1981 C30 Engine Removal

[Blue Hull]

I need to pull the 5411 diesel out of my 1981 C-30. I would appreciate some insight from those that have experience with removing and installing motors in the C-30's of this vintage. The first challenge is to find all the fasteners that attach the galley sink cabinet so I can remove the cabinet clearing the way to remove the engine. I am hoping someone can save me a bit of time by pointing out where the various mounting points and screws to remove this cabinet are located.

 

[The Garbone]

There should be a fiddle board on the aft exterior of the cab, some hoses for the sink and possibly some screw in a block under the sink forward of said hoses. There are also 2 long screws in the countertop inside the slider above the stove. Once all is removed the galley slides out to starboard.

 

[jrowan]

I agree with the above post, but take your time & don't force the galley cabinet apart too aggressively. If it won't budge, then there's likely another hidden fastener. Remember to disconnect the sink plumbing supply & waste lines first so as not to damage your pipe fittings or hoses. The engine uses a vented loop that connects to the galley sink drain.
The hardest part may be breaking the bond of the threaded pipe fittings for the exhaust riser assembly, but I would recommend replacing this whole exhaust assembly as the old one will be corroded & will likely fall apart trying to remove it. Be careful when extracting the motor mount bolts & disconnecting the water muffler & shaft coupling connections, as you'll want to reuse what you can to save $$. But then again, now would be a good time to install a dripless shaft seal, new motor mounts, upgrade your alternator........
PS. Please take lots of pics & post them for us all to see your progress. Good luck.

 

[Blue Hull]

Thank you for the insight. I have the sink galley cabinet free with the exception of where the counter top slides under the pin rail/sliding door shelf on the port side just forward of the cook top. I found, and removed, the screws for fiddle board that supports the counter top seam but, it seems like I am missing one or two more some place close to that area. Hey, someone at Catalina screwed it together so, it must come apart just in reverse.

 

[Pete_and_Pam]

Not sure if this is any help -- just ripped our 1988 boat apart...oil pan has pinholes and is leaking oil -- need to pull the engine.

 

[Pete_and_Pam]

Engine is out You can see the condition of the Oil Pan in the second picture.

 

[Picflight]

Blue hull, post pictures of your project and progress.

 

[jrowan]

Engine is out You can see the condition of the Oil Pan in the second picture.

Nice pics. I see that you built two a frames to raise the engine? I thought a lot of sailors just tried to raise the engine with a block & tackle on the boom, but I always worried about potentially bending or breaking the boom. Like the platform that you built for engine to rest on.

 

[Pete_and_Pam]

Jrowan -- Thank you, but I can't take credit for the A Frame. I have a local mechanic that's working on the engine, and the A Frame is his design -- he's done this a lot. It makes sense because you can suspend the engine and work on it in any weather right on the boat. Today he pulled the old Oil Pan, replaced the Rear Seal, and pulled the Transmission to check the plates.

 

[dj2210]

While engine is out you might want to replace the mounts, I used the Vetus and notice an improvement with respect to noise and vibration. Also check the boat rails where the mounts mount to. The wood under the glass tends to rot away.

 

[Pete_and_Pam]

Doug,

We're replacing the motor mounts, and I was cleaning the engine stringers, and there is moisture & rot in there...so it looks like it's time for some epoxy once I get them dried out.

 

[Blue Hull]

The 5411 motor weighs 245 lbs, I have not looked up to see what the additional weight of the transmission being attached adds. I easily hoisted mine out of the engine box by placing a 4X4 across the cabin top and using a 1 ton come-a-long. Once the oil pan was higher than the top of the engine box, I placed some 2X6's on top the engine box to rest the motor on.

 

[Blue Hull]

I would like to replace the motor mounts while the engine is out. I have heard that sometimes there may be a difference in the motor mounts between the fron two and back two. All four appear to be the same. Does anyone know a source where I can purchase four new motor mounts?

 

[Blue Hull]

Doug, I see you referenced the Vetus mounts. I saw another post where someone used the Vetus K-7 mounts. I am curious as to how well the Vetus mounting holes lines up with those from the OEM mounts Catalina used. Maybe they didn't line up. That's potentially a good thing since I have a couple of the eight iron lag screws that hold the motor mounts to the wood stringers broken off due to rust. New mounts, with holes that don't line up, may mean I don't have to extract the broken ones and rebuild the wood.

 

[Stu Jackson]

1. I have heard that sometimes there may be a difference in the motor mounts between the front two and back two. All four appear to be the same.

2. Does anyone know a source where I can purchase four new motor mounts?

1. Some skippers use K75s and K60s Varying reports of way different results. Mixes work well, stiffer or softer sometimes, too. My read is that once someone goes to this trouble, it's rare that they report that they had chosen wrong. In 20 years of this, I can't recall one, "Oh, I wish I'd have gotten the K60s!"

2. Google "Vetus engine mounts" or/and for XYZ engine. Usually prices vary all over the place.

Good luck.

 

[dj2210]

Bull Hull I used the Vetus K75 mounts on my Universal 25xp. I did not remove the engine only lifted it high enough to remove the old mounts. I also added 3/8" aluminum flat plate to the stringers which was bolted and 5200. The aluminum was tapped for the mounts so they could be replaced if ever.

 

[Brewgyver]

I like it! Of course, working on it isn't the same as a swap out.

 

[just lucky]

its always nice to see the pictures of what others are doing. I also have my M25 diesel removed and siting on rails on the engine box, had the intention of changing the mounts while its out. well the present mounts look and feel good and stiff with no rubber deterioration. my cat is a 84 and these cant possibly be original, any reason to replace them? they typically last more than a hundred thousand miles in a car.....likely no one reading this form has ever replace motor mounts on any vehicle they have owned. sure would appreciate your thoughts.

 

[Capt jgw]

The 5411 weighs 245# including the trans, alternator and everything else so it's not real heavy. I removed the 550#Albin from my Columbia 36 using just the mast and boom and had no problems. I too was afraid of damaging the boom so instead of hanging the engine from it I connected the lifting tackle (the mainsheet) to the main halyard and then ran the boomvang from the end of he boom to the halyard. That way all the weight was on the halyard and the boom was under compression only. This also allowed me to swing the engine aft and out the companionway by taking up on the vang. Once the engine was outside I swung it over the side and lowered it into my pickup which was parked alongside. Did the whole job single handed in about an hour. (Just the lifting. Took 2 days to get everything disconnected.) I lifted the new engine in the same way.

 

[Spindrift NH]

Replaced with v75's last winter

I replaced my motor mounts with v75's last year and didn't really notice much difference in noise, but I didn't really suspect that my old mounts were bad. They were replaced as part of a larger project, the wood blocks inside the engine stringers were rotten. I tried the quick epoxy fix but wasn't convinced that it was going to work as 7 of the 8 lag bolts holding the motor mounts were loose. I followed Dougs advice and added 1/2" threaded aluminum plate fastened with 5200 to the stringers.