2006 Air Nautique 330 Excalibur Engine Swap

[wake_fj40]

Hello,

I am in the middle of swapping out my engine after doing a poor job of winterizing the boat. After replacing some core / freeze plugs and JB welding a cracked head I noticed the oil level was increasing and it was starting to turn a milky color after running the engine out of the water with one of those water plunger things. That is when my heart sunk and I called my self names for 2 hours. Time for a new engine.

I called a few places and here is what I found or think that I heard.

Eagle Engine Sales
Reman $3,200 ( reman in their factory and comes with harmonic balancer + water pump + tin )
New $5,200 (direct from GM long block and eagle sales adds a harmonic balancer + water pump + tin)

Marine Engines 4 less
Reman base $3,600 ( reman in their shop / assembly line. This also comes with tin + harmonic balancer )
New $4,650 ( I believe they assembling and engine from new parts using the DART block and parts shop / assembly line. This also comes with tin + harmonic balancer)

PCM authorized dealer in Sacramento
Reman from MerCruiser $4,800
New from MerCruiser $9,500 ( From what I understand they also use the DART block )


I decided to go with a new GM 5.7 from eagle engine sales and it arrives today.

Questions:

1. Is there anything else I should be fixing or inspecting while I have the engine out? My steering is relatively smooth but could be better in my opinion. Is there something I can grease or fix there?
2. damper plate - From what I read the damper plate can last 2500 - 3500 hours. Boat gauge shows 500, so unless its falling apart when I inspect it I am guessing I can re use it. Anyone have a different opinion?

Thanks
-Derek

[malibud]

I'm curious was there something you missed with winterization ? Im always a little worried with that first start.
As far as your engine does the manufacturer as for break in oil to be used? break in procedure? Alignment is important. I got my old direct drive close and took it to the shop when I did a swap.

[wake_fj40]

I did not remove the drain plug / sensor from both sides of the lower block which seems like the most important part of the process if you do not want to destroy the engine. When I was trying to replace the freeze plug prior to knowing the block was cracked, I noticed that bolt looking plug and thought huh... I do not remember seeing that on the LS conversions I have done in my off road vehicles, I wonder if that is a water plug that I was supposed to remove prior to it snowing. Bingo, that was it, the 6k idiot tax.


The engine came with a booklet, it does not mention break in oil just says to use 15w-40 that meets API specs of SJ/CH4/CG4. It mentions only using synthetic oil after 100 hours.

Before Initial Startup

• Prime Oil Pump
• Check Oil Level
• Prime Fuel system to avoid over cranking
• Check distributor / timing

Initial startup prior to install in boat

• Verify Oil Pressure
• Verify proper cooling, cooling system must be bled of all air
• Check ignition timing. Set engine speed to 1,500 rpm for a period of 15 min to insure break in of the camshaft and valve train.
• Check for possible water, oil, fuel leaks.

Engine break in period

• Break in period is 25 hours
• Do not operate less than 1,500 rpm for extended periods of time
• Do not operate at one speed for any extended period of time
• Do not exceed 3/4 throttle during the first 10 hours. During the next 15 hours, intermitent periods of no more that 5 min maximum or wide open throttle are acceptable.
• Avoid full throttle from idle speed
• Allow engine to get up to temp before going full throttle.

I am a little hesitant to try and run the engine outside of the boat. It seems easier to just put the engine back in place test it there in the driveway. With everything removed from the rear of the boat there is a good amount of room to get in a check the engine for leaks.

[malibud]

think you got it .. Yes those knock sensors probably hold the most water in the block.

[Jonny Quest]

I realize I’m spending your money, but a new damper plate is worth considering. The cost won’t move the overall cash outlay needle, but it’s good insurance.

JQ

[wake_fj40]

Thanks JQ, I think you are right. I will order a new one and have some piece of mind.

[SilentSeven]

Sorry to hear about this. Did it freeze in Los Gatos? Or was the boat somewhere else?

[wake_fj40]

The boat was in Lake Tahoe when it happened.

[Big guy]

Hi Derek,Sorry to hear about your engine problems.I was wondering are you parting out the old engine I need a ECU for my engine.Please advise many Thanks Rob

[wake_fj40]

Here are a few pictures of the boat with the engine out. Once you remove the ski pole and the back seat it starts to seem way more do able. I ended up separating the engine at the bell housing. I think there are 5 or 6 bolts and then there are 4 small bolts on the bottom that keep the dust place thing on, those took me a while to get off.

I also removed the fiberglass exhaust so I would have enough room to move the engine back before spinning it 90 degrees and then going up and out of the boat.

[wake_fj40]

When priming oil system in the new engine I ran into an issue where I could not get oil to come out of the passenger side of right side of the engine. I found a few posts online about it and it turns out that not all amazon oil pump priming tools are created equal and if it does not fit correctly the oil that is headed toward the right side of the engine will gush up past the tool instead.

The fix for me was to buy a new cheap distributor for $50 on amazon and make it into a priming tool. You have to either remove the gear by pushing out the pin or grinding the gear off and then clean it very well to remove any metal dust or shavings. Then remove the cap and rotor and hook your drill up to the shaft and spin clockwise. Within a min or 2 oil started coming out of the rocker arms on both sides of the engine.


FYI, I also tried the bug sprayer method into the the T bar that has the oil sender and pressure switch. I watched a few you tubes on it but all of those engines had a different 12mm oil port which this marine engine does not have. This method did not work for me but it could be user error.

[wake_fj40]

Left: Original distributor that I am going to re use
Middle: new distributor from amazon, that I modified to be a priming tool
Right: Amazon Priming tool that only worked on the left side of the engine



Amazon part Info: AcPulse Complete Ignition Distributor Compatible with Chevy GMC Vortec 1996-2002 V8 5.0L 5.7L Models Small Block C1500 C2500 C3500 K1500 K2500 K3500 W3500 W4500 Black Cap
Compatible OEM numbers: 93441558 , 1104051 ,1104058 , 1104079 , 01104051 , 01104058 , 01104079

[wake_fj40]

When the new damper plate arrived part # R140020 which is the 15 spline version. I had a real hard time trying to get it to slide on the transmission shaft by hand without the engine, It would take me 2-3 min each time so I was worried that I would never give it lined up correctly when it was attached to the engine / flywheel. I called nautiqueparts tech support and the guy said to grease it up and keep trying. So I bolted it to the flywheel and went for it.

When I put the engine back in I used a hoist and 4 ratchet straps so that I could make micro adjustments to the engine position and get in some longer 3/8 inch guide bolts. I was scared to strip out any bolt holes so I took my time and got things lined up to the point where I could put in all 5 guide bolts by hand and turn them 3-4 times around by hand. Not sure if I got lucky or not but the engine slid right into place and all the splines lined up. It took about 2 hours from the time I started hoisting the engine up till it slid in place. I was quite happy and feeling lucky that I did not have to spend additional hours trying to get the transmission input shaft lined up with the damper plate.

[bturner]

This is a great thread, thank you for posting!