shaft removal

NAM · **Joined:** 22 Jun 2008 10:54 **Posts:** 85

I need to extract the prop shaft in order to see if it was bent after hitting a deadhead in the Dismal swamp canal. I have a slight vibration after having the prop worked on and I need to see if the shaft was bent as well. So, any pearls of wisdom regarding removal of the prop shaft. I have heard that it will not pass the rudder skeg and that one need to remove the strut. I am unsure how one re-aligns the strut on re-assembly. Question

Thanks for any help. Bow

Tortuga's Lie · **Joined:** 27 Oct 2006 10:32 **Posts:** 827

I dropped the strut, but marked the alignment real carefully before unbolting it. So far so good. Might as well replace the cutlass bearing while your at it.

T37Chef · **Posted:** 11 Oct 2010 09:41

If you remove the cutlass first, then the shaft, you should be able to squeeze the shaft out, I think on the Starboard side of the rudder. I actually haven’t done it, had a mechanic do it as he had the proper tool to remove the cutlass with the shaft in place.

alpinista · **Posted:** 11 Oct 2010 18:32

Our shaft was removed and replaced last year by the yard by first removing the cutlass bering.

jK

Ardea · **Joined:** 19 Mar 2007 16:40 **Posts:** 195

I took my shaft out last year to check it for staightness. Removing the cutlass bearing allows the shaft to pass to the side of the rudder/fairing. There is a special tool to remove and replace the bearing with the shaft in place. My yard wanted a fortune to do the work and needed 2 weeks lead time (the boat was aleady on the hard). I opted to spend $400 on the tool ( http://www.strutpro.com/ ) to remove the bearing.

I would recommend you remove the coupler at the back of the engine and have the yard R&R the cutlass bearing and prop. To remove the coupler take out the four bolts that connect the coupler halves. Push the prop shaft aft and place a spacer between the prop shaft in the aft part of the coupler and the transmission output shaft on the front half of the coupler shoving the coupler halves back together with the spacer being long enough to prevent the coupler halves from touching one another. Now install the four bolts like you are going to reassemble the coupler and tighten them down until the coupler faces meet each other. This will start to push the shaft out of the rear coupler. Disassemble everything again and install a longer spacer and repeat the process until the shaft is free of the coupler. You will need longer bolts than stock for this procedure. The spacers can be pieces of bar stock, sockets, anything that is smaller diameter than the prop shaft (1"). You may have to use heat and penatrating oil. You may have to cut the end of the shaft off. Then at least you would know the new shaft was straight.

Replace the coupler with a split coupler like this, http://www.propshopinc.com/4-BS-Split-S ... r-p12.html . Have the coupler machined to be true to the shaft and a slip fit on the shaft by taking both to the the machine shop together.

I would try and stay away from pulling the strut. Replacing it is not all that fun.

Hope this helps.

Jim

PS. Don't forget to remove the set screw from the coupler before trying to remove it from the shaft.

T37Chef · **Posted:** 12 Oct 2010 21:29

FWIW The mechanic at our yard charged me $120 to remove the old and insert the new cutlass.

Ardea · **Joined:** 19 Mar 2007 16:40 **Posts:** 195

Now $120 is a fair price to R&R the prop and bearing. Wish we had fair prices here in S.F. Crying or Very sad

T37Chef · **Posted:** 13 Oct 2010 15:29

$120 was only to remove the cutlass, I had to remove the prop Wink

Fun thing to do on a Autostream..not

Ardea · **Joined:** 19 Mar 2007 16:40 **Posts:** 195

We have a MaxProp. The yard quoted me 2 hours @ $103/hr to repitch it. Needless to say I did that myself too. It took about 30 min. They should pass laws against robbery.

Tartan37.com

shaft removal

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