Can anyone tell me what an acceptable amount of play is for the cutlass bearing on my Hunter 31? Also how can I tell if there is a motor mount or shaft alignment problem?
Allowable amount of play in a Cutlass bearing
- Thread starter pimerese
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Like none.
If you can feel any then there is too much. Turn the shaft(tranny in neutral) and try to wiggle side to side/up and down while turning. On mine you cannot feel any play whatsoever. Alignment is harder. The first sign of misalignment and/or bearing slop would be vibration when it was running last fall. If there was vibration and the bearing is good then you are probably misaligned. The basic visual check is the route the shaft takes through the shaft log to the bearing strut. That is impossible to see from the inside because of the stuffing box hose. You might look from the outside and see if it is centered in the hole. The proper procedure is to disconnect the shaft from the engine. Then make sure it centered in the stern tube by using shims. Now you use a feeler gauge to measure between the tranny coupler and the shaft coupler. You should get the same results top to bottom, side to side. If you go to this amount of trouble you should replace the stern tube parts and add a flexible coupler(assuming an older boat). Maybe time for dripless although mine has been fine with GFO dripless packing.
If you can feel any then there is too much. Turn the shaft(tranny in neutral) and try to wiggle side to side/up and down while turning. On mine you cannot feel any play whatsoever. Alignment is harder. The first sign of misalignment and/or bearing slop would be vibration when it was running last fall. If there was vibration and the bearing is good then you are probably misaligned. The basic visual check is the route the shaft takes through the shaft log to the bearing strut. That is impossible to see from the inside because of the stuffing box hose. You might look from the outside and see if it is centered in the hole. The proper procedure is to disconnect the shaft from the engine. Then make sure it centered in the stern tube by using shims. Now you use a feeler gauge to measure between the tranny coupler and the shaft coupler. You should get the same results top to bottom, side to side. If you go to this amount of trouble you should replace the stern tube parts and add a flexible coupler(assuming an older boat). Maybe time for dripless although mine has been fine with GFO dripless packing.
So miniscule
There is some allowed, but is so miniscule that you won't feel it (something like .001"). So, as the previous poster (Ed S.) noted: "If you can feel it, it's too much" and it should be replaced.
There is some allowed, but is so miniscule that you won't feel it (something like .001"). So, as the previous poster (Ed S.) noted: "If you can feel it, it's too much" and it should be replaced.
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