Replacing Cutless Bearing S2 8.0C

BobM · Dec 20, 2010

Is the boat in or out of the water? If in, did you clean your prop? Did you check to see if your anode broke loose and is sliding around on your shaft? Where has the boat been since 2001?

rfjsailor · Jan 5, 2011

Culess bearing Replacement

chiefaponte said:
I started my 8.0C for the first time in what I estimate since 2001. When I first started the engine and placed it in reverse it ran smooth but when placed in fwd it vibrated severely.

I stopped the engine and started reading. today I found pieces of carbon-like material on the vicinity of the propeller. My drive shaft moves freely inside the bore. My cutless bearing is not there.

Does anybody know the correct bearing?

what is the most practical way to remove and replace the bearing since it is not your typical strut arrangement(my boat has a shoal draft keel)?

I replaced my cutless bearing about 4 years ago on my shoal draft 8.0C.

A marine mechanic friend did most of the work. We disconnected the shaft and prop. Slid the shaft out of the sleeve ( it can be done without removing the rudder) with a lot of effort. We measured the shaft for bearing replacement size ( width) and had to use a shorter length then desired because of chandlary limited stock ( shaft sleeve could have taken a longer length). Hammered it in and reconnected. After four years, hardly any seepage in the bildge. Took about 2 hours to do. Good luck and post your results.

Capt Ray
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Bron · Jan 7, 2011

Re: Culess bearing Replacement

Cutlass bearing size is determined by shaft size (diameter) and skeg size ( I.D. and lenth) Get the bearing for your shaft diameter that is closest to the skeg length. A little longer is probably better than shorter.

I don't think the bearing can be replaced with the boat in the water or with the shaft in place.

Google or yahoo "replace cutlass bearing" and you'll get some nice explanations. Read a few a you'll get the idea.

Good luck. If you need more detailed information, email me off blog: taorasbk@aol.com I'll be glad to explain more.

Bron Taoras
Lithirish
S2 8.5 #088
Rocky River, OH

Hejira · Jan 23, 2011

Pulled my boat outta the water in Ft Lauderdale 2 months ago and had the job done at V&G Marine. I would after watching the procedeure easily do this job myself next time. The total cost was 450, including the haul and whatnot. I learned the job and replace rudder and propshaft stuffing, replaced the rudder bolts that rust on 10.2s and did two thru hulls and touched up the bottom paint. I aligned the engine also. Took 3 days.

Now I am highly enjoying the smooth engine in Luperon DR.

BobM · Jan 24, 2011

You guys are all the way down to the DR now? Wow! Awesome! I will have to catch up on your blog apparently.

klemsaba · Jul 8, 2011

I thought I would resurrect this thread. I recently purchased a 1978 S2 8.0c Shoal Draft. I now have a leak and I think it is coming from my pop shaft. I understand the packing may drip to help lubricate the shaft but his leak is enough to activate my bilge pump often. It is hard to even see underneath the shaft because of limited space but I did manage to use a small mirror and think I found the leak. I have a couple of questions about the cutlass bearing. Here is a photo of the prop...

Excuse me if my terminology is wrong and please feel free to correct me. Is the brass looking part the cutlass bearing? Could water be migrating up through this bearing and leaking into my bilge? I don't really know the anatomy of the keel. Is it solid up to the point where the shaft intersects the hull?

Thanks for your help.

Doug Perry

BobM · Jul 9, 2011

You usually don't replace a bearing because of a leak. You replace it because the fit between the shaft and the bearing surface has had it. If you have a leak you need to adjust the nut on your stuffing box and or repack the stuffing box. I'd suggest trying the former. The stuffing box nut is at the junction of the shaft to the hull. Your case is a bit odd, but there is typically a tube cast into the hull that the bearing fits in on the outside. On the inside there should be a piece of flexible hose, like radiator hose, which is clamped on to a bronze fitting with a large nut. Use two wrenches, one for the box and one for the nut just try a sixth or a quarter turn to slow the leak down to a drip rate of 2 to 3 drips per minute.

http://www.boatus.com/boattech/Casey/StuffingBox.htm

klemsaba · Jul 9, 2011

Thanks for the link. I read though this and have this bookmarked so I can study it more.

Unfortunately I'm not concerned with a few drips. I don't know how much water is coming into the boat. My bilge pump activates every 2 1/2 minutes to check for water and it just started to actually expel some water... not much but concerning. Before it never actually pumped any water out. That's why I think I'm taking on water now. And of course I'm a complete novice at all of this boat stuff.

I do have the flexible hose. On my boat it doesn't look like this hose goes into the keel. It looks like it is connecting two shafts together. If this is deteriorating, would this cause a leak? If so I assume this could get worse?

I tried to view the underside of the hose with a mirror and flashlight and it looked like it could be deteriorated underneath but I didn't notice any water coming out from that area.

Oddly enough there is no room to place a wrench to adjust the stuffing box. I asked the previous owner about this and he used a hammer and a nail set tool to move the nut. I can't imagine how this was all put together originally. Maybe I could use a 'strap' type wrench to move the nuts.

Thanks for your time.

Doug

woodster · Jul 10, 2011

klemsaba said:
Thanks for the link. I read though this and have this bookmarked so I can study it more.

Unfortunately I'm not concerned with a few drips. I don't know how much water is coming into the boat. My bilge pump activates every 2 1/2 minutes to check for water and it just started to actually expel some water... not much but concerning. Before it never actually pumped any water out. That's why I think I'm taking on water now. And of course I'm a complete novice at all of this boat stuff.

I do have the flexible hose. On my boat it doesn't look like this hose goes into the keel. It looks like it is connecting two shafts together. If this is deteriorating, would this cause a leak? If so I assume this could get worse?

I tried to view the underside of the hose with a mirror and flashlight and it looked like it could be deteriorated underneath but I didn't notice any water coming out from that area.

Oddly enough there is no room to place a wrench to adjust the stuffing box. I asked the previous owner about this and he used a hammer and a nail set tool to move the nut. I can't imagine how this was all put together originally. Maybe I could use a 'strap' type wrench to move the nuts.

Thanks for your time.

Doug

you dont say what kind of bilge pump or float switch you have on the boat ...or do you say how long the hose run from the pump to overboard is .....some times if the hose run is to long you may be getting back wash on the pump and causing the pump to cycle...also if you have one of those automatic bilge pumps with the float switch built in it may not be positioned correctly to clear enough water out ei in to small a sump area.........take a wet or dry shop vac and vac the sump dry and see if that stops the cycling.......it may well be that its not the stuffing box at all .....hope this helps...

regards

woody

klemsaba · Jul 10, 2011

The pump is a RULE 500 electronic bilge pump. The hose is about 7 feet and I do get some back wash on the pump. At first it was just the back wash cycling moving around but the leak is now a new development and the pump is actually 'pumping'.

I used a shop vac to suck up the bilge and the water came back.

Thanks for the insight.

Doug

BobM · Jul 10, 2011

Rule automatic pumps work by cycling the pump every few minutes to check for resistance. If there is resistance to the vanes spinning it will continue to pump.