KE-4 Rocket ?s

[green-thumbs]

Slide In Slide Out…not always the case. Some notable exceptions have required HEAT and LOTs of it PLUS the nut,washer, pipe and threaded rod with a lot of foot pounds on wrench to get a
really corroded in place pin started out. Sometimes you have to drill and thread the pin as
not all were threaded and tap will not start until the bore is correct size for tap. Grease pin before installing. It may help the next time.
Working on one right now that will have to be drilled and tapped.
Louis

[billw]

quote green thumbs:

Slide In Slide Out…not always the case. Some notable exceptions have required HEAT and LOTs of it PLUS the nut,washer, pipe and threaded rod with a lot of foot pounds on wrench to get a
really corroded in place pin started out. Sometimes you have to drill and thread the pin as
not all were threaded and tap will not start until the bore is correct size for tap. Grease pin before installing. It may help the next time.
Working on one right now that will have to be drilled and tapped.
Louis

Yeah, in my experience, this has been the rule, rather than the exception….

Long live American manufacturing!

[wyo307]

Thank you everyone for the help I will go get some all thread and see what happens. At least mine is threaded already so I am at least one step in the right direction. If it is like everything else on this motor it will come apart easily……too easily, has me a bit worried.

[wyo307]

quote Wyo307:

Thank you everyone for the help I will go get some all thread and see what happens. At least mine is threaded already so I am at least one step in the right direction. If it is like everything else on this motor it will come apart easily……too easily, has me a bit worried.

I was able to get the carb done last night.

[3davet]

WYO you have a good project going there. Good luck. Even if the motor wasn’t salvageable, those hard to find lower cowls would probably find a buyer for what you paid for the motor.

[wyo307]

Ok well I have been able to get back to this project after the parts washer got fixed. I was able to disassemble everything and clean and reassemble the mid section of the motor. Then I went over to the lower unit after scratching my head for a while on how to make a tool to remove the plate covering the impeller it finally hit me. I took the center out of my puller and slid it over the prop shaft and then inserted appropriately sized two drill bits into the holes then just tapped it out with a hammer. Worked like a charm. The impeller seems to be in good condition, along with everything else, so I think I will just run with it. My next question is the piece that is behind the impeller has two holes that are similar but they are threaded. Does this piece get pressed in or is it threaded in like the other plate? I am just trying to figure out if I need to pull it out or unscrew it. If I had to guess I need to pull it. Also once I have cleaned everything in the lower unit what type of lube do these little guys take?

I am also going to need to buy some of the exhaust gaskets for this motor that tore when I took it apart. Anyone have a good source for those? Or should I just take the time to make them myself?

Thank you all for the help, with this being my first "old" merc there has been a bit of a learning curve

[Tubs]

105 or J.D. Corn Head Grease.
These are the tools I
made to work on them.

A "Boathouse Repair" is one that done without having tools or the skills to do it properly.

[nali]

This wrench with 2 rods is a really nice idea !
Not only for a Mercury, but I’m sure it can be useful for some other projects.

[green-thumbs]

The part the impeller fits into is the water pump cartridge…several things to keep in mind
1) cartridge is oriented (or clocked) to match water intake and outlet…
2) cartridge is a friction fit in gear housing
3) seal is on front or gear side of cartridge
4) although the tool to remove cartridge probably worked when motor was new it is not unusual
to find threads pulled out or corroded
5) often the only way to remove water pump cartridge is to clamp prop shaft in vise
and beat on the gear case so the prop shaft assembly and water pump cartridge
come out together…messy and you have to protect prop shaft and be careful not
to damage gear case. If you do this be careful to note position and orientation of
shims seal ring rubber ring so you can put everything back where they belongs inside.
Gear case can be source of frustration but like everything else with the right parts,
the right touch and the right understanding all can be made right. Sometimes
easier to go with a better lower unit as some parts a little up there.
Louis
.

[wyo307]

Thank you guys for the information! Like I said there is definitely a learning curve with the Merc vs the omc stuff I am used to.

Last night I had some success in disassembling the lower unit. I was able to pull the cartridge out and then the prop shaft and bearing. The thing that actually fought me the most was the gear on the end of the drive shaft was stuck on there pretty good but after a while I got it to pop loose. I can now clean and service everything before putting it back together. This gear case along with the rest of the motor is in great shape I just want to do it right and service everything while I am in there. I find it interesting the different approaches that the different companies used when designing a motor. Being an engineer myself I can kind of see into the designers head a bit when going through a motor like this.

Now my next question is about the water jackets. I haven’t planed on pulling the cylinders because the compression is good (both in the mid 90s) but I dont see an easy way to clean off the rust and scaling from the outside of the cylinder heads and the inside of the water jackets without removing them. Does anyone have any suggestions for me on how to go about getting all of that crap out of there while keeping the crankcase together? If I have to take the heads off I would go ahead and hone it and put new rings in but if I can avoid it I would like to.

Thank you all again for you help

[Author]

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