One spends all that time trying to get an alignment and then when one tightens the bolt it moves the mount. What were they thinking?

As for jacking the motor, front to back should work too. Just protect that oil pan with as much surface contact as possible. Even some kind of cushion between the board and pan helps. I took a board and sprayed foam on it, covered it with plastic and shoved it up under the motor. Now I have a memory bed that I keep on board with a scissor jack just in case I need to jack the motor in an emergency.

The board covers the complete bottom of the pan, and I can move the jack around where ever I want it, fore, aft, P/S.

Thanks now I understand what you mean by the slot. I like the idea of the memory board that will make it really easy to lift the engine in the future. This engine is only a few years old and looks good:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1100267...23315067565682

The engine on my other boat doesn't look so nice:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1100267...49264822266450

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

[hellosailor]

There are actually lift bags, air jacks, sold to lift cars using their exhaust or an air pump to blow up the bag. More expensive than a basketball but also larger and designed for the purpose.

Either way you'd need to disconnect the propshaft before lifting, reconnect and align afterwards.

Unless you engine mounts are solid, you might want to replace them at the same time, since rubber engine mounts are intended for about a 5-year life. At that point the rubber gets stiff and they stop absorbing as much vibration, and are more likely to crack as the rubber ages. While the engine is off them...

[Play Actor]

I agree with the suggestion that you replace the mounts if you're going to all that trouble. Paint the new ones before you put them in.

[hellosailor]

"Paint the new ones before "
Not if they are rubber mounts! Painting rubber causes it to degrade. Paint any metal by all means, just not the rubber.

[mbianka]

I still say crowbars are the easiest. There was never enough space under my engine for a jack. But, two crowbars and a few wooden blocks will allow one to lift the engine up to any height as long as you have enough blocks. But, to change the motor mounts you only need a few inches and you can put the crowbars under the engine brackets and never go near the oil pan.

[zeehag]

wow .. no one mentioned the only way a solo female can get an engine lifted.....

first wear skimpoy clothing

go to place strong not too dumb men hang out...not with alcohol, or not too much , anyway--might wanna do this before 1100 am.....

find 2 BIG boys, preferably named bubba or some such.

one on each side of engine,
1...
2..

LIFT!

reward with beers....

havent had failure of that method yet....

[Charlie]

@Zeehag: I don't think that will work for me. LOL.

@HS and PA that is a good idea. I will have a look for them.

@ MB I have lots of room under the engine. I think that it will work out fine with a jack.

[ATC]

Why not a 2"x4" and pry up on the front pully. Once up place a few blocks under the engine to stablize. We have pulled a few engines in our time and to get them off of the mounts we just took a board and with a little leverage it would pop up. Once we slid the engine out from under the cockpit we would lift them with the boom.

[Celestialsailor]

DO NOT LIFT BY THE OIL PAN WITH JACKS!!! In most cases, that is sheet metal. There is a reason the put lifting rings on the head.