Renault Engine Removal

[morgantheship]

I will be removing my existing Renault engine from my Hunter 27 this next week and I was wondering if there are any words of wisdom that I should be aware of during the removal process? This will be the first time that I have ever done something this major to my boat so any tips or suggestions would be welcome. (I will be taking pictures and documenting everything so that my experience with this might benefit others)

 

[Manny]

Don't be intimidated! It wont be that difficult. Disconnect the battery, drain the fuel tank and disconnect the fuel lines. One of the hardest things will be to separate the transmission and the prop shaft flanges. Next remove the starter then drain the transmission fluid. Disconnect all the linkages to the engine and transmission. Most likely you will need to remove the fuel pump from the transmission. Next unbolt and remove the transmission. Then unbolt the exhaust (disconnecting the hose will be hard unless you cut it). Unbolt the engine mounts and lift the engine out. With the transmission out two people could probably lift it but a block and tackle set up on the boom would be better. You can probably accomplish this on two or three hours.
I probably missed some stuff but that is the basics.
Oh yeah, once out you can send the Renault to me so I can use it for spare parts ;D

Manny

 

[Randy Burns]

Heres what else I did since I was a one man operation. I slid my old motor forward so I could make alterations to the beds (I was removing & replacing). Then (weeks later, I'm slow) I had the lumber yard boom truck come and pull out my old motor and set aside, then pick up the new motor and drop it in. Didn't take a half hour, and having and extra hand would help. Most lumber yards have boom trucks, they charged me $100

 

[Nelsonhow]

Both comments are right on,,,,, If the yard you are in has a boom truck or a high reach fork lift it's work the $100 or so they will probably charge to lift the motor out and it will take only a few minutes if you've done the prep work. . On my Yanmar there is a lifting ring attached to one of the bolts on the head. If you do not have a lifting ring on your motor see if you can make one out of a piece of metal with 2 holes in it bent like a L. One hole is for a bolt on the top of the motor and the other is to put ahook through. On my boat I slid the motor forward a little as noted above and then used a comealong (a winch and cable set up they use for putting up chain link fences- you can get one at home depot for about $30).Put a few 2x4's across the top of the hatchway and winch the motor up. If you have a few strong guys you can lift the motor out of the cabin with 2 guys on each side of the 2x4 and put the motor on the cockpit floor. The next problem is how to get the motor out of the cockpit. This is harder and depends how your boat is stored. The lift truck form the yard is the best bet however.....Good luck.

 

[morgantheship]

Thanks for all the great tips. Regarding the crane. The yard where I keep the boat in the winter will lift it out for $50. And another $50 to lift the new engine in next Spring. A deal I can not pass up. I do plan to take as much off the engine as possible prior to lift out. I am trying to get it ready so that it can be lifted out the week of the 17th of November. And I very much hope they don’t drop it…

Then I plan to place it next to the Yanmar 2GM that will be replacing it. Check all critical dimensions for mounting, shaft size to obtain the proper coupling, etc.
I have some friends that will be checking the compression on the new (used) engine and they are willing to do a ring job if needed. They will also help in welding any brackets, etc that might be needed.

The Renault engine does not have lifting eyes so I plan on using lifting straps that I will borrow from out machine shop. I will test lift it by putting a 4x4 across the companion entrance with a block and tackle.

As far as labeling everything, it will not be necessary as the new engine comes with an engine harness and control panel.

As to what I will be doing with the old (Renault) engine. Since it is still a working engine with all parts as well as some spare belts and an impeller, control panel and engine harness, I plan on selling it as a complete unit. But not until I have verified everything between the two engines. I have the luxury of being able to use the shop at work as well as the offered assistance of some of the machinists. The Renault engine as I indicated is a running engine. It starts easily, but with no available spare parts I am repowering while I have the opportunity to. I also want a more reliable engine with additional power (going from 8 Hp to 13 Hp) for cruising. So if you are in the market for a used Renault RC8D engine, let me know….

I will keep you informed as to how the preparation and lift out goes…..thanks again for all the suggestions. I feel more confident in doing this now.