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Propeller removal and installation


Pistol Pete

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How to change a propeller on an inboard boat.

I recommend everyone remove and install their props in their driveway for the first time as a trial run before needing to do the real thing in a hot launch ramp parking lot. You should buy a few extra stainless cotter pins the same size as the new one supplied and, you might want to get some plumber's grease or Anti seize while at the hardware store. I also recommend buying a 3/4"-10 coupling nut. Cut one end of the nut so that the total length is 1.75"

You should have the boat on the trailer and transmission in neutral. Key out of the ignition. I will assume you have an O.J. Props "Just in case" or Acme Props "Weekend Saver Kit".

  1. If possible, and relatively easy, I recommend removing the swim platform just to give yourself some extra head room. Check that the propeller will rotate all the way around by hand, if it won't, you might have a bent shaft or other damage on your hands.
  2. Cut off the stainless cotter pin or bend it enough to remove it.
  3. Using the wrench supplied in the kit loosen the nylock prop nut. The nut is a right hand thread (normal) lefty-loosey nut. You will need to brace the prop while loosening the nut. I recommend sitting on your butt and using the toe of your sneaker up against a prop blade to keep the prop from rotating. Or, if possible, wrap something like a block of wood or similar in several towels to make a cushioned stop. Place the block of wood or whatever you're using so that it goes up against the bottom of the hull and holds the prop still while removing the nut.
    If you don't have a coupling nut, you only need to loosen the nylock nut approx. 2 turns, just enough so that it's .25" away from the prop. Leave the nut on the shaft.
    If you have the coupling nut that I recommend, take the nylock nut all the way off. Now rotate the prop so that the square cut in the center of the prop is facing 12:00. Install the coupling nut with the non-cut side onto the shaft first. Turn the nut so that it goes all the way up the shaft and is only .25" away from touching the prop.
  4. Loosen the driver/bolt part of the C-clamp puller so that it is completely retracted into the threaded part of the puller and it's pointed tip is not protruding out. Install the back part of the puller against the back of the prop going in between two prop blades. Now turn the driver part of the puller so that it threads down the middle of the coupling nut. The coupling nut will keep the driver centered on the shaft. Tighten the driver as much as you can by hand using the wrench. You will need to brace the prop against rotating.
  5. At this stage the puller is installed and is very tight against the prop and drive shaft. If you were lucky, the prop made a lound "clang" and popped off the shaft. If not, here's what we gotta do. The prop has a tapered cone fit to the shaft and is very hard to break free. Also, if you hit a hard object like a stump or rock, you may have sheared the brass key. If the key sheared and the prop rotated with the key in there, the prop is going to be extra hard to get off.
  6. The first step I recommend is, if possible, boil a frying pan of water and douse the center part of the prop. You are trying to get the nibral to expand by shocking it. Don't worry, you won't hurt anything just be careful with the hot water. I haven't had much success with this strategy but, I use any help I can get when trying to remove a prop. The second thing we can do is hit the prop puller with a brass or dead blow hammer in a certain spot. See the pic. on the last page for where to strike the puller. While doing these two things, continue to crank down the driver of the puller as tight as you can get it. Eventually, you are going to hear a loud "CLANG" and the prop is going to pop off the shaft. You needed the nut on the shaft to keep the prop from jumping all the way off the shaft and hitting the ground or rudder. It may take some time for the prop to finally break free and the first time you do it, it will startle you. Remove the puller and coupling nut. Be careful removing the prop, you don't want to cause any more damage.
  7. So, now the prop is off and you are inspecting the brass rectangular key. If it and the slot it rests in the driveshaft look ok, then we can re-use it, if it looks distorted, replace it with the supplied new key. Have the shaft so that the key slot is in the 12:00 position and insert the key into the slot. Now, rub a generous amount of plumber's grease or Anti seize on the tapered cone part of the shaft where the prop is going to come to rest. Try not to get the grease or Anti seize on the shaft threads. This grease or Anti seize should help removal of the prop next time.
  8. Install the new prop with the square cut at 12:00 lining up with the brass key. Push it as far up the shaft as it will go and install the nut. Tighten the nut as tight as you can get it by hand. As far as I can tell, the Clymer manual does not have a torque spec. for the nut. But, according to ACME, the torque is 35 ft.-lbs. (personally, I think that's a tad too little. I'd go with wrist tight ;-)
  9. Now, install a new stainless cotter pin and the swim step and you're ready to hit the water!

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  • 1 year later...

I just installed a new prop from J. T. Nettles and they have a few more suggestions for correct prop installation. When installing a new prop first place the prop on the shaft without the key on the shaft. Mark a line with a sharpie on the shaft where the prop seats itself. Then put the key in the shaft and place the prop on the shaft again to see if it lines up with the mark. If the prop does not seat itself in the same position the key may have to be filed down or replaced. Proper torque rating on the shaft nut is 30lbs.

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  • 8 months later...

This is the support topic for the article Propeller removal and installation. Please post here if you have any questions or feedback.

Thanks for the prop info. Quick question if you have a chance. When reinstalling my prop with a new keyway,should the prop cover all of the keyway when properly installed? Seems like it would take quite a bit of torque to get the nut all the way on.

Thanks Again

  • Like 1
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  • 1 year later...

I am trying to remove the prop on my 2000 23 LSV - last year it was easy, came right off with out the puller. This year, the first time trying to use the puller it will not go on - now reading some of the puller descriptions (c-clamp style pro-puller), it seems like they fit all 3-blade, most 4-blade props, my 14x19 - OJ seems to be one that it does not fit. There is not a straight shot through the blades. I tried tapping on the hub with a brass drift but did not want to hit it hard... Any thoughts? I can get by with the prop that is on there but wanted to try out my new one...

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Thanks for the info. Just finished switching out the 537 prop to the 1235 prop. It only took me about 10 minutes. I didn't have anti-seize so I just used the heavy duty grease that I use to grease my trailer bearings.

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i'm just going to stick my neck out, stir it up and sit back to watch the fur fly.

grade school shop was a long, long time ago but i'm thinking that i remember (and that memory thing is a stretch) that you don't use a lubricant on a taper.

the whole idea of that taper is a friction fit. throwing lube on a friction fit just doesn't follow.

let the fur fly.

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Army, I did the same thing when I did my 537 to 1235 swap, but don't think it is a major concern. I am "guessing" that prop companies don't recommend using a lubricant as it might aid in spinning the prop off the shaft. But if the prop hits something and shears the key off I don't think that the a.s. is going to be the tipping point to an EPIC fail as the kids now days say. IMO I would just keep that advisement in mind the next time you change the prop and clean the shaft accordingly.

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The best way to remove a prop from my experience is harmonics. If you have a prop puller and put just a bit of tension on the puller, I have found that by tapping the prop with a rubber mallet (not hard, just enough to hear the ping sound) the changing frequency (harmonics) takes the prop off every time.

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  • 1 month later...

The best way to remove a prop from my experience is harmonics. If you have a prop puller and put just a bit of tension on the puller, I have found that by tapping the prop with a rubber mallet (not hard, just enough to hear the ping sound) the changing frequency (harmonics) takes the prop off every time.

I wish they were all that easy. After breaking two OJ C-clamp pullers, mine took a bunch of heat from a torch and a deadblow hammer to get it off. :(

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  • 1 year later...

Army, I did the same thing when I did my 537 to 1235 swap, but don't think it is a major concern. I am "guessing" that prop companies don't recommend using a lubricant as it might aid in spinning the prop off the shaft. But if the prop hits something and shears the key off I don't think that the a.s. is going to be the tipping point to an EPIC fail as the kids now days say. IMO I would just keep that advisement in mind the next time you change the prop and clean the shaft accordingly.

Has any one sheared the key that fits in the key way?? I have never heard of that happening, and have seen some really mangled props.

  • Like 2
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Has any one sheared the key that fits in the key way?? I have never heard of that happening, and have seen some really mangled props.

I have. All I needed was a new key......a prop....... A shaft..........oh.....and a strut.

Edited by Bobby Bright
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It's ok nobody thinks I could possibly know what I'm talking about so it wouldn't help.

But more so your cynicism isn't helpful, which is counter to the mission of this forum. This is a fine forum with many good people offering much value to its members...opinions included, but cynical nonsense is useless to all. If you have documentation or anecdotal experience to refute the conversation, then by all means present it and contribute to the forum.

Just a thought...I bid you good day.

  • Like 2
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Well that sucks..I guess I could take it back off and put something else on.

Actually, Armyguy posted that directly after Tvano, and it looked to me like he was talking about having already greased his shaft (in his prevous post).

With that said, Tvano's taper experience may well have been in machine shop, where you definitely want a dry friction fit on a taper. Even bone dry tapers will slip under the force and vibration used in milling or lathe operations. I have ruined parts several times because the down force of an endmill pulls it enough to slip down a straight collet. The dry fit also presumes that you will remove the taper before it rusts together, so you don't need oil to stop corrosion.

For a keyed prop shaft, I think I'll stick with a very light coat of antisieze. Normal operation will *not* shear the key, and the taper is going to hold plenty of torque by itself even with lube. I'm a salt water boater, and nothing is more annoying than trying to remove a prop electrochemically bonded to the shaft through galvanic action.

Note that it is possible for a keyed taper to loosen the nut if the taper (or, as mentioned, the key) is not a good fit. I have had it happen on a 25 HP outboard that had a replacement flywheel (and a very short taper). A dab of compound and a few minutes of lapping them together cured it forever.

Checking the prop fit to the shaft has more merit to me than worrying about a film of grease. If the prop doesn't fit the taper properly, I'd lap it in so it does. So I don't care what ACME says. If I don't get appreciable vibration from the prop (which is a major goal) and the nut stays tight, I'm using anti-sieze so I can get it off when I want to.

Regards,

- Just Gary

  • Like 2
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Actually, Armyguy posted that directly after Tvano, and it looked to me like he was talking about having already greased his shaft (in his prevous post).

With that said, Tvano's taper experience may well have been in machine shop, where you definitely want a dry friction fit on a taper. Even bone dry tapers will slip under the force and vibration used in milling or lathe operations. I have ruined parts several times because the down force of an endmill pulls it enough to slip down a straight collet. The dry fit also presumes that you will remove the taper before it rusts together, so you don't need oil to stop corrosion.

For a keyed prop shaft, I think I'll stick with a very light coat of antisieze. Normal operation will *not* shear the key, and the taper is going to hold plenty of torque by itself even with lube. I'm a salt water boater, and nothing is more annoying than trying to remove a prop electrochemically bonded to the shaft through galvanic action.

Note that it is possible for a keyed taper to loosen the nut if the taper (or, as mentioned, the key) is not a good fit. I have had it happen on a 25 HP outboard that had a replacement flywheel (and a very short taper). A dab of compound and a few minutes of lapping them together cured it forever.

Checking the prop fit to the shaft has more merit to me than worrying about a film of grease. If the prop doesn't fit the taper properly, I'd lap it in so it does. So I don't care what ACME says. If I don't get appreciable vibration from the prop (which is a major goal) and the nut stays tight, I'm using anti-sieze so I can get it off when I want to.

Regards,

- Just Gary

Actually, Armyguy posted that directly after Tvano, and it looked to me like he was talking about having already greased his shaft (in his prevous post).

With that said, Tvano's taper experience may well have been in machine shop, where you definitely want a dry friction fit on a taper. Even bone dry tapers will slip under the force and vibration used in milling or lathe operations. I have ruined parts several times because the down force of an endmill pulls it enough to slip down a straight collet. The dry fit also presumes that you will remove the taper before it rusts together, so you don't need oil to stop corrosion.

For a keyed prop shaft, I think I'll stick with a very light coat of antisieze. Normal operation will *not* shear the key, and the taper is going to hold plenty of torque by itself even with lube. I'm a salt water boater, and nothing is more annoying than trying to remove a prop electrochemically bonded to the shaft through galvanic action.

Note that it is possible for a keyed taper to loosen the nut if the taper (or, as mentioned, the key) is not a good fit. I have had it happen on a 25 HP outboard that had a replacement flywheel (and a very short taper). A dab of compound and a few minutes of lapping them together cured it forever.

Checking the prop fit to the shaft has more merit to me than worrying about a film of grease. If the prop doesn't fit the taper properly, I'd lap it in so it does. So I don't care what ACME says. If I don't get appreciable vibration from the prop (which is a major goal) and the nut stays tight, I'm using anti-sieze so I can get it off when I want to.

Regards,

- Just Gary

I may be slow on the draw on this topic, but can someone explain what greasing his shaft means?

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If I didn't have a key, I'd definitely use no lube. Since the key is always present, I'm OK with a lubed taper if it helps me remove the prop later.

Bingo! We have a winner!! Thank you for taking the time to type the analysis! :notworthy:

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Is there any issue with adding some grease to the tapered shaft prior to putting the prop on? Cause I can' think of any. The tapered fit when the prop is tightened will squeeze out any excess grease…as gary correctly said, if compressed enough and fitted properly the prop would not spin on the tapered shaft…but for a back up, the shaft and prop each have a slotted keyway should the prop try to spin.

What little grease that remains, will only aid in prop removal, and discourage two dissimilar metals attacking each other.

When I had my skier, I used a nylon spacer on the skier's shaft so that I could use the newer 1 1/8 inch dia props. I like that idea, as it seemed to reduce prop vibration as it isolated the prop from the shaft. Not sure why they don't have the same for the newer 1 1/8" did shafts.

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Why do you think prop pullers are necessary?

The harder it is to get off the better it was on.

That makes absolutely no sense….so if harder to get off is better, should it be welded on??

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