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Prop shaft alignment / prop install


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Hopefully you guys can put me at ease... 

I bought a used acme 1235 this offseason and today was the day to swap it out. It took awhile to get the previous one off but I finally got it. It was super difficult to rotate the prop and once it was off I could not spin the shaft by hand to line the "key" slot at 12 o'clock. Is that normal? 

I noticed that my shaft looks bent too during the process (pictured below). We had no vibrations or issues last year. Super confused by this and worried about what I should do going forward...

Also, on the 1235, the key won't fit in the prop slot. It's causing issues with getting it installed. I will probably have to file the prop down a bit where the key slides in to make it work. 

Rambling off a bit here but hoping someone can share some insight that may help me out. 

DDD14D0B-25D8-4021-AF1A-9D138EA1BD15_zps

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looks like the rudder is actually touching the prop guard on the trailer?  And that strut must be pretty bent to be seeing the whole shift beside the rudder.  And lastly don't be filing your new prop.  If the key doesn't fit then either the prop is bad and should be exchanged or wrong key.

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1 hour ago, Bozboat said:

How do the strut bushings look?

 

does the strut look bent?

I can check in the morning again. Nothing seemed obviously off to me other than the position of the shaft. 

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32 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

looks like the rudder is actually touching the prop guard on the trailer?  And that strut must be pretty bent to be seeing the whole shift beside the rudder.  And lastly don't be filing your new prop.  If the key doesn't fit then either the prop is bad and should be exchanged or wrong key.

The rudder isn't touching anything actually it's just the angle of the picture that makes it look that way. 

Are there different sized keys? It fits on the shaft inlet but it's just slightly too tight on the actual prop. The old key is just as snug on the old and newer prop. Just makes it a pain to try and install the prop. 

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4 minutes ago, MattyICE15 said:

I can check in the morning again. Nothing seemed obviously off to me other than the position of the shaft. 

Post a photo of the strut

and the fiberglass area where the strut is mounted to the bottom of the boat.

If the strut is bent you might should see wear in the strut bushings 

before you check alignment you need to be confident the strut is not bent

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It does looks like the prop shaft is bent when you compare both sides of the distance of the outer prop shaft housing to the prop shaft base. If you have not hit anything do you beach it or anchor in shallow water? The weight of the boat could bend it. I have had to get my 1235 fixed 2 times now from minor strikes. As OJ says, definately don't file the prop. The prop keys are mass produce so not exactly a quality controlled item. I did slightly radius the end of mine so it would fit inside of the entire prop key way and the inner curve of the prop shaft groove. At most I would use sand paper to get it fit in the prop and or shaft but you will want it tight enough not to fall off the prop shaft. You want a very tight fit or any slop will allow it to spin on the shaft the first leaf you hit. The strut bushing will be hard to turn by hand with the prop on and nearly impossible to turn with just the shaft alone. A newer bushing will also make a god awful squeal when you spin the shaft by hand when it is dry because they are water lubricated. Boz brings up a good point also, you may see uneven wear in the bushing at the opposite ends of the strut housing on the opposing sides of the bushings. The last one I replaced was a 2 piece press in bushings that insert into the housing from both ends.

Edited by wdr
(sp)
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@MattyICE15:  The key is standard size (IIRC .25" x .25") brass stock.  The prop slot should allow it to slide in.  One check for a bent strut, which appears to be your case, I would check the current alignment (loosen the coupling and check with feeler gauges, do a search on this forum or others for procedure) and I would check the shaft itself with a dial indicator to verify it is straight (if you rotate it 180 degrees is the end in the same position relative to the rudder?).  As noted, check the rudder bushings for wear.

  • Like 2
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A quick albeit knuckle dragging method to check the prob shaft run out would be to coil a piece of wire into a round base with a 90* protruding arm. Then tape the base to the hull so the end of the wire just touches the end of the shaft. Turn the shaft a look for movement in the wire. Not exactly professional, but it will confirm an issue.

  • Like 3
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So I went out to the lake this morning to take some new pics with the insight provided here in mind. Overall, it does appear that we have a bent strut. It's tough to tell on the prop shaft however. I don't have the tools to measure the alignment or the prop shaft at the moment. 

If I'm under the correct impression, the idea is to hook the boat up to a water supply and throw it in gear without the prop on. From there you check for the shaft dancing around? With the dial indicator in multiple spots preferably?

From the research I've done so far, some people are able to either bend the original strut back, or order a cheap off-brand replacement and it has fixed their issues. (Previous links to parts here haven't worked for me) Do you think this is a possibility for me based on what you see in the attached pictures?

53EDC118-D9E3-4500-A4C5-413D3311B2C8_zps

FD2CF851-EF55-44B7-8DF8-741A48E76B7A_zps

5DF98F1F-C451-4166-A865-40D398F7953A_zps

642B5CAA-E4F0-4185-A8E3-CEA472963A50_zps

AFB6518A-CA55-4513-8B18-C7F58420F727_zps

 

 

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I don't think you want to start it up and put it in gear while being under there just for saftey sake. I put the prop on and turn it by hand to check the run out. But if it is bent as bad as it looks you may not be able to turn it by hand

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20 minutes ago, jbower said:

I don't think you want to start it up and put it in gear while being under there just for saftey sake. I put the prop on and turn it by hand to check the run out. But if it is bent as bad as it looks you may not be able to turn it by hand

With the prop on, it was super difficult to turn by hand. With the prop off I can't rotate the shaft by hand.

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1 hour ago, MattyICE15 said:

With the prop on, it was super difficult to turn by hand. With the prop off I can't rotate the shaft by hand.

You'd be fine without the prop on just make sure you have no loose clothing or hoodie draw strings 

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Just now, jbower said:

You'd be fine without the prop on just make sure you have no loose clothing or hoodie draw strings 

and that you are not running long with no water on the cutlass bearings and shaft packing if you do not have a water cooler shaft seal.

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There's too much resistance to turn a prop by hand. I highly recommend not putting the drive into gear while running.

If there was no vibration or issue before, I dont think you have one now. Get that new prop on there and give her a try.

Steve B.

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The last 2 props I have changed one was a 13 lsv and the other was a 14 a22 I spun both by hand to check for a bent shaft and the lsv did have a bent shaft one hit a log and the other mowed over a dock. lol don't ask not my boat. 

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1 hour ago, Steve B. said:

There's too much resistance to turn a prop by hand. I highly recommend not putting the drive into gear while running.

If there was no vibration or issue before, I dont think you have one now. Get that new prop on there and give her a try.

Steve B.

i can pretty easily turn my prop by hand when not in gear.

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20 hours ago, MattyICE15 said:

So I went out to the lake this morning to take some new pics with the insight provided here in mind. Overall, it does appear that we have a bent strut. It's tough to tell on the prop shaft however. I don't have the tools to measure the alignment or the prop shaft at the moment. 

If I'm under the correct impression, the idea is to hook the boat up to a water supply and throw it in gear without the prop on. From there you check for the shaft dancing around? With the dial indicator in multiple spots preferably?

From the research I've done so far, some people are able to either bend the original strut back, or order a cheap off-brand replacement and it has fixed their issues. (Previous links to parts here haven't worked for me) Do you think this is a possibility for me based on what you see in the attached pictures?

Why would you try and bend back or buy a "cheap" alternative? They are not that expensive new.  I had a slightly bent strut (not as bad as yours), but I could tell because the bushings were staring to wear unevenly.  Pony up and buy a new strut: http://marinehardware.com/

 

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If you have a local prop shop they should be able to straighten that strut -- and them (or any machine shop) will be able to check your shaft.  If it were me?  I'd pull them both and have them checked for good measure.  It would also be a good time to verify your engine/trans alignement is correct.  

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46 minutes ago, solorex said:

Why would you try and bend back or buy a "cheap" alternative? They are not that expensive new.  I had a slightly bent strut (not as bad as yours), but I could tell because the bushings were staring to wear unevenly.  Pony up and buy a new strut: http://marinehardware.com/

 

My apologies, I didn't necessarily mean "cheap" but more along the lines of less costly. I've read that the OEM ones are weaker due to the Malibu stamp. My only insight here was to find the generic model that was less costly and actually stronger. 

Which I haven't been able to find btw... may have to buy OEM regardless.

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18 minutes ago, MattyICE15 said:

My apologies, I didn't necessarily mean "cheap" but more along the lines of less costly. I've read that the OEM ones are weaker due to the Malibu stamp. My only insight here was to find the generic model that was less costly and actually stronger. 

Which I haven't been able to find btw... may have to buy OEM regardless.

Huh?

In any event, that strut is definitely bent...look at where the shaft is rubbing on the right side of the bushing and has a gap on the left.  In any event, I'd check your shaft too fro being bent.  it takes a whack to do that to the strut.  I fail to see what starting the engine and engaging the prop is going to tell us?  In other words, why do that?  Prop can be "firm" to spin but should not be impossible.  Clearly, you have a tight bind on the starboard side of the strut.

  • Like 2
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@MattyICE15:  You have the older rubber style cutlass bearings thus you will not be able to spin your shaft very easily, they need water for lubrication to spin freely (the Vesconite bushings do allow the shaft to spin freely out of the water) and if you do spin the shaft via putting in gear with the engine running you will ruin those bushings very quickly.  The dial indicator method is done via turning the shaft over slowly and measuring the runout.  In your case, you should be able to do a coarse check on the shaft coupling and engine alignment without the feeler gauges, if you loosen the coupling and see the surfaces are not parallel visually and also see if there is a side load on the joint that will tell you a lot.  If you don't have the tools, as noted a local machine shop can measure the shaft for you or simply remove and roll it on a flat table or surface.

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3 hours ago, Fffrank said:

If there's any chance you're in the midwest, I know a shop (probably the OEM on that strut and shaft) that does service work. 

Illinois/Wisconsin border  

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4 hours ago, 85 Barefoot said:

Huh?

In any event, that strut is definitely bent...look at where the shaft is rubbing on the right side of the bushing and has a gap on the left.  In any event, I'd check your shaft too fro being bent.  it takes a whack to do that to the strut.  I fail to see what starting the engine and engaging the prop is going to tell us?  In other words, why do that?  Prop can be "firm" to spin but should not be impossible.  Clearly, you have a tight bind on the starboard side of the strut.

Fair enough. Just trying to figure out ways to turn the shaft since by hand is super difficult with the prop on and not feasible by hand with it off.

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