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Impossible Stuck Prop


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tried last year on the boat lift, tried yesterday before putting in the water while boat was on trailer.

used a prop puller, cranked as hard as i could with 2 ppl on the prop puller , sludge hammer as hard as i could without hitting prop on accident, and the thing will NOT BUDGE...I used some rust  penetrant as well no luck

slight nick in prop and i want to change to different pitch but have NO way of getting this thing off.

My guess is the key mangled in there? 

would the harmonic prop puller on the rear side help? 

What about using a torch on the prop to heat/expand it a tad with the prop puller and then hit? 

Any suggestions, now the boat will be on the lift making it more difficult, and dangerous, 

shouldn't be this hard! 

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Heat on the hub.  Hammer to the back.  

May need a long thin punch to drive the key towards the bow.  

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5 minutes ago, The Hulk said:

tried last year on the boat lift, tried yesterday before putting in the water while boat was on trailer.

used a prop puller, cranked as hard as i could with 2 ppl on the prop puller , sludge hammer as hard as i could without hitting prop on accident, and the thing will NOT BUDGE...I used some rust  penetrant as well no luck

slight nick in prop and i want to change to different pitch but have NO way of getting this thing off.

My guess is the key mangled in there? 

would the harmonic prop puller on the rear side help? 

What about using a torch on the prop to heat/expand it a tad with the prop puller and then hit? 

Any suggestions, now the boat will be on the lift making it more difficult, and dangerous, 

shouldn't be this hard! 

Everything I have seen says to heat it up with a torch.  That will loosen it up.

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Do this. Loosen nut about 2 turns. Install prop puller and snug it up. Place a cold wet rag between the puller and the strut to keep it cool. Start heating the hub evenly around it. As you heat start tightening the puller alittle at a time. After a few minutes it will pop. Most likely it has a sheared key and thats whats keeping it on there. Happened to me before. 

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I was struggling with mine on Monday. Was tempted to get an impact gun out, just about at my wits end with it. One last ditch effort with all my might and 'pop'! That was the most satisfying noise I heard in a long time. It startled the heck outta me!

Edited by Raimie
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40 minutes ago, onewake09 said:

Do this. Loosen nut about 2 turns. Install prop puller and snug it up. Place a cold wet rag between the puller and the strut to keep it cool. Start heating the hub evenly around it. As you heat start tightening the puller alittle at a time. After a few minutes it will pop. Most likely it has a sheared key and thats whats keeping it on there. Happened to me before. 

Yup. A little disposable torch from the hardware store will be enough heat. Most times you can get the puller tight, heat it up making sure only to apply heat to to the prop hub itself, it will pop on its own with no hitting with a hammer etc.

 

One thing to keep in mind, if the prop goes on when its 100 degrees outside, it will be pretty hard to get off when its 80 degrees.

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20 minutes ago, Raimie said:

I was struggling with mine on Monday. Was tempted to get an impact gun out, just about at my wits end with it. One last ditch effort with all my might and 'pop'! That was the most satisfying noise I heard in a long time. It startled the heck outta me!

I once cranked so hard on the puller that it ripped the threads right off the bolt. Called acme and they said it happens often. Those pullers arent that good. I modified mine with a high strength bolt and brass end cap. 

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On a side note, the prop does not come off because of the tightness of the puller.  It should come off because of the hammering on the puller itself.  Tighten the puller to put plenty of tension, but you aren't trying to remove the prop with the puller.  The hammer then will create a difference in harmonics between the shaft and the prop and it will pop off.  It feels awful to hammer away at the underwater gear, but it needs several good whacks with the hammer in rapid succession.  Most of us are too timid because we love our boats.  

It sounds like Hulk possibly has the key sheared off in the prop, which makes it a bear.  Heat will help.  

I've posted these instructions from acme a dozen times, and some folks disagree, but this is from the manufacturer, so what can I say?  Put a thin layer of bearing grease on the shaft, and the prop will come off easier next time.  It is not like it just falls off, it will still need a good thump.  

post-13782-0-88135300-1443738998_thumb.jpg

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I had one not wanting to come off last year. Smacked it hard over and over with the hammer and nothing. My wife comes out, looks under the boat, and suggests I move the puller from the top of the prop to the bottom saying that maybe I’ve just kinked the prop on the shaft a little. Begrudgingly I move the puller and on the second whack it popped right off.

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1 hour ago, MadMan said:

Did you lube the threads of the prop puller?

they have some grease on there seems like but i'm afraid i'll strip it if any harder with longer wrench and one person holding prop and me turning, some suggested block of wood between prop but we cant turn any harder without that so it will break prop-puller or strip threads.

i DO have a massive dewalt impact drill the big boy, but i worry it might strip the prop puller, i may use that in combo of the torch and wet rag to see since being in the water the impact would be easier with 1-man show

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3 minutes ago, vaporbluebu said:

I had one not wanting to come off last year. Smacked it hard over and over with the hammer and nothing. My wife comes out, looks under the boat, and suggests I move the puller from the top of the prop to the bottom saying that maybe I’ve just kinked the prop on the shaft a little. Begrudgingly I move the puller and on the second whack it popped right off.

i've rotated it about 4X all different ways and did it as hard as i could, didnt move.

 

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20 minutes ago, TallRedRider said:

On a side note, the prop does not come off because of the tightness of the puller.  It should come off because of the hammering on the puller itself.  Tighten the puller to put plenty of tension, but you aren't trying to remove the prop with the puller.  The hammer then will create a difference in harmonics between the shaft and the prop and it will pop off.  It feels awful to hammer away at the underwater gear, but it needs several good whacks with the hammer in rapid succession.  Most of us are too timid because we love our boats.  

It sounds like Hulk possibly has the key sheared off in the prop, which makes it a bear.  Heat will help.  

I've posted these instructions from acme a dozen times, and some folks disagree, but this is from the manufacturer, so what can I say?  Put a thin layer of bearing grease on the shaft, and the prop will come off easier next time.  It is not like it just falls off, it will still need a good thump.  

post-13782-0-88135300-1443738998_thumb.jpg

i put some white lithium grease on there previously and that has worked in the past but i must have sheared key, i've got about 1000 whacks on the thing thus far between end of last year trying a few times and yesterday... 

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2 minutes ago, 85 Barefoot said:

have you tried tying the prop to a tree and "towing" it off?

seems like that would be incorrect angles and fubar the shaft with my luck?

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6 minutes ago, 85 Barefoot said:

have you tried tying the prop to a tree and "towing" it off?

This would be fun to watch.

 

Hoping you find an easy way because i will be pulling a prop soon. Dont know if it is stuck as bad as yours yet however.

 

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8 minutes ago, The Hulk said:

time for the torch, cold rag, and big boy dewalt impact

Even this did not work on a prop that i had sheared a key on. I ended up using a :Frustrated: 4" cut off wheel on a grinder. Yeah it was expensive. I tend to think that the brass shear key wear out. After that I changed the shear key annually, and never had another problem getting the prop off. Which also makes me ask "Why has Malibu gone to a stainless shear pin?" I would rather shear a brass key than do running gear damage.

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49 minutes ago, TallRedRider said:

On a side note, the prop does not come off because of the tightness of the puller.  It should come off because of the hammering on the puller itself.  Tighten the puller to put plenty of tension, but you aren't trying to remove the prop with the puller.  The hammer then will create a difference in harmonics between the shaft and the prop and it will pop off.  It feels awful to hammer away at the underwater gear, but it needs several good whacks with the hammer in rapid succession.  Most of us are too timid because we love our boats.  

It sounds like Hulk possibly has the key sheared off in the prop, which makes it a bear.  Heat will help.  

I've posted these instructions from acme a dozen times, and some folks disagree, but this is from the manufacturer, so what can I say?  Put a thin layer of bearing grease on the shaft, and the prop will come off easier next time.  It is not like it just falls off, it will still need a good thump.  

post-13782-0-88135300-1443738998_thumb.jpg

Dang...that information would have been useful Monday! Thanks so much!

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1 hour ago, TallRedRider said:

I've posted these instructions from acme a dozen times, and some folks disagree, but this is from the manufacturer, so what can I say?  Put a thin layer of bearing grease on the shaft, and the prop will come off easier next time.  It is not like it just falls off, it will still need a good thump.  

post-13782-0-88135300-1443738998_thumb.jpg

GREAT BIG +1.  Thin layer of grease makes it a cinch to get off later.

@The Hulk, i got my key sheared and mangled once and told the story in this thread from a couple years ago.  The short version of my pain that worked was a combination of everything said so far, plus the very drastic act of VERY carefully (with great patience and concentration) drilling down the length of the prop's key slot to remove key material.  It's a horrible idea, but I was desperate.  It worked in the end.  I use a little grease now and have never had a problem since having changed the prop dozens of times for prop testing, damage, and what not.

 

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1 hour ago, 85 Barefoot said:

have you tried tying the prop to a tree and "towing" it off?

 

1 hour ago, The Hulk said:

seems like that would be incorrect angles and fubar the shaft with my luck?

 

sarcasm.jpg

  • Like 2
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If you over tighten the puller you will just bend it and it actually makes it harder to get the prop off.  Snug is good enough, then lots of heat with a MAP torch on the prop hub before giving the puller a good solid smack on the side of the C-clamp with a big hammer.  It's also worth shooting a few shots of PB blaster around the backside of the hub once you have it heated.  Just make sure you have a wet rag around to put out the fire if it lights up.  Just make sure that if you have plastic strut bushings that you are not melting them.

 

Edited by oldjeep
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2 hours ago, The Hulk said:

time for the torch, cold rag, and big boy dewalt impact

Remember, tightening the puller too much will just result in a bent prop puller.  

I think I would try to pound out the key a few times, if the heat doesn't do the trick.  

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