seperating shaft coupler

[SHREDPOWDER]

I hit a log last year & the prop won't spin by hand very easy now, so... i'm trying to check the alignment, & the couplers don't want to come apart. Lots of rust. i've let it soak in pb blaster. questions are, is it ok to pry apart with hammer & shim (chisel)? Also is the set screw supposed to stay tight, or come out? I did read the thread on the correct craft site about, & it seems like it is ok to chisel it apart, & they say leave set screws in, but their set screw set up seems different???

So when they do come apart, is the shaft going to slide down out of the boat a little or ? i have the 4 bolts out, is there something else i need to loosen?

Thanks for any help, i don't know of anyone here in Billings who knows squat about dd boats.

[beast]

I hit a log last year & the prop won't spin by hand very easy now, so... i'm trying to check the alignment, & the couplers don't want to come apart. Lots of rust. i've let it soak in pb blaster. questions are, is it ok to pry apart with hammer & shim (chisel)? Also is the set screw supposed to stay tight, or come out? I did read the thread on the correct craft site about, & it seems like it is ok to chisel it apart, & they say leave set screws in, but their set screw set up seems different???

So when they do come apart, is the shaft going to slide down out of the boat a little or ? i have the 4 bolts out, is there something else i need to loosen?

Thanks for any help, i don't know of anyone here in Billings who knows squat about dd boats.

You shouldn't have to remove the set screws unless you're pulling the shaft through. Chisel/wedge sounds like what you need to do...or a slide hammer type setup rigged up to the prop end of the shaft. Mine moved easily. Maybe loosen the packing nut...but you shouldn't have to.

[skier92]

If the shaft is truly hader to turn than it used to be, before checking alignment, you need to check that the shaft is not bent or that perhaps when you hit the log, a piece of wood got jammed between the shaft and strut bushing. Also,How do the strut & prop look? One way to check the shaft (If you can get a dial indicator mounted on a magnetic base) Remove the prop. Mount mag base on prop guard of trailer (assuming steel trailer & guard) With follower of indicator against shaft, turn shaft & view gauge for any wobble.(best if some one can turn shaft @ coupler while still connected to trans as there is normally some wiggle of shaft in strut) I believe .001"-.002" to be acceptable??? As for the coupler, I go for the slide hammer or block of wood behind prop hub over chisel or wedge if possible.

[SHREDPOWDER]

UPDATE-

Thanks for the replies, i got them apart by just turning prop by hand, & pulling a little, not much force at all really.

ok with the feeler gauges the port side is .006 bigger, & the shaft coupler is ~ 3/16" to the port side of the engine coupler.

When turning the shaft 90 deg. at a time the gap stays in the same spot. which would make me think the shaft is not bent. But... i think the strut might be bent, because if it were to come back 3/16" to starboard, the gap would be getting more towards equal. Is there another way to test the strut? Maybe take the prop off to see better?

Someone asked if the prop was bent, yes it was pretty tore up, i have a different one on now & had the old one fixed. With the couplers seperated the prop spins with one finger. Thanks again for any help.

[99response]

I would reccomend dropping the shaft to check if it is straight, we had a couple bearings at the shop we used to put them on and spin them up.

As for the strut, you should be able to tell by eye if its bent, but 3/16" of seperation is a good indication that something is messed up.

-Chris

[BuFootin]

UPDATE-

Thanks for the replies, i got them apart by just turning prop by hand, & pulling a little, not much force at all really.

ok with the feeler gauges the port side is .006 bigger, & the shaft coupler is ~ 3/16" to the port side of the engine coupler.

When turning the shaft 90 deg. at a time the gap stays in the same spot. which would make me think the shaft is not bent. But... i think the strut might be bent, because if it were to come back 3/16" to starboard, the gap would be getting more towards equal. Is there another way to test the strut? Maybe take the prop off to see better?

Someone asked if the prop was bent, yes it was pretty tore up, i have a different one on now & had the old one fixed. With the couplers seperated the prop spins with one finger. Thanks again for any help.

If your prop was "pretty tore up" then just about certain your strut is bent, and highly likely your shaft is bent too. To be safe, buy a new strut, and check the shaft out of the boat. Tolerance on the shaft is .003". If you don't replace the parts that are bent, you will have excessive vibration, premature wear on the strut bearing, and possibly more expensive problems down the road.

[SHREDPOWDER]

no chance of straightning strut? it doesn't look bent, so must not be much. That far away from the coupler it probably would only be off only ~ 1/16" or so.

So... to remove the shaft, do i have to loosen the packing all the way? Then it should just slide out?

thanks

[SHREDPOWDER]

ok i searched & re read some shaft pulling threads, this might be out of my range. I don't claim to be a mechanic.

[skier92]

The shaft was easy to turn once the coupler was seperated. Shaft was bound up in strut bearing while coupler was still in place because strut was bent to one side??? Remove strut, place on level surface & use sqaure to see if center of bore is over center of base. Some have straightened same in a press or just buy new if bent. Normally,after removing the prop, I believe the rudder needs to be dropped out of the stuffing box to remove the shaft. This entails lifting the boat off the trailer enough to pull rudder. Since the strut is coming off, it migth be possible to unbolt the strut, and move it enough to one side for the shaft to clear the rudder without rudder removal. Yes, take packing nut off completely to allow for shaft side play. Have shaft checked for straightness while out.