E-Z- prop shaft and coupling removal.

[TomY]

Engine access isn't the greatest on most sailboats, especially older ones like mine. My best access to the shaft and coupling is through a cockpit manhole, here, under dogs, cushions, sheets and feet.

The manhole gets you 'in there' but not in the best position to try and extract a prop shaft from an old rusty coupling. I'm standing on a scrap plywood seat placed just over the shaft and bronze shaft log.

Extraction is not going to happen. When I re-powered about 10 years ago I installed a new cutlass while the shaft and coupling (never separated) where out. I noticed a little wear in the cutlass area so I know the shaft needs replacing today.

Voila, standing in the manhole, in less than 10 seconds, this carbide bad boy nibbled through the 1 1/8" SS shaft. No flying sparks or chips.

Does anyone know about this coupling? My guess is it and the SS shaft were installed in 1974 when the boat had it's first re-power. The cut was easy but one of the 4 coupling bolts heads was corroded to a useless nub. The other 3, SS, were like new.

I sort of recollect in re-installing after the re-power 10 years ago, I had trouble with one bolt. Note to self: have the shop rebuilding the transmission check threads on the reverse gear flange.

So back in again, this time with an angle grinder, straddling the coupling, there was just enough room to grind the bolt head off. Finally, the bolt head ground down flush, the coupling cracks open from the transmission.

But one stud remains. I want to leave enough of the stud to grab and extract. Where do I cut? Considering this tight space puzzle, the coupling suddenly rolled over.

And I was pleased to discover it now cleared the old bronze stuffing box to pull clear. Nice!

This coupling doesn't owe anyone. Plans are to deliver the coupling; the remaining shaft and prop and the transmission, to be (hopefully), re-built(obsolete tranny but most parts still available).

That way they can cut a new shaft the same length, to a new coupling, and fit it all in their shop.

Left is to remove the heat exchanger, linkage, unbolt the transmission and adaptor plate at the bell housing, slide back 2 -3" to free the shaft in the disc, maybe remove adaptor plate (heavy 3/4" steel bolted to trans. from inside), and hoist it through the manhole. In a few days,...

 

[Justin_NSA]

Nice narration Tom. That's a real engine room! Good luck with the project. I see the crew is ready to help

 

[Maine Sail]

That looks like a Federal Marine coupling..

http://www.federalmarinetransmissions.com/100101.html

 

[TomY]

That looks like a Federal Marine coupling..

http://www.federalmarinetransmissions.com/100101.html

So it is!

Gives me something else to talk to Billings (doing the work) about. I was hoping I might find a shorter coupling which would give me more space around the stuffing box. Thanks RC.

 

[Justin_NSA]

I bought my shorter split coupling from the Prop Shop I think for the same reason. Anyway, you might find a shorter one for your transmission.

 

[TomY]

Another Saturday and a spare couple hours to run down to the boat. It's a treat to leave all your tools out, boxes open, ready to go, and find them all dry a week later. Nothing like a good winter cover system.

A few bolts and the heat exchanger is loose and liftable. Then the rest of the bolts removed from the adaptor plate that is bolted to the transmission(from the inside).

With all the bolts out, it doesn't budge of course. It's been on for 10 years. One of my more used tools, a stiff sharp 1" scraper tapped on the tight joint with a hammer quickly pops the adaptor plate off the bell housing.

With the coupling removed, I have plenty of room to pull the transmission, reverse gear, and adaptor plate back pulling the splined transmission shaft out of the disc bolted to the engine. The whole thing drops into the cradle formed by the cut out in a small bulkhead.

This thing is heavier than I remember, 10 years ago. I can't budge it much out of the cut out. Did I lift it out of here back then? I can't remember, but I sure can't do that today! Enough for now. I'll return with some rope, a come along, a strong back and two folding saw horses that would fit on each bench seat and side decks.

I find out my left foot comes out easily enough, but my right foot is pinned securely by the reverse gear. I can't lift the piece enough to free myself. Dreading thinking about putting the whole thing back on the engine (if that were possible without a hoist from above), I just reached my laces and my foot slid out of my shoe. Phew!

 

[dLj]

Did you get your shoe out? Funny story!

dj

 

[TomY]

Did you get your shoe out? Funny story!

dj

It slid out the left side, under the gear. No way I was going to be that story in the local paper.

 

[TomY]

I never intended to use this light cover frame for lifting but I gave it whirl. The ridge piece sort of rolled a bit and bowed, but the transmission lifted below.

These old manholes are handy. I'm not taking any chances with my new cockpit and sole. In the fall I cut an old heavy rubber backed carpet runner to fit the manhole opening. Plus I had a plastic mortar tub all ready to sit the transmission in (it's full of oil).

A little pivoting and out it came.

Easy then to take the adaptor plate off which is 1" steel. It's a more manageable now to get off the boat and to the shop. Hope it's rebuildable and back by mid May. I'll know soon,...

 

[TomY]

Waiting on the new shaft and coupling to be machine fit, I replaced the cutlass bearing.

I installed this bearing in 2008. The usual drill: started two cuts with a sawzall, carefully. Then finished with an 8" sawzall fine metal blade in a hand holder. There is a step in the bronze tube, 4 1/4" in.

No way to slice that so I finished the cut with a small chisel. Despite peening it inward, it wouldn't budge until the final cut - with a chisel - went all the way through the bearing. Then it slipped out tapping with a hammer -outward - on a visegrip.

I appreciate these old robust systems that, done properly, work amazing well.

This stern bearing is locked in the 1961 bronze stern tube with #6 machine screws. Once the bearing is set and trimmed to length, you run a tap into the hole on the edge of the stern tube, which sets threads also into the new cutlass bearing. New screws with some loctite. There's no problem with the SS and bronze. The old ones came out good as new.

As I wait for parts, it was a good time to take the bronze packing gland off that is threaded on the inner end of the bronze stern tube. Easy to clean it up, outside of the boat. I know well I packed this with a standard flax packing with Teflon, in 2008.

I have not replaced that packing since and it was still operating well. I probably made around 4-5 adjustments (a minute turn) over those 10 years. I could see the flax with Teflon was at the end of life though with no more than about -1/4" of material before the box bottomed.

Correction: I realized later I wasn't looking at the ten year old packing. This old box has a bronze sleeve. The stuffing is in the other end, under the sleeve. This is the 10 year old packing. The flax is a little dry from wintering out of the water but otherwise, looks almost new and not compressed much at all. Good stuff.

I'm careful not to over tighten the box and make it drip under power. I even prefer to see an occasional drip when at rest. After a few hours, fine stuff in seawater always closes the leak in a few hours.

I was thinking about trying a 'newer' packing but 10 years, 5 adjustments, that's a good system.

 

[TomY]

Finally, the rebuilt transmission, newly machined and straightened shaft and fitted coupling are installed back in the boat.

Now it's easy to re-pack the stuffing box by removing the split coupling. Having carefully fit 4 rings of Teflon flax using liberal amounts of Tef-gel on each ring, it's not likely I will own this boat long enough to have to do this again (more likely a cutlass bearing replacement will require shaft removal first).