Marine Trader Ford Lehman starter removal

[JimJay]

Hello all. I have a 1985 43’ Marine Trader Labelle Cruiser trawler. It has twin 225 HP Ford Lehman diesels. Starters are mounted on the left side of each engine. My port engine starter is out which means of course the starter is very close to the port fuel tank leaving almost no work space. Almost impossible to get to from the front, rear or anywhere else. Anybody ever had to pull one of these or know what the trick is? I’m a pretty good mechanic with many years of experience but this one has me stumped along with everybody else that’s tried to access it. We’ve gotten two bolts off but can’t really get to the one between the starter and the engine itself and nearly impossible to even hold it upon removal. Any help would be appreciated, thanks Jim

 

[PM]

Pain that it will be, I think you are going to have to jack the engine up a few inches in at least the rear to get at it. While you have it in the air, you might consider doing the other starter even if it is not giving you problems. Its probably got the same number of "starts" on it.

pete

 

[JimJay]

Yeah I’ve wondered if this is an ‘engine removal’ kind of thing. The other starter which is on the left side of the starboard engine is on the right in the middle of the engine bay and easy to get to. Thanks for your input Pete.

 

[Comodave]

I have the same engines in my boat. Just got done putting the port engine back last Wednesday. My fuel tanks are outboard of the engines too but maybe not as close as yours. I couldn’t get the cables off the starter solenoid but the mechanic being smaller did it easily. I have not really looked at how the starter attaches.

Different subject, I am depowering mine to 180 hp by bypassing the intercooler. Just in case the intercooler goes bad I don’t want water getting into the engine, brian says that the intercooler should be removed every two years for service. I have had the boat for 4 years and have records of the maintenance for 15 years prior and see no records of the intercoolers being pulled. So I am worried that they might go and then I would get water into the engines.

 

[PM]

Thread Drift, sorry in advance..

Great Dave that you got the engine back in. Did you hire it done or were you able to do it a little bit at a time yourself with your bad back?

pete

 

[Comodave]

I had the mechanic help me for a couple of hours. He is much younger and much more limber than me. It is back in except I still have to hook up the fuel lines, make some all thread bolts so they will clear the sides of the new coupler and then align the engine. The all thread should be here Monday. Doing a bunch of electrical work now that I can get to the starboard side. Laid up today cause I over did it yesterday...

 

[Comodave]

Jimjay,

How much room do you have between the tank and the engine? I will try to remember and measure mine tomorrow and see how much room I have. I didn’t think that I would be able to get to the starter solenoid but the young mechanic was able to get to it from the front.

 

[SoWhat]

The only downside to having Lehman twins. Port starter and alternator, Starboard raw water pump, require lot of agility and pain tolerance to repair. Doable for average contortionist. Still, I prefer the twins.

 

[Comodave]

Yes, the starboard impeller is a bit challenging. I found a tool that makes it quite a bit easier. Impellertool.com.

 

[JimJay]

I don’t remember offhand but maybe 20 inches? Not really enough to get a full grown human body in there. The problem is getting to it from the back and the front has an AC unit and a bunch of other equipment and the starter is towards the back of the motor. Another problem is it’s on the inside of a stringer.

 

[JimJay]

Yep. On one side it’s an issue if the starter goes out and on the other engine it’s an issue if the raw water pump goes out. These bigger Ford Lehmans are great but awful tight working against the side fuel tanks.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. JJ. The answer is obvious. You need a bigger boat!

 

[kchace]

When I pulled my port starter (FL 135 - but same configuration) I did it from above. On my boat, removing the floor panels above the engine room completely expose the engines from above. I actually laid on top of the engine and got it out that way.


Ken

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

When I pulled my port starter (FL 135 - but same configuration) I did it from above. On my boat, removing the floor panels above the engine room completely expose the engines from above. I actually laid on top of the engine and got it out that way.


Ken

When I had to replace the starboard water pump on our 135 my skinny mechanic laid on top of the engine also I had replaced the port pump earlier myself, but decided the starboard/ mechanic would be money well spent.

 

[kchace]

When I had to replace the starboard water pump on our 135 my skinny mechanic laid on top of the engine also I had replaced the port pump earlier myself, but decided the starboard/ mechanic would be money well spent.

Yeah, but I don't mean to say I'm particularly skinny - when I remove my floor hatches there's lots of room to lay on top of the engines.

Ken

 

[Comodave]

On my port engine I have just over 6” between the intercooler and the fuel tank.

 

[reeltime]

I have a "C" shaped 9/16 and 5/8 ring spanner works a treat , must still buy them some where .It was a Chev special tool in its day

 

[Comodave]

I have a bunch of kneeling pads that I got at Lowes Garden Department that I lay on top of the engine so I can lay on the engine while working on it.

 

[Coyote65]

Look to aircraft supply stores for those wrenches, as they are used to remove cylinders on aircraft engines.

Terry

 

[PM]

Nothing like the right tool for the job. I cut a slot out of a box end wrench to tighten and loosen the fuel injection tubes on my F.L. I also bought a couple bargain bin cheap needle nose type vise grip look alike pliers. I cut the "beak" off them and now have various sizes of wedges with teeth on them. I use them to wedge against the bottom nut on the engine mounts so that the top nut will turn independently.

pete

 

[sbman]

Nothing like the right tool for the job. I cut a slot out of a box end wrench to tighten and loosen the fuel injection tubes on my F.L. I also bought a couple bargain bin cheap needle nose type vise grip look alike pliers. I cut the "beak" off them and now have various sizes of wedges with teeth on them. I use them to wedge against the bottom nut on the engine mounts so that the top nut will turn independently.

pete

Your description for the fuel injection tube wrench sounds like a flare nut wrench, you can get those already made up, and they should always be used on tubing type fittings, much less chance of slipping/rounding off of the nut.