drive shaft removal problem

[JohnDoe]

Trying to get a single tapered drive shaft out. Coupler is disconnected from tranny, all set screws unscrewed. Put a nut in between tranny and coupler and used imapct wrench to tighten all back down. Shaft would NOT come out. Heated it, hammered it, tightened it, heated it, hammered it, tightened it again, and again, and again.... We had coupler so tight that the nut inbetween was mangling up (like a 1" nylock nut!). Backed all the pressure off. I know skidim has a shaft pulling tool which seems to hammer it out from the rear. I can't imagine that it gets as much pressure as what we put on it already, but does anyone have any experience with it? Suggestions? I REALLY don't want to have to cut the shaft. Thanks!

Does anyone have the tool? Rentable?

[68Slalom]

You wouldn't happen to be able to post up a picture by chance

[JohnDoe]

I suppose I could...do you have an idea or just want to see how a driveshaft is removed?

[68Slalom]

I suppose I could...do you have an idea or just want to see how a driveshaft is removed?

Are you working on a DD or VD?

I'm sure if I see what your having problems with I can suggest an idea, it's hard to picture in mind what you are describing. Have you tried expanding the coupler?

[JohnDoe]

direct.

When teh shaft comes through the hull it goes through the rubber boot, then to the packing hardware, then to a coupler which mates the shaft to the tranny. To remove the shaft, you disconnect the coupler form the tranny. In a doubel-tapered shaft, which most modern ones are, the coupler comes off fairly easily because the coupler nut attaches to the shaft. In the boat I'm wokring on it is a single taper and there is no coupler nut so the shaft must be pressed out. The problem is that I can't get it pressed out because it's in there so tight. In order to get push it out I put a nut inbetween the tranny and coupler and retightened them together with an impact and still cna't get it pressed out. Making more sense?

[martinarcher]

Did you try heat on the driveshaft side of the coupler? I bet if you keep heat on it while someone goes around the coupler tightening the two coupler half's together with your nut "spacer in between it will pop off. Just make sure you tighten the coupling bolts nice and even(like tightening a wheel on a car) or the side torque applied will make it even harder to separate the shaft and coupling. I have had things that I half destroyed trying to separate. Usually a little help from a MAPP gas torch will finally get them to part.

[Bill_AirJunky]

I've been thinking about doing this too & looked under the engine to see how tough it would be to access. Looks like royal PITA. Too small an area to work on with any kind of tool to press the coupler off the shaft. I think I'd check with dealer or SKIDIM to see how the pros do it.

[68Slalom]

direct.

When teh shaft comes through the hull it goes through the rubber boot, then to the packing hardware, then to a coupler which mates the shaft to the tranny. To remove the shaft, you disconnect the coupler form the tranny. In a doubel-tapered shaft, which most modern ones are, the coupler comes off fairly easily because the coupler nut attaches to the shaft. In the boat I'm wokring on it is a single taper and there is no coupler nut so the shaft must be pressed out. The problem is that I can't get it pressed out because it's in there so tight. In order to get push it out I put a nut inbetween the tranny and coupler and retightened them together with an impact and still cna't get it pressed out. Making more sense?

Got it, sounds like your going to need the puller

Edit Maybe as martin suggested heat the coupler and cool the shaft quickly, it may come loose.

Edited July 13, 2009 by 68Slalom

[JohnDoe]

I've been thinking about doing this too & looked under the engine to see how tough it would be to access. Looks like royal PITA. Too small an area to work on with any kind of tool to press the coupler off the shaft. I think I'd check with dealer or SKIDIM to see how the pros do it.

Yours would be much easier because it is a "double" tapered shaft and yours should come out easily. This one is not, and the shaft is not held in place in the coupler by a nut, it's by pressure.

We've tried the torches. No luck. We're doing what skidim says to do, but that we should get the shaft puller tool. But what I'm saying is that that puller has got NOTHING on what we've done. The puller is used on the outside, not inside. Does anyone have the puller? Success?

[68Slalom]

I've been thinking about doing this too & looked under the engine to see how tough it would be to access. Looks like royal PITA. Too small an area to work on with any kind of tool to press the coupler off the shaft. I think I'd check with dealer or SKIDIM to see how the pros do it.

Yours would be much easier because it is a "double" tapered shaft and yours should come out easily. This one is not, and the shaft is not held in place in the coupler by a nut, it's by pressure.

We've tried the torches. No luck. We're doing what skidim says to do, but that we should get the shaft puller tool. But what I'm saying is that that puller has got NOTHING on what we've done. The puller is used on the outside, not inside. Does anyone have the puller? Success?

I'm not sure how you feel about this, but without the nut on the shaft bolt the flange back to the trans. and build some kind of a slide hammer over the shaft at the prop end. This may give you more leverage being at the end of the shaft causing some vibration and see if you can rotate the shaft without turning it or just try slightly wiggling it back and forth, up and down, the draw back is the tension/stress on the trans bearing and flange.

[rinconking]

its less work to just do a lil overtime at work (for extra$$) and cut it in half, a new shaft at skidim is between 350-400 and well worth the stress relief.

[martinarcher]

Are you taking the shaft out in order to replace it? I'm just wondering if you don't want to cut it because of the low clearance in the boat for a Sawzall, or if the shaft is actually worth keeping? If it is getting replaced anyway I would be cutting that baby up!

68's slide hammer/dent puller idea is worth a shot. I would still use it with heat.

[Big Mac]

http://www.skidim.com/prodinfo.asp?number=SHSBPULLERG

[JohnDoe]

To clarify, I am not replacing the shaft (and would prefer not to). I'm trying to pull it to replace bushings in strut and to put in a dripless seal.

Thanks for link. Thats the tool I'm talking about. Has anybody used one?

[pup]

I have that tool, it works well. It's pretty sturdy , the quality is much better that I expected for short money. I used it once on my boat & another time in the shop. Sounds like that type of impact may be what you need along with the spacer between the couplers. Don't know where you are located. I would let you use the puller.

[footnlongline]

If you have a older DD, pre HDS, you can loosen the shaft log housing and also the strut , this will allow you to pivot the shaft so you can get a prop puller or wheel puller on it. It worked well for me but mine is pre HDS. I am not up to speed on the whole HDS mess.

[NorCaliBu]

Just curious...did you remove the packing material from the packing box? If not...the binding problem could be as simple as the packing material jamming up inside there.

JohnDoe's shaft is stuck...

Edited July 14, 2009 by NorCaliBu

[JohnDoe]

Just curious...did you remove the packing material from the packing box? If not...the binding problem could be as simple as the packing material jamming up inside there.

JohnDoe's shaft is stuck...

The packing nuts are loose. I would guess that we're getting more than 1,000 pounds of pressure on this thing given that we disfigured a stainless steel nut which was inbetween the tranny and shaft, so some old packing, I wouldn't think, would be able to do this, but I'll remove just in case since packing nuts are coming out anyway.

I knew someone would make that joke, no surprise it came from you.

[akro26]

i just did my packing and strut bushings, when i took the drive shaft out it was worn so i had to make a new one, you may have this same problem. If you cut it out i could make a new coupler and double taper shaft so its easier, less than skidim price. I went to the trouble of programming the cnc to do both ends of the shaft. just need the old stuff for length and coupler sizing... If its a 1 1/8" shaft. No program for 1".

[M3Fan]

i just did my packing and strut bushings, when i took the drive shaft out it was worn so i had to make a new one, you may have this same problem. If you cut it out i could make a new coupler and double taper shaft so its easier, less than skidim price. I went to the trouble of programming the cnc to do both ends of the shaft. just need the old stuff for length and coupler sizing... If its a 1 1/8" shaft. No program for 1".

This is a good point. You may get the shaft out and notice that it is worn where the old bushings made contact at the strut and/or where the old packing made contact. In this case, you'll want to replace the shaft anyway. If the shaft is worn where the packing gland is, the OJ dripless seal will not seat properly against the shaft. If I were to do it again today, I'd cut the shaft in a heartbeat and install a new one. I'll never press out my single taper shaft again.

[JohnDoe]

i just did my packing and strut bushings, when i took the drive shaft out it was worn so i had to make a new one, you may have this same problem. If you cut it out i could make a new coupler and double taper shaft so its easier, less than skidim price. I went to the trouble of programming the cnc to do both ends of the shaft. just need the old stuff for length and coupler sizing... If its a 1 1/8" shaft. No program for 1".

This is a good point. You may get the shaft out and notice that it is worn where the old bushings made contact at the strut and/or where the old packing made contact. In this case, you'll want to replace the shaft anyway. If the shaft is worn where the packing gland is, the OJ dripless seal will not seat properly against the shaft. If I were to do it again today, I'd cut the shaft in a heartbeat and install a new one. I'll never press out my single taper shaft again.

I can't even get it out the first time!!

[DIE2SURF]

Just curious...did you remove the packing material from the packing box? If not...the binding problem could be as simple as the packing material jamming up inside there.

JohnDoe's shaft is stuck...

The packing nuts are loose. I would guess that we're getting more than 1,000 pounds of pressure on this thing given that we disfigured a stainless steel nut which was inbetween the tranny and shaft, so some old packing, I wouldn't think, would be able to do this, but I'll remove just in case since packing nuts are coming out anyway.

I knew someone would make that joke, no surprise it came from you.

But wait...the joke gets better!

[68Slalom]

At this point your better off removing the strut and replace the bushing out of the boat

Edited July 15, 2009 by 68Slalom

[JohnDoe]

OK who is going to mention that I have a 1" driveshaft?

[JohnDoe]

At this point your better off removing the strut and replace the bushing out of the boat

I took the strut off yesterday. I'm going to see if I can get them out, otherwise I'll send them off. Any tips for removal?