KG9 adventure continues

[GEORGE HIGINBOTHAM]

Now I have the crankshaft on the bench and am wondering about the center bearings. The Phillips head screws are really tight and I have tried some heat. I don’t know if there is a way to tell the shape of the bearings without taking it apart. The roller bearings on both ends of the crank were rough and clogged with gasket sealer. So I am replacing those. The wrist pin and rod bearings look good and seem like they might be ok left alone. Any thoughts about what I should do since I will never be closer?

George

[jeff-register]

George,
Try using an impack driver to lossen them up. Used a dirt bikes moons ago. Support under the bearing too. I forget but many later 4 cylinder mtrs will fit your motor. Go to Johns Old Mercury site for more data on swap data. Be careful, they are a click type site. I didn’t get along with some so I deleted them, not saying you might like them, Jeff didn’t is all.
You might look at those piston related bearings for pits, just to be sure it’s right.
Jeff

• This reply was modified 4 years, 5 months ago by jeff-register.

[opposedtwin]

Great to hear from you George! I was wondering how that KG9 project was coming along.
Jeff is right. Inspect those little needle bearings with a bright light and a magnifier of some sort. If that crankshaft is good, you definitely don’t want to mess it up with pitted needle bearings.
Try a ratchet or breaker bar with a goodphillips socket on that center main bearing. You’ll get there.
The mercury site is an excellent resource for these kinds of issues. If you pay the annual fee for a one year membership, it’ll more than pay for itself. In the “current projects” section, there are a number of recent 4 cyl builds and they will take you through the process. Less than a year ago, one of the best power head rebuilders did a very good thread on a KG9. Lots of knowledgeable guys on that site too, just like this excellent site.

Remember we love pictures too!
Scott

[Author]

Posts