Noise when shifting out of neutral on 21 VLX

[phinz]

Looking for a little help to determine the noise I am getting when I shift in and out of gear on my 2017 VLX. When I go from neutral to forward I get the one sound but when I shift into reverse I get the long pinging sound. I checked all fluid levels and they are good. Verified dripless shaft seal has the cooling hose attached. . Also checked prop and nut to verify it was all tight on the shaft. I am 4 hours away from my dealer right now so any info of comments would be appreciated.

 

 

[wdr]

It sounds like the squeak/clunk is centralized to the VD, but it is hard to tell. Almost sounds like a dry cutlass bearing for the squeak and I have never seen a VD or shaft stop spinning that fast. If you are spinning this on the fake a lake and the cutlass bearing is dry it might explain the squeak and the sudden stop. Even on the fake a lake with a dripless seal the cutlass bearing my not receive enough water dripping down the shaft to the bearing, so it would be squeaky. I never put mine in gear on land either so the sudden stop may be normal. What does the fluid look like?

Edited June 7, 2018 by wdr

[phinz]

Thanks for the reply.

I checked all fluids and everything is good. The boat is currently on a lake so that may be why there is a difference with the shaft stopping. I pull the boat out of the water to check the prop. I tried to wiggle the prop side to side and in and out but there was no play. Once in gear there are no odd sounds and no noticeable vibration when underway.

[wdr]

With a new boat/cutlass bearing even the Hulk would have a hard time turning it wet, much less dry. The newer VDs seem to be a lot quieter than my Walter was or my Hurth now. If I pull up the back cushion under way it sounds like I am beating a bag of cats with a stick noisy.

[formulaben]

Sounds crazy but I'd remove the prop and verify it is installed correctly.  In fact, remove it completely and duplicate the test if you really want to eliminate it as a possible suspect.  The reason I say this is because the key can bind up and although the nut is tight, there will be some rotational free play when enough torque is applied.  My key was shaped like an hourglass due to this...