peterkvs
Active Member
As I had the boat out and the cutless bearings replaced I am doing the alignment.
When i checked the gap I had .006 more on the top than on the bottom of the coupler. So I dropped the rear of the engine, and as it dropped the gap got more even. After lowering the back of the motor about 1/8" or maybe a bit more the gap all the way around the coupler is the same or at worst no more than .001 out. Cool, right?
Well here is the strange part. There is now a .040" gap between the flanges. I can increase the gap by pulling the shaft into the boat about 1" until the prop hits the strut (I guess), but when I push the shaft out of the boat it stops shy of the two coupling halves touching by .040". Prior to lowering the rear of the engine the couplings touched. If I put a bolt in the coupling halves I can draw them together, but after I do that I can no longer turn the shaft by hand. Prior to starting this alignment I could easily turn the shaft by hand by turning the coupler.
It also sounds like something is rubbing under the boat. I don't recall anything on the shaft except the zinc, but it is in the middle of the shaft a foot from the strut. If I pull the shaft into the boat a few thousandth and turn the shaft the sound goes away.
Is there something internal to the drip less seal that could be doing this?
I thought the shaft would just pull out of the boat if the coupling and rudder were removed.
Thoughts?
Thanks, Pete
When i checked the gap I had .006 more on the top than on the bottom of the coupler. So I dropped the rear of the engine, and as it dropped the gap got more even. After lowering the back of the motor about 1/8" or maybe a bit more the gap all the way around the coupler is the same or at worst no more than .001 out. Cool, right?
Well here is the strange part. There is now a .040" gap between the flanges. I can increase the gap by pulling the shaft into the boat about 1" until the prop hits the strut (I guess), but when I push the shaft out of the boat it stops shy of the two coupling halves touching by .040". Prior to lowering the rear of the engine the couplings touched. If I put a bolt in the coupling halves I can draw them together, but after I do that I can no longer turn the shaft by hand. Prior to starting this alignment I could easily turn the shaft by hand by turning the coupler.
It also sounds like something is rubbing under the boat. I don't recall anything on the shaft except the zinc, but it is in the middle of the shaft a foot from the strut. If I pull the shaft into the boat a few thousandth and turn the shaft the sound goes away.
Is there something internal to the drip less seal that could be doing this?
I thought the shaft would just pull out of the boat if the coupling and rudder were removed.
Thoughts?
Thanks, Pete