Drive plate

[Bobbybass]

Beta 43 and PRM160 gearbox.

 

I need to change my driveplate.

 

Have had a go at this and have struggled..thrown spanners about...and cursed the God of boats.

 

I have unbolted all of the 'bell housing' bolts..EXCEPT one darn bolt that is underneath on the 'off side'...and I can't get to it...as its tight into the engine support steel beam.

I can see it in a mirror..and it 'appears' that it somehow doesn't go through the metalwork of the bell housing...but somehow the gearbox sits into it ?

There is no way I can get my fingers onto it normally..if I scrunch my hand up painfully..I can get the tip of a finger around the steel beam and just touch it.

I then have to get my arm around the nearside of the gearbox...and have to use the whole length of the spanner..to reach each...trying to guide it with the extended painful fingers of the other hand. After 3 hours I had achieved about 1/4 turn !!

 

The other thing is that the gearbox is big and heavy...

I tried to get a jack under it...but there isn't room..

I tried to put strops around it and lift it..but the length of the strops meant they were too stretchy...

Is there any technique I can use to solve these problems..?

 

Does anyone know how you deal with the hidden bolt that seems to not hold..but 'support' the gearbox..?

 

Cheers..in appreciation...

I'm off to sacrifice a virgin to the boat God..

Where the hell do you find one of those these days !!

Edited October 27, 2012 by Bobbybass

[RLWP]

Can you photograph it? It's amazing where you can get a digital camera and get a good picture

 

Richard

[blodger]

Have you tried a crowsfoot?

[bizzard]

Or a socket, UJ, long extensions and ratchet. If the UJ is too floppy making it difficult to get on and keep on the bolt head wrap some insulating around it to stiffen it up a bit.

[Caprifool]

Something like what he is using 4,05 into this vid, perhaps?

 

Link

 

Edit, got the link wrong.

Edited October 27, 2012 by Caprifool

[Chris Pink]

 

I have unbolted all of the 'bell housing' bolts..EXCEPT one darn bolt that is underneath on the 'off side'...and I can't get to it...as its tight into the engine support steel beam.

I can see it in a mirror..and it 'appears' that it somehow doesn't go through the metalwork of the bell housing...but somehow the gearbox sits into it ?

 

If you have removed all the other bolts then the weight of the gearbox will be resting on this last and making it difficult to turn. You need to replace enough of the other bolts and tighten then down to hold the weight. Then have another go at the hidden one.

 

If this doesn't work you will have to lift the gearbox end to gain better access by undoing the engine mounts.

 

To lift the gearbox put scaffolding across the hatch opening and use a chain hoist or similar.

[Bobbybass]

If you have removed all the other bolts then the weight of the gearbox will be resting on this last and making it difficult to turn. You need to replace enough of the other bolts and tighten then down to hold the weight. Then have another go at the hidden one.

 

If this doesn't work you will have to lift the gearbox end to gain better access by undoing the engine mounts.

 

To lift the gearbox put scaffolding across the hatch opening and use a chain hoist or similar.

 

Chain hoist...now thats a thought...tah !!

I had a ladder across the hatch and ratchet strops..but they were stretching..

I'll try chain hoist..

 

Because of the shape of the metalwork under the gearbox..you cannot get a ratchet spanner on it. I have some thin individual ratchet spanners..but even that has no clearance. All I can get on it is an ordinary thin ring spanner..

Its a swine !

[Timleech]

Chain hoist...now thats a thought...tah !!

I had a ladder across the hatch and ratchet strops..but they were stretching..

I'll try chain hoist..

 

Because of the shape of the metalwork under the gearbox..you cannot get a ratchet spanner on it. I have some thin individual ratchet spanners..but even that has no clearance. All I can get on it is an ordinary thin ring spanner..

Its a swine !

 

If as you say the bolt appears not to go through the bell housing/adapter, maybe it's something else which is holding the box? A combination of the drive splines and a locating spigot on the circumference of the bell housing/adapter? Put a couple of bolts back near the top of the housing, with a little bit of slack (no more than 1/8"). then support the weight of box with your hoist or whatever and try to wiggle or pry it away from the engine. If you can get a little bit of movement you should be able to establish whether your awkward bolt really is what is holding it back.

 

Tim

[Chris Pink]

The most important thing is to put the other bolts back first, at least enough of them so there isn't any pressure on the one you are doing, this will make it much much easier to turn.

 

 

 

Because of the shape of the metalwork under the gearbox..you cannot get a ratchet spanner on it. I have some thin individual ratchet spanners..but even that has no clearance. All I can get on it is an ordinary thin ring spanner..

Its a swine !

 

That's after Tim's suggestion of course.

[Bobbybass]

Thanks all !.

 

I suppose the answer really..is to get an engineer...and make tea...!

[MtB]

Thanks all !.

 

I suppose the answer really..is to get an engineer...and make tea...!

 

Or better, ask yourself, "when I employ an engineer, and he turns up with a just box of ordinary spanners like mine, confident he will do it, HOW will he do it?"

 

Then do that.

 

Not much help eh? I'll make some tea.

 

Mike

[LEO]

Hi,

 

I had a similar problem years ago with a heavy gearbox. Have you discounted the coupling to the prop shaft? and moved this away from the G/Box.

 

I then put a short scaffold pole acros the rear hatch and used a cheap winch to support /lift the gearbox which allowed the nut to be undone and the bellhousing to be moved.

 

As the bell housing incorporated rear engine mounts the engine had to be supported on a scissor jack under the sump.

 

All good fun, not sure how it could be done if the engine is in an a self contained engine room.

 

Hope this helps, replacing the top bolts is a good idea.

 

L.

[bizzard]

Hi,

 

I had a similar problem years ago with a heavy gearbox. Have you discounted the coupling to the prop shaft? and moved this away from the G/Box.

 

I then put a short scaffold pole acros the rear hatch and used a cheap winch to support /lift the gearbox which allowed the nut to be undone and the bellhousing to be moved.

 

As the bell housing incorporated rear engine mounts the engine had to be supported on a scissor jack under the sump.

 

All good fun, not sure how it could be done if the engine is in an a self contained engine room.

 

Hope this helps, replacing the top bolts is a good idea.

 

L.

This is the way. Release prop shaft and coupling and slide it back a few inches out of the way. Release rear engine mounts, hoist up rear of engine and chock it up, remove starter motor. By hoisting up the rear of the engine it will give you more room to undo that bolt. These gearboxes are not very heavy. Be careful of the oil cooler pipe attached underneath the gearbox. You can undo all the bell housing bolts and remove it with the gearbox instead but it'll make the mass heavier . Your strap hoist should be sufficient.

 

You may have to disconnect the exhaust at the manifold heat exchanger, depends on its flexibility.

Edited October 28, 2012 by bizzard

[Bobbybass]

I think most things have been said..and thank you all for that.

 

I have already undone the gearbox from coupling and slid the propshaft back several inches..

The gearbox moves about 6mm away from the engine one one side...but will not move on the other.

The gap between gearbox and steel beam is about 12mm....and you can't see the hidden bolt..it is even bloomin' difficult to see with a denstists mirror...

 

I was hoping somebody would recognise the bolt setup..because from what I can see...(but I'm not sure as its so impossible to see properly??)..it looks like the bell housing is cut away so that the gearbox 'sits' on it...although I'm not 100% certain...??

 

It really is in a tight bloody space...

The actual nut....is so close to the metal around its edges..that I cannot get a socket ring over it. The ring is a mile off..fouled by metalwork...

The same with a spanner with built in ratchet..

The space is so tight..I can't get a jack anywhere near underneath the box....so..as someone has said..I will try a chain hoist.

 

I think I will have to raise the engine quite high..remove the mount....and try to access it that way..

 

Thanks for all your help....

 

Bob