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Ever remove the head from a Universal 5432?

rwthomas1

Sustaining Partner
Sometimes the easiest things are the most difficult. I borrowed an engine hoist and engine stand from a friend of mine. Only makes sense to have the engine on a stand so that the mounts can be removed, oil pan gasket done, etc. How hard is it to find Metric M10x1.25 long bolts to mount to the stand, you ask? Near impossible I've found out. I've scoured the state and no one has them. I had to order from McMaster-Carr. Tough to believe they are that rare but apparently thats the deal. Arrrg! RT
 

rwthomas1

Sustaining Partner
Update:
Engine space insulation is complete as is most of the reorganization of the electrical and plumbing runs. I used all 36sq/ft of Soundown and still need a bit more to do the drop board. The 12sq/ft kits they offer are a joke if you are really doing a full installation. Like lying in a coffin working on this but a whole lot easier with the engine out! With luck, the engine will be ready to go back in at the end of this week.
RT
 

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Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
I sure hope that the water heater in the first picture has another 20 years of life in it. Otherwise this would be the ideal time to replace it.
:rolleyes:
 

rwthomas1

Sustaining Partner
I sure hope that the water heater in the first picture has another 20 years of life in it. Otherwise this would be the ideal time to replace it.
:rolleyes:

Actually the water heater is date coded for 2000. Maybe on borrowed time? What you cannot see in the pic is the large access panel to the cockpit locker directly to the left of the water heater in the pic. I can, and have, had the unit out in under 5 minutes. Its very simple, two water hoses, two coolant hoses, three screws and the power wire. Comes straight up out of the cockpit locker. The reason I know this procedure SO well is that is how I access the steering gear and also how I installed the belowdecks pilot....... I'll wait until it dies. I've spent the budget and then some this year already. :p

RT
 

Dan Morehouse

Member III
Rob,
I'm green with envy over your beautiful, clean, white engine pan. Engine replacements have some very nice fringe benefits!

Dan Morehouse
1981 E-38 "Next Exit"
 

Gary Peterson

Marine Guy
1983 5432

I have just completed repairing a leaking gasket between the front housing and the block. The job started with only replacing the fresh water pump but progressed into doing a complete gasket and crank seal job. The governor springs are the only tricky part and that went smoothly by using a string on each spring so one DOESN'T drop them in the front housing and having to remove the cover again.:)
The governor is quite basic and simple. Westerbeke wanted almost $500.00 for a fresh water pump so I bought all of my parts ($175.00 for the FW pump) from my local Kubota tractor dealer.
 

rwthomas1

Sustaining Partner
Fun stuff. The holdup currently is waiting to see if I can get a lower oil pan gasket, exhaust elbow gasket and a damper plate. Amazing that few businesses are interested in calling me back....

I have a source for Kubota gaskets and they are much, much, much cheaper. Westerbeke will get as little money from me as possible. I will never do business with them. Their pricing is absurd.

Funny, the front timing cover is the only gasket I'm not changing! Thats the only one I can get to easily in the boat and its in good shape so I'm leaving it.

RT
 

rwthomas1

Sustaining Partner
Update-Project completed!

Well the engine replacement has been completed. I sailed the boat home from its winter storage yard to its home base last Sunday. The engine saw maybe 2 hours of run time. I just re-torqued the head gasket and adjusted the valves again this evening. A re-power project is not for the faint of heart. It required the most time and effort of any project yet on the boat. I've literally done nothing but work on the boat in each spare hour since this began.

In the pics you will see the stainless steel engine mount plates. They are 1/4 304 stainless with nuts welded on the bottom for the engine mount bolts and then through-tapped to finish. They were inlet into the engine rails with a router, bedded in thickened epoxy and fastened with 4 lag screws each. This allows adjustment of the engine alignment without disturbing the mount integrity. Overkill? Maybe, but certainly bulletproof. This is the permanent cure for stripped holes in engine mounting rails.

The entire engine space, the access panels, etc. was painted and covered with 1" thick Soundown brand acoustic insulation. Needed almost 36 sq/ft to do it and that is not counting the aft/stbd access panel that still needs to be done. The engine noise has easily been reduced by half. Motoring is now quite pleasant. Most places sell Soundown in a kit with silly attachment needles and spray adhesive. Defender, etc. has a 12sq/ft kit for @$120 I found www.cyberbridgemarine.com has 36sq/ft for $160. Use 3M 08090 spray adhesive and 1 1/4" #6 stainless screws with fender washers to attach it. Don't follow the 3M directions just coat both the wall and the insulation once, let dry for a few minutes, coat again and install it all with the adhesive WET, not dry. Works like a charm. Its a royal PITA but worth it. The "hint" on how to do this the easy way is to make paper templates and transfer it to the insulation. The insulation is difficult to cut and heavy so trust me on this.

The original Universal 5432 had 1 1/2" exhaust hose and the actual transom thru-hull was only 1". I replaced the Vernalift muffler with #1500264, thats 2" in and out, 2" hose off the engine and all the way to the transom to a true 2" thru-hull. The engine sounds very different now and runs wide open under load with almost no smoke.

The 5432 had a piece of coolant hose that makes a very sharp 90* bend as the coolant exits the thermostat housing and enters the exhaust manifold. My old engine and the "new" one both had a significant "kink" in this hose that reduced the ID by at least 50% due to the tight bend. I replaced this hose with a 90* copper plumbing fitting and two short sections of hose to correct this.

The thermostat is new and I cannot get the engine to run hotter than 155* no matter how hard I push it. I had already moved the water heater coolant feed/return to the bypass hose ports. I'm guessing improved coolant flow and reduced exhaust backpressure is the reason.

I used regular automotive Chevy blue spray paint on the engine. I really hate that damned Universal gold color. The black bits on the engine are POR-15 engine paint, brushed on, after everything was sandblasted, degreased, metal etched, etc. Actual POR-15 anti-rust paint was used on the oil pan and the shaft coupler. Any corroded bolts/nuts were replaced with new ordered through McMaster-Carr.

Engine space was painted with Interlux Bilgekote. White for the pan and grey on the walls. The fumes from the stuff is hellacious. Wear a respirator.

Heres a list of things done:
-New engine mounts
-New stuffing box
-New damper plate
-Rebuilt transmission
-Disassemble, check over, reassemble/new gaskets, clean, paint, detail, etc. "new" used engine
-Paint engine space
-Sound insulate engine space
-Remove old wiring and clean up/reoganize existing wiring.
-Install new fuel pump
-Complete new exhaust system
-Reorganize/reroute all engine space plumbing
-Align engine
-Install new feathering Variprop

There are a few small odds-n-ends to do but its operational. The engine performs extremely well, no leaks, no issues, starts immediately, etc. I ran it very hard, at 2600rpm for 45minutes as a test. It actually seemed happy to run like that.

I can't say I recommend this sort of project but if you have to do it, well, it can be done, its just not a lot of fun, especially with a deadline.

Enjoy the pics.

RT
 

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