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Difficult Prop Removal


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I had a very light strike against some rocks and bent two of the blades on my 4 blade prop. Didn't notice it at first, but then had vibration at 3500 RPM. Put the boat on a lift and bent them back by eye and now have no noticeable vibration. I still want to get the prop fixed right and borrowed a prop puller but put all my strength an a 10" crescent wrench without budging the prop. How much torque should this take to remove with the puller? I didn't want to put a longer pipe on the wrench and force things for the risk of further damage. Prop has never been off the boat and has 700 hrs. Is this just typical frozen from age, or is it likely the key got sheared? Should I just use a longer pipe and keep removing or apply heat to attempt to expand the prop? Would hitting the prop puller with a mallet as I see some suggesting damage the V-drive gears? Afraid of this, stripping the puller bolt or bending the prop shaft. Thanks in advance.

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Just tighten the prop puller down and then give the puller a few hits from the front. Usually the vibration in combination with the pressure from the puller pops them free. I have also put some penetrating spray (WD-40) on the prop shaft to help things along. Use a solid hammer, rubber mallets or dead blow type hammers dont seem to have the same effect.

Oh and make sure that the prop nut is partially threaded on to keep the prop from falling on the ground.

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I've used a impact the last few times on my puller and the vibration from it has always made it come off fairly easily.

Make sure the prop nut is on the shaft so you don't end up with a prop in your shin!

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Don't be afraid to use a bigger wrench than 10" but I do agree that hammer won't hurt. Hit the "front" of the puller. Also, if this is your first time changing a well-stuck prop, be sure to be wearing old underwear, you may need to toss them after that prop breaks free. You'll see what I mean. :)

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Don't be afraid to use a bigger wrench than 10" but I do agree that hammer won't hurt. Hit the "front" of the puller. Also, if this is your first time changing a well-stuck prop, be sure to be wearing old underwear, you may need to toss them after that prop breaks free. You'll see what I mean. :)

Best comment ever! Hahaha.And yes, I know what you mean! :rofl:

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May take several good hits with a big hammer to break it free. Hit it and torque nut a bit more and hit again. It will eventually come free. Torque spec to put it back on is only 35 Ft Lbs.

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  • 9 years later...

I thought I would piggyback on this one since it comes up near the top on google searches.  

My boat partner hits a rock at Powell and mildly bends a couple of blades.  This happened at slow speed.  He is a 25 mile boat ride from the nearest marina so he decides to change it in the water, although he has never changed a prop before.  He rigged up some hose and a tube pump to keep himself under water for extended periods and puts the C clamp on there and cannot get the prop off.  He was unaware that you should hit it with a hammer.  He finally gets a long piece of pipe to act as a lever and tightens the C clamp with a wrench that is now about 3 feet long until the prop comes off.  Thanks to me putting a light layer of bearing grease on the shaft, that worked, but it did require the cheater bar, and a lot of force even with that.    He then tightens the new prop on like a gorilla and off he goes.  The boat works great for 2 more days.  

He gets home, and I ask about the keyway.  'What's that?' he says.  So he installed the prop without a keyway, and thanks to what I suppose was herculean torque on the prop nut, the prop worked perfectly the rest of the trip.  So I decide the prop should probably have the keyway installed and we try to remove it.  

Fast forward 2.5 hours and it won't come off.  The nut did back off without too much trouble, FWIW.  Pounding the prop puller with bigger and bigger hammers has not worked.  Rotating the puller to each slot has not worked.  I resorted to the propane torch and that has not worked.  So as I write, it is soaking in Liquid Wrench, and I will attack it again at some point.  It seems that might help because I was able to spray it straight down the key slot and hopefully it penetrates better that way, haha.  

I am not sure that there are any additional ideas, but I do wonder if he bent the hub portion on the shaft when he put 300 pounds of torque on the prop puller to get the old prop off or if it cemented itself more tightly on there because there was no key?  Any additional ideas on how to get the propeller off would be great.  I am tempted to loosen the nut, go to the lake and hit reverse really hard.  Would that be crazy?  

 

On a side note, the MC props that I have changed with the splined shafts were so much easier.   From what I can see, the tapered is actually more expensive, but I did not do an exhaustive comparison.   

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If he tightened the puller with a pipe he likely bent it and it isn't pulling straight.  Check the puller and if is bent get a new one.  One prop I pulled for a crew member they had mangled their puller- they don't need to be all that tight.

Use a map torch, propane doesn't get hot enough. Hit the side of the puller like you mean it(not the end).  Have yet to see a prop I couldn't get off with this method.

Edited by oldjeep
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They quit producing the really hot MAPP gas back in 2008, and now it's MAP/with Propylene, and there's not much difference in that and propane if you compare apples to apples.

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3 minutes ago, REHinH20 said:

They quit producing the really hot MAPP gas back in 2008, and now it's MAP/with Propylene, and there's not much difference in that and propane if you compare apples to apples.

Whatever it is I buy now will turn cage tubing cherry red.

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1 hour ago, oldjeep said:

If he tightened the puller with a pipe he likely bent it and it isn't pulling straight.  Check the puller and if is bent get a new one.  One prop I pulled for a crew member they had mangled their puller- they don't need to be all that tight.

Use a map torch, propane doesn't get hot enough. Hit the side of the puller like you mean it(not the end).  Have yet to see a prop I couldn't get off with this method.

You mean hit the side of the puller?  I have always hit the end.  

He did mangle the bolt end of the puller, but surprisingly, the C part seems to be straight still.  Despite that, I did try a different puller.  

I only have propane, but it does seem I have been a little gentle with the heat.  I am about to find out if Liquid Wrench is flammable.  

Hit it here?  See arrow - 

 

Screen Shot 2021-07-29 at 6.09.03 PM.png

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26 minutes ago, TallRedRider said:

You mean hit the side of the puller?  I have always hit the end.  

He did mangle the bolt end of the puller, but surprisingly, the C part seems to be straight still.  Despite that, I did try a different puller.  

I only have propane, but it does seem I have been a little gentle with the heat.  I am about to find out if Liquid Wrench is flammable.  

Hit it here?  See arrow - 

 

Screen Shot 2021-07-29 at 6.09.03 PM.png

Did this job last weekend trying out a 16” prop. Smack the fork end, but the heat is the ticket for me. It saved me a lot of aggravation.

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The key is really there just to keep the prop from spinning when tightening it and allowing the taper to do its job. It’s the friction of the tapered fit that keeps the prop from rotating on the shaft, not key. He’ll likely be fine until he damages the prop again….

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So who on here believes in the whole “prop lap”  process? When I had my Nautiques, some of the guys on Correct Craft Fan were big believers in that, others were not.  I don’t know if it does any good but it’s a pretty easy process. 
It’s kind of fun to watch the discussion on that.  Kind of like the “what kind of oil” threads.  

Edited by MTBoy
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51 minutes ago, TallRedRider said:

You mean hit the side of the puller?  I have always hit the end.  

He did mangle the bolt end of the puller, but surprisingly, the C part seems to be straight still.  Despite that, I did try a different puller.  

I only have propane, but it does seem I have been a little gentle with the heat.  I am about to find out if Liquid Wrench is flammable.  

Hit it here?  See arrow - 

 

Screen Shot 2021-07-29 at 6.09.03 PM.png

Yes, hit it there, like it owes you money

  • Like 1
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Just now, MTBoy said:

So who on here believes in the whole “prop lap”  process? When I had my Nautiques, some of the guys on Correct Craft Fan were big believers in that others were not.  I don’t know if it does any good but it’s a pretty easy process. 
It’s kind of fun to watch the discussion on that.  Kind of like the “what kind of oil” threads.  

I don't do it, but what amuses me is people who lap them and then put grease between the prop and shaft.

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2 hours ago, oldjeep said:

I don't do it, but what amuses me is people who lap them and then put grease between the prop and shaft.

Whoa, I have never heard of the grease thing….

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54 minutes ago, MTBoy said:

Whoa, I have never heard of the grease thing….

I used to Pown everyone when I posted the instructions from Acme that said to do it.  Interestingly, the most recent prop I got did not say to do that.  I still believe in it however.  I would not be having the problem I am now if it had been properly installed with a very thin layer of bearing grease and did not tighten the nut like a gorilla on a playground. 

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7 hours ago, TallRedRider said:

I used to Pown everyone when I posted the instructions from Acme that said to do it.  Interestingly, the most recent prop I got did not say to do that.  I still believe in it however.  I would not be having the problem I am now if it had been properly installed with a very thin layer of bearing grease and did not tighten the nut like a gorilla on a playground. 

True enough, but grease defeats the purpose of having a taper in the first place.  For anyone who thinks removing a prop is tough, try removing the hub from a tapered axleshaft sometime ;)  I put a puller and hub halfway through a wall in my garage one time.

Edited by oldjeep
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To follow up on my prop...I finally got the prop off today.  I heated it up at least twice as much as I had previously and it came off on the 4th hit with a sledgehammer.  I would estimate that I heated the hub at all 4 locations between the blades about 90 seconds at each spot.  

Unfortunately, I have dings on the strut and a couple on the prop from being incompetent with a hammer while lying on my back.  I don't think those will affect performance, but disappointing nonetheless.  We will see whenever it comes time to sell if it scares anyone into thinking they are buying from an incompetent.   I might doubt the owner's skillset if I found the strikes on the running gear.  All I can do is be honest about it, but I hate it anyway.  

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