Yanmar Engine mounts.

[Claude L.-Auger]

Hello to all and thanks in advance for your input. In the Spring I want to change the engine mounts on my Yanmar 3GM30F. There are 2 #75 and 2 #100 V-type mounts currently on the engine. I suspect they are original to the boat. I have owned the boat for 25 years and put 35000 nm on her ! 15 years ago when I rebuilt the engine I took the mounts out, inspected them, and since they were still within specs and did not show any sign of deterioration, I cleaned and painted them and re-installed them. Everything was fine until last season. Alignment is correct, 3-blade prop is OK, tranny was rebuilt 2 years ago, cutlass bearing is also only 2 years old and shows no wear. But, I now have a slight vibration at lower rpm. Vibration goes away at cruising rpm. I inspected the engine mounts before shutting the boat down for winter and they do look tired, with the port side ones sagging down a little. So I plan to change all 4. But as you are already well aware, the price on OEM Yanmar parts is out of this world. So I am looking for alternatives. Two brands came up in my research: Ellebogen, out of Spain, seems to have a very good reputation, with mounts exactly like Yanmar. The other one that came up is Oceanic Innovation, out of Florida, also with same V-type mount as Yanmar but made of stainless steel. In both cases, the price is about half that of Yanmar so obviously it's very tempting.
Has anyone used either one of these manufacturers recently and how satisfied are you with the quality of the product and the service. Thanks

 

[kappykaplan]

Two brands came up in my research: Ellebogen, out of Spain, seems to have a very good reputation, with mounts exactly like Yanmar.

g
Claude, here's a recent thread on Ellebogen:

Ellebogen Isolators

My 1985 O'day 28 was re-powered with a Yanmar 3GM30F. The engine has a DOM of 1994, so I'm thinking is was done in '94 or 95. It appears that the mounts are original so I have decided to replace them. OEM mounts are crazy expensive. Does anyone have any experience with Ellebogen mounts from...

forums.sailboatowners.com

 

[Rodsails]

Even though they looked okay they were probably wasted 10 years ago. I learned the hard way. I have 45 legend with the 4 cylinder and replaced with the Ellebogen exact fit it's probably who makes them for Yanmar. First time I went out with the boat I couldn't believe the difference and the real kick was when the racing crew went out 1st question did you rebuild the motor it's so smooth

 

[kloudie1]

I changed out my 1985 mounts in 2012 with Yanmar but that was before the price got outrageous! Based on what I read, I would go with the Ellebogan if doing that today

 

[Brian Hofferth]

Hello All,

I have a 1984 34 footer and I also am going to change the engine mounts this year......from what I remember the 100# mounts
go in the front and the 75# go in rear, can anyone confirm that for me it seems counter intuitive
thanks

 

[Jan_H]

I changed out the engine mounts on my 3JH3E last year with Ellebogen mounts - 150s on the port side and 100s on the stbd side (the arrangement specified in the kit for the 3JH3E, although some other engines are specified with fore/aft pairs). The mounts look well made, were drop-in replacements, and came with nice Nord-lock washers that won't vibrate loose. Together with a new Blackfish cutlass bearing, a new Volvo shaft seal, and an alignment, she runs pretty smoothly now.
Jan

 

[Tally Ho]

I saw these on eBay today…look like Yanmar’s but by a company called Novibrasyon.

Anyone ever try these? They have several “weights”…75#, 100#, etc.

 

[smokey73]

1994 Hunter Legend 40.5. All this got me looking at my Yanmar 4JH2E mounts. Obviously need to replace these. I have no vibration at either idle or at higher rpms, but they have obviously seen better days.

Looking closely at the stainless steel bolts that hold the mount to the stringer, what do those bolts thread into? Is there an embedded plate inside the stringer. I don't see any holes or access to insid the stringer to access a nut. Appreciate anyone with insights before starting this project. Will be ordering the kit from Ellebogen with 150# on one side and 200# on the other side.

I assume it is okay to replace these mounts while waterborne. Can they be replaced without disconnecting the I have a PSS if that makes any difference. Any precautions related to that aspect would be appreciated.

 

[Claude L.-Auger]

Thanks to all for the input. I emailed Aitor Ellebogen at Ellebogen in Spain. Very helpful and I ordered the mounts from him. 2 #75 and 2 #100 as per Yanmar for my engine. Price was very good and shipment cost reasonnable with Fedex Economy. Should be getting them within 10 days according to Aitor. I ordered yesterday and have already received confirmation from Fedex that they have the shipment. A tracking number was provided. BTW he's also a sailor !
- To answer Brian's question Re the 100 and 75 front and back, it is Yanmar recommendation and Ellebogen follows that! My understanding is that different engines have different weights port & starboard.
- To Greg Re Novibrasyion Motor Mounts. I had seen them as well but noticed they were from Turkey. That made me hesitant as I wanted to be able to communicate directly, which was really easy and quick with Ellebogen.
- To Smokey 73: Ellebogen has a video showing replacement while in the water. You could check it out on their website (Blog EN - Ellebogen). As for the bolts holding the mount to the stringer, I seem to recall that on my boat they were 4 & 1/2 inch lagscrews. It's been 15 years so I'm not 100% sure. One thing for sure, there are no holes on the sides of the stringer to install nuts and washers if they are machine screws. Last but not least yes you have to disconnect the shaft from the tranny so as to ensure proper alignment once the new mounts have settled into place. Once disconnected, the shaft has to be supported so that it stays pretty much in the middle of the stern tube. I don't know that the PSS makes any difference and I don't know if the shaft can be pushed back with a PSS install like it can with a regular packing gland.

 

[Brian Hofferth]

OK 100 in front and 75 in rear.....thank you Claude
BTW I have bought the Oceanic Innovations mounts they look very well made

 

[smokey73]

@Claude L.-Auger Thanks for the rapid response. I figured you had to disconnect but wanted to check. I figure I can relax the tension on the bellows of the PSS as long as I keep control so as not to let water in. It seals with a moderate amount of bellows compression and I can hold the carbon ring against the collar until I get the shaft moved back and secured. I'll probably need to have some way to secure the shaft not only radially to stay in the middle of the stern tube but also to keep it from moving in or out so that the bellows exert enough pressure to maintain the seal. I can plan that out pretty well. I imagine I only need an inch or less of moving it aft? Does that sound like a plan? Anyone with experience on doing this on a shaft with a PSS please chime in.

Also, anyone with knowledge if the attachment from the mount to the stringer is a bolt or a lag screw please chime in too. If it is a bolt or machine screw there must be an embedded plate inside the stringer. If it is a lag screw then I imagine it is some sort of wood or other material that will hold a lag screw inside the stringer since fiberglass isn't very good at holding a lag screw.

 

[Jan_H]

@smokey73 - Once you have the shaft coupling parted, you only need to move the shaft back 7mm or so (which the PSS bellows can easily accommodate) to clear the centering boss between the coupling halves so you can raise the aft end of the engine to replace the rear mounts. When I aligned the engine on my previous boat (with a PSS seal), I made a jig that sat over the shaft just ahead of the PSS SS collar so I could determine the side-to-side and up-and-down range of the shaft in the stern tube/log and thus arrive at a reasonably centered shaft location in which to support the shaft while getting the engine side of the coupling to line up with this.
On my h380, I replaced the engine mounts and shaft seal before launch, and 3D printed a split shaft support that fastened around the shaft log with a hose clamp to center the shaft in the log. As I recall, the engine mounts are fastened to the stringers with lag bolts, so I assume there are hardwood stringers encapsulated in the fiberglass engine pan/support structure for the lag screws to screw into.

 

[dlochner]

If you watch the Ellobogen video on changing the mounts, it is not necessary to raise the engine, just block it up so it doesn't drop and disconnect the shaft from the transmission, then one by one remove the old mount by disconnecting the bracket from the engine and then installing the new mount on the bracket and attaching the unit to the engine.

 

[smokey73]

Thanks all. I like the idea of a jig to keep the shaft position relatively stable while I replace the mounts. @dlochner I saw the video and checked my Yanmar and, sure enough, it looks just like the video shows so should be easier to remove the bolts from block than the nuts from the mount itself. The nuts on a couple of the engine mounts are rusted do to a small seawater leak but they don't need to come off since the mount and bracket come off as one piece. Thanks for the confirmation that they are lag bolts @Jan_H

 

[MikeHoncho]

how much a pain the in the azz changing the mounts are and the following alignment, I'd pony up for the OEM stuff. I looked into alternatives and the specs were all of the place with weights and mounting surfaces. I went with Yanmar and I'm very satisfied with the decrease in vibrations.

 

[jssailem]

I'm very satisfied with the decrease in vibrations.

Those would be bad Vibrations.

I suspect now you are...
I'm pickin' up good vibrations
She's giving me the excitations

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

from what I remember the 100# mounts
go in the front and the 75# go in rear, can anyone confirm that for me it seems counter intuitive

The heavier mount (100#) is for the support of the additional weight of the Xmission which is at the front of the engine. The front of the engine is at the back of the boat. Can be confusing.

 

[Brian Hofferth]

The heavier mount (100#) is for the support of the additional weight of the Xmission which is at the front of the engine. The front of the engine is at the back of the boat. Can be confusing.

That makes more sense to me, but have never heard that the front of the engine is at the back of the boat.
I can't find ant documentation(diagram) to actually show this.

Thank You

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

but have never heard that the front of the engine is at the back of the boat.

Maybe with the combination of a late night, lack of sleep, and a few other detractors, I should have refrained from using the term front of the engine at the back of the boat. It somehow doesn't make a lot of sense in the bright light of day.

I will just say that, on the Yanmar GM series engine, the heavy overhanging transmission end requires the heavier engine mounts (both 100#) and the other end requires the lighter engine mounts (both 75#).

 

[Brian Hofferth]

Maybe with the combination of a late night, lack of sleep, and a few other detractors, I should have refrained from using the term front of the engine at the back of the boat. It somehow doesn't make a lot of sense in the bright light of day.

I will just say that, on the Yanmar GM series engine, the heavy overhanging transmission end requires the heavier engine mounts (both 100#) and the other end requires the lighter engine mounts (both 75#).

Ha. I get it.......I do appreciate you replying and answering my question, it does help a lot