MAjor enginer problem

[Ehoyles]

I have a 1989- 44 Sea Ray, Aft Cabin with Cat 3208's. The problem of not starting was diagnosed as a broken tooth off the injection pump drive gear. The tooth is on the engine drive gear, not the pump. The possible solution(s) are to repair in the boat, not an easy job because the engine needs to be jacked up to remove the entire front half of the engine. How they jack it up is a problem as the mounts are on the part of the engine that will be removed and the floor of the cabin will not support a jack or crane. Estimates for this run 12 – 18k

The other possible solutions to replace with a rebuilt (estimated 22k). This means the cabin headliner needs to be removed and the bridge floor (has a cutout) removed to allow for a crane or other lifting device from the ground.

Anybody ever replace an engine on this model Sea Ray?

 

[SLW]

Wow Ed, that's not good news! It strikes me that this is a relatively small failure necessitating a major repair. Have more creative solutions been explored? (alternative ways to power the pump etc)

My neighbors had a 415AC. As you probably know, that's essentially the same boat but with the dinette down and the fridge fwd. That boat has DD 6-53's. The stbd engine failed, so they created a frame and jacked the engine up gave it a major right there in the salon. The frame rested on the floor, but I don't know if they re-inforced it underneath with struts from the stringers. That would be a good idea, but I do know that one way or another, the engine was lifted and the integrity of the floor wasn't compromised.

I would expect the 5 liter DD to weigh a lot less than the 3208 with double the displacement, but I just did a quick scan on the diesel site and was surprised to see these drastically different engines weigh about the same?! If that's accurate, it bodes well for an in-boat repair (aside from the removed mount issue).

 

[Ehoyles]

thanks for your input. Like almost anything else the devil is in the details. There is little clearance on the stbd side due to fuel tank which makes the issue a custome job.

Substitute pump is not a possibility as it is timed to the engine, much the same as a distributer on a gas engine

 

[samuel]

I would buy a smaller boat to have fun with and use your 44 as a waterfront home. When things are not looking to good you still can have fun.