SMX Pump Install

[JimmyK]

Hi, I am thinking of installing a couple SMX pumps on a pair of 6bta 370’s. Nothing ‘wrong’ with the sherwoods, just figured they were tired and rather than just rebuild them, I’d upgrade them. Have read tony’s tips on the subject. Still have a couple questions before I move forward.

Who has slick ideas on how to jack up the front port corner of the engine? I was thinking of rather than trying to jack it up I might try to pull it up from above by laying a piece of steel I have laying around diagonally across the engine bay, attaching a threaded rod to the top of the engine (perhaps by threading it to a mounting hole, or a bracket, or use an eye bolt, or?), and then passing the threaded rod through a hole in the steel bar and using a nut to pull the engine up to remove the weight from the front port mount. I’m thinking it’s going to be hard to get anything under the motor (just the way the engine is mounted in the boat, especially on the stbd side), and I figure I only need maybe 200 pounds of tension in the rod to get this done.

Ok, other thing I was thinking about is after the new pump is in, and you reattach the motor mount….how do you ensure it goes back on in the same place (relative to the motor)? Scribe a line around it before removing? Are the mounting bolts that tight of a fit that the bracket can’t really ‘move’ with the bolts loose and I shouldn’t worry about it? Or do you have to re-align the motor after you’re done. Something else?

Let me know your other thoughts/lessons learned before I get going as well.
Thanks in advance.

Topic

[Justin Riege]

If the lower nut doesn’t move that tells you that the height of the engine hasn’t changed as a result of your work. As far as the engine moving laterally only if all of the studs on the isolators were installed vertical with the engine and not angled in or out or whichever way, only then will the motor probably stay put. If the isolators are angled, then as they were tightened up initially there could be some “Spring” in them, as soon as you loosen one, the others could pull or push the engine around a bit. Probably minimal, but it could happen. If you think it may have moved we do have a few videos with that feature some tips on alignment.

Step 1
Make sure the shaft is running in the center of the log.

Step 2
Use a feeler gauge to get the twist and angle dialed in so that the coupler mates flat with the transmission flange.

[JimmyK]

thanks for the replies.

what about the 2nd part of my question? when you re-attach the motor mount bracket to the motor, how much slop is there between the bolts and the bracket? Do you have to realign the motor after reassembly even if the lower nut on the mount doesn’t move?

[Justin Riege]

I once made an A frame and lifted a 700 pound bench top milling machine off of a pallet and up onto its stand using only all thread as the lifting mechanism. If the steel you plan on spanning across with is strong enough, and the part of the deck its resting on is strong enough, it might work just fine lifting it from the top. Spread the load to a bulkhead or beam. All thread can make a decent come along. It’s just really slow.

[Stephen Oliver]

I have just done this also and used as large a piece as i could of inch thick ply on the hull, inch thick ply under the sump and used a bodywork spreader (opposite of hydraulic jaws that came in a hydraulic bodywork kit with powerpack), I used another piece of ply to make sure the jaws were lifting vertical, This lifted the whole back end of the engine up.. and seemed to work ok – bottle jacks etc also apparently work too jacking on the lip of the engine.. but the sump seemed a safer bet for me.

I’m about to go through the whole process again as I am replacing engine mounts all around.. Cant say i’m looking forward to that one! 🙂

Steve

[Roger Franklin Williams]

Jim, 6BTAs and replaced my pumps with SMX years ago. Sold old pumps on eBay outside US. All I have done is use a large piece of wood laying on hull piece of 4×4 on top of that remove top MM nut small Hydojack engine up 3/4″. That worked for me. Have used that procedure to take the pump off to replace impellers also.

[Author]

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