Engine alignment

[jhwelch]

I dread the day I have to align my engine.

It's mounted on two fiberglass rails, so the procedure I've come up
with is to loosen the 4 bolts holding it down and attach a come-a-long
to the lifting eye and raise it up a bit. Then I can move it a bit with
a pry bar or add a shim. Then I have to lower it down, tighten the
bolts, lay on the top of the engine, and feel how well the coupling
mates up with the output shaft.

What I'm thinking might help matters would be some device which
lets the engine be lifted straight up rather than having the back
end raise up before the front -- perhaps it would help in being able
to get the engine shifted into more or less the right position.

-jonathan

[tenders]

The device might be a deflated soccer ball strategically placed under the engine and inflated with a footpump. Would that work? Maybe two soccer balls? I've heard of people doing this but not actually done it myself.

[Gary Gover]

The way the engine casting is shaped in the area around the underside of the bolt-down holes leaves room to slip a pry-bar in up to about an inch in front or in back of each hole. You can probably get a tool in without otherwise lifting the engine off the rails. How easy it goes depends on the shape and size of the tool, the space you have around the engine, and the accessories you have attached to the engine.

[lhbradley]

A couple of years ago, when I was having my A4 rebuilt, a friend suggested doing what he had done - while the engne was apart, have four 3/8 holes drilled and tapped in the mounting flange, near the existing mounting holes. This I has done.

Put 3/8 bolts in the threaded holes, and presto! You now can adjust the height of the engine very easily. You might find it necessary to put a piece of metal on the mounting rails so the bolts don't dig in. This also makes the engine a bit easier to slide around for the horizontal part of the alignment. Once you have it right, you can slip in the shims around the engine mounting bolts or lag screws, and then remove the 3/8 bolts.

Works like a charm.

Don - you might consider this as a "standard" feature on your rebuilt engines.

[Administrator]

Hmmm. The "Bradley mod"?

Bill

[Don Moyer]

Larry,

This is really a wonderful idea for early model (rail-mounted) engines. I'm a bit reluctant to drill the extra holes in all engines, since most of our engine sales are to late model customers who will already have adjustable mounts. I'd welcome other input.

Don