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Dumb question about the strut


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I have had some vibration in the drive train on my Sunsetter LXI for a month or so, and changing props didn't fix it.  So I am delving into strut alignment, engine alignment, cutlass bearings, and other possibilities, since there isn't a qualified shop within a couple of hours drive.  While I was investigating engine mounts, a friend was looking at the strut, and figured it would be easier to remove the strut from the boat to look at the cutlass bearing rather than drop the rudder, pull the prop, etc. to pull the shaft to get to the strut bushings.  Great idea, but he started undoing the allen screws in the hull, and then realized we should talk about that before he continued.  Well, we decided to think about options before we just took it all apart, and then we couldn't get the allen screw on the strut to tighten up.  I am supposing that there is a nut on the inside of the hull, inside of the HDS box, but since that has never had a leak, I am hesitant to take the lid off the HDS to take a look. 

Can anyone that has been inside the HDS let me know what secures the strut screws, and let me know what I need to do to tighten it back up?

I know this won't fix the vibration, and I still need to deal with that, but I am noodling the best course of action for that. I thought I would pose the question about the strut screw first!

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Dropping the strut isn't a big deal.  But the fact that you turned the screw without holding the nut on the other side means you likely broke the sealant around the screw.  There are nuts and washers on the other end of the strut bolts.  I used a Butyl Putty Tape on my HDS box and never have any issues, it wasn't this exact brand but you can get the idea here: http://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/Butyl-Putty-Tape-p/vts-419.htm

I used 3m marine sealant on the bolts when reassembling.

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2 hours ago, River Rat said:

I have had some vibration in the drive train on my Sunsetter LXI for a month or so, and changing props didn't fix it.  So I am delving into strut alignment, engine alignment, cutlass bearings, and other possibilities, since there isn't a qualified shop within a couple of hours drive.  While I was investigating engine mounts, a friend was looking at the strut, and figured it would be easier to remove the strut from the boat to look at the cutlass bearing rather than drop the rudder, pull the prop, etc. to pull the shaft to get to the strut bushings.  Great idea, but he started undoing the allen screws in the hull, and then realized we should talk about that before he continued.  Well, we decided to think about options before we just took it all apart, and then we couldn't get the allen screw on the strut to tighten up.  I am supposing that there is a nut on the inside of the hull, inside of the HDS box, but since that has never had a leak, I am hesitant to take the lid off the HDS to take a look. 

Can anyone that has been inside the HDS let me know what secures the strut screws, and let me know what I need to do to tighten it back up?

I know this won't fix the vibration, and I still need to deal with that, but I am noodling the best course of action for that. I thought I would pose the question about the strut screw first!

I would make sure it's aligned before I took anything apart. Then I would prop up the boat on one side and drop the rudder and pull the shaft to check/change the bearings. Removing the strut would be the last thing I would want to mess with. 

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