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Problem with Dampening Plate between flywheel and transmission


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I had a strange failure where the transmission and engine come together. The boat (2005 Response LXi) made a noise like something hitting a pully and then it started to make a screeching sound. The noise was coming from the starter area so I removed the starter and found a piece of wire in there that looked like a piece of heavy coat hanger. I took this piece of wire to the dealer and they said it was a failure of the dampening plate that resides between the trans and the flywheel. The boat is running fine with no vibration but he recommends changing it immediately. If the springs in the dampening plate come loose they can do more harm. I was also told the old design has the exposed springs while the new design has the springs enclosed.

So now it's time to change out this part. I know I need to support the engine and separate the transmission. Has anyone had this problem and can anyone recommend any shortcuts or procedures that will make this replacement go easier?

Thanks.

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Changing the damper is not that big of a deal. You can support the back of the engine with a bottle jack under the exhaust manifold. Then you can unbolt the rear engine mounts from the trans and unbolt the trans from the bell housing and slide it back out. Then remove the bell housing and the damper plate. Replace the damper plate, and reverse the process.

Edit: Also, take their advice seriously. You don't want that damper plate to go on you with the engine under load.

Edited by M3Fan
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Changing the damper is not that big of a deal. You can support the back of the engine with a bottle jack under the exhaust manifold. Then you can unbolt the rear engine mounts from the trans and unbolt the trans from the bell housing and slide it back out. Then remove the bell housing and the damper plate. Replace the damper plate, and reverse the process.

Edit: Also, take their advice seriously. You don't want that damper plate to go on you with the engine under load.

Thanks for the post. Is there enough room to slide the trans back without removing the prop shaft. I think I should only have to move it back a couple of inches.

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Changing the damper is not that big of a deal. You can support the back of the engine with a bottle jack under the exhaust manifold. Then you can unbolt the rear engine mounts from the trans and unbolt the trans from the bell housing and slide it back out. Then remove the bell housing and the damper plate. Replace the damper plate, and reverse the process.

Edit: Also, take their advice seriously. You don't want that damper plate to go on you with the engine under load.

Thanks for the post. Is there enough room to slide the trans back without removing the prop shaft. I think I should only have to move it back a couple of inches.

There should be enough room. Unbolt the shaft coupling first of course. And, throw a towel over the prop so it doesn't get dinged on the rudder.

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Changing the damper is not that big of a deal. You can support the back of the engine with a bottle jack under the exhaust manifold. Then you can unbolt the rear engine mounts from the trans and unbolt the trans from the bell housing and slide it back out. Then remove the bell housing and the damper plate. Replace the damper plate, and reverse the process.

Edit: Also, take their advice seriously. You don't want that damper plate to go on you with the engine under load.

Thanks for the post. Is there enough room to slide the trans back without removing the prop shaft. I think I should only have to move it back a couple of inches.

There should be enough room. Unbolt the shaft coupling first of course. And, throw a towel over the prop so it doesn't get dinged on the rudder.

Thanks for the good advice.

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  • 10 months later...

"Edit: Also, take their advice seriously. You don't want that damper plate to go on you with the engine under load."

Would this result of a damper plate failure look something like a large hole in the engine casing near the starter?

We were prepping to take out a 2004 Malibu Reponse LXi for the first run of the season when we found a hole in the bottom corner of the engine casing near the starter. Basically, there were pieces of the enging casing and a 3/4" diameter x 1" length x 1/8" thick spring below the engine. Boat ran fine all of last summer, and was even winterized by a dealer last winter without anyone spotting the issue.

I have very limited knowledge when it comes to engines, let alone how this damper plate affects performance. We are just wondering if this could have happened 2, 3, 4 years ago and we just have never even noticed the problem?

Any thoughts on what needs to be replaced in this situation? Costs? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Pictures to come.

Thanks

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"Edit: Also, take their advice seriously. You don't want that damper plate to go on you with the engine under load."

Would this result of a damper plate failure look something like a large hole in the engine casing near the starter?

We were prepping to take out a 2004 Malibu Reponse LXi for the first run of the season when we found a hole in the bottom corner of the engine casing near the starter. Basically, there were pieces of the enging casing and a 3/4" diameter x 1" length x 1/8" thick spring below the engine. Boat ran fine all of last summer, and was even winterized by a dealer last winter without anyone spotting the issue.

I have very limited knowledge when it comes to engines, let alone how this damper plate affects performance. We are just wondering if this could have happened 2, 3, 4 years ago and we just have never even noticed the problem?

Any thoughts on what needs to be replaced in this situation? Costs? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Pictures to come.

Thanks

It sounds very much like the damper plate failed. The spring you described is what the springs in the damper plate look like. It is likely that they came loose because the wire that holds them in place failed. The damper plate is bolted to the fly wheel so if parts come loose they are spun outward. When mine failed the loose wire came out by the starter. But there are two wires holding the springs and only one of mine failed so the springs did not come loose. Winterizing the boat last year would not spot that problem. The damper plate is not visible without pulling off the transmission. The damper plate is the part that cushions the load when you put the boat into gear. Without it there would be a pretty hard thud every time you put the boat into gear. The springs compress to take the load. No doubt the damper plate needs to be replaced. It costs about $250 from Malibu but I strongly recommend that you don't use the one Malibu offers. They will tell you the part has been upgraded and the new one is good. The new one sucks as bad as the old one except the springs are encased and cannot spin out and damage other parts like the old style. Get the part from Discount Inboard Marine for $220 and you'll get a better part for less money. You might be able to salvage the bell housing but it sounds like you have a hole in it now. When this part fails the parts can also damage the transmission housing. But I think that if you don't have a lot of trans fluid in the bilge you are probably ok. You won't know for sure until you get the trans out and inspect it. Do not run the boat until you get this fixed. There are other springs in there that can do damage and you really don't want to damage the transmission. This didn't happen 2, 3 or 4 years ago. You would have known. One way to tell if this part is going is to listen to the noise the boat makes when you put it into gear. if it drops in a little hard or makes a thumping noise when you put it into gear the part may be failing. Another thing to listen to is what the boat sounds like when it's at idle. If it is making what I can describe as a chugging noise it's likely that the springs are loose in the wire that holds them in place. Listen to other boats and then listen to yours. If it is making a noise that sounds unusual and the noise is coming from the bell housing area there's a good chance that the part is starting to fail or may have already failed but just not come apart.

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What does this kind of failure sound like up till it explodes?

We had a dampener blow up in an MC 190 years ago. It was a breeze to replace. I would think these v-drives would be a drag. And whats with them failing at only 4 yrs old?

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Thanks for the insight malibu32353, I appreciate your help. Here's a better look at the damage. If it hadn't been a sunny day, not sure we would have even seen the hole -- which is why we are questioning how long ago it happened.

DSC00534.JPG

DSC00536_1.JPG

DSC00537.JPG

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Thanks for the insight malibu32353, I appreciate your help. Here's a better look at the damage. If it hadn't been a sunny day, not sure we would have even seen the hole -- which is why we are questioning how long ago it happened.

Everyone is spot on for the problem. Search for damper plate and see what I had to do to replace mine. The spring you show is one of the ones that should be in the org damper plate. I can post a pic of the one out of my BU so you can see where it should be. If I was you I would replace the damper plate yesterday!!!!!!! and would not run the boat till its replaced.

Edited by colobuskier
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  • 4 years later...

I have a 2005 lsv with 235 hours on it. Just replaced started and noticed a vibration that was never there before. Could this be the start of the damper plate going bad, or any other thoughts?

Thanks,

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From reading the damper plate posts, and experiancing a failure myself, I think that it's safe to say that there are usually metallic noises associated with failure. The wire that the OP talks about, goes around the hub inside the springs, and when it breaks, it will sometimes scratch on the flywheel. If both wires break (there are 2), it won't be long until the springs begin to break apart or come out of the bell housing in one piece (as seen in the photo). When the hub breaks free from the outer part that bolts to the flywheel, things really get sporty. You would most likely hear something before complete failure. However, you just replaced your starter. Did it rust up, or did you find metal chunks in the pinion area. The reason I ask is that I just changed mine and found parts of last years damper plate failure in the pinion. The mechanic never pulled the starter. One thing that you might want to do is pull the starter again and get a magnet on a flexable shaft. Shove the magnet down into the bottom of the bell housing on the damper plate side, and see if you come up with any chunks of springs or other metal. No metal is a good thing. Also, look around in your bilge. If the springs have begun to break up, you may find pieces of them that came out through the starter hole. Good luck, I hope that it all comes out good for you.

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Thanks so much for the information..will do the things you suggested. Will let ya know if I find anything..

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Have we identified which engines and years tend to have the early failures?

It seems to be mostly '04 and '05 boats.

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If you want to see the difference in the stock vs. HD damper plate take a look. I was shocked that the small flimsy damper plate that came with the boat would even be able to handle the stresses put on it. Once you do the swap, you'll be glad you did. It's not only beefier but a great piece of mind when your out boating. One less thing to worry about.

http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/index.php?/topic/41915-hd-damper-plate-upgrade/?fromsearch=1

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  • 7 years later...
On 5/10/2009 at 10:30 PM, malibu323538 said:

It sounds very much like the damper plate failed. The spring you described is what the springs in the damper plate look like. It is likely that they came loose because the wire that holds them in place failed. The damper plate is bolted to the fly wheel so if parts come loose they are spun outward. When mine failed the loose wire came out by the starter. But there are two wires holding the springs and only one of mine failed so the springs did not come loose. Winterizing the boat last year would not spot that problem. The damper plate is not visible without pulling off the transmission. The damper plate is the part that cushions the load when you put the boat into gear. Without it there would be a pretty hard thud every time you put the boat into gear. The springs compress to take the load. No doubt the damper plate needs to be replaced. It costs about $250 from Malibu but I strongly recommend that you don't use the one Malibu offers. They will tell you the part has been upgraded and the new one is good. The new one sucks as bad as the old one except the springs are encased and cannot spin out and damage other parts like the old style. Get the part from Discount Inboard Marine for $220 and you'll get a better part for less money. You might be able to salvage the bell housing but it sounds like you have a hole in it now. When this part fails the parts can also damage the transmission housing. But I think that if you don't have a lot of trans fluid in the bilge you are probably ok. You won't know for sure until you get the trans out and inspect it. Do not run the boat until you get this fixed. There are other springs in there that can do damage and you really don't want to damage the transmission. This didn't happen 2, 3 or 4 years ago. You would have known. One way to tell if this part is going is to listen to the noise the boat makes when you put it into gear. if it drops in a little hard or makes a thumping noise when you put it into gear the part may be failing. Another thing to listen to is what the boat sounds like when it's at idle. If it is making what I can describe as a chugging noise it's likely that the springs are loose in the wire that holds them in place. Listen to other boats and then listen to yours. If it is making a noise that sounds unusual and the noise is coming from the bell housing area there's a good chance that the part is starting to fail or may have already failed but just not come apart.

Any particular reason not to use Malibu/Indmars replacement plate other than it “sucks”? I’ve read other posts that say to use theirs and not aftermarket versions. Also, do you you information on specific part numbers? Our mechanic is after a new plate but I don’t know exactly which he is looking for. 

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