Cutless bearing set screws

[Allan12210]

Mitch might be on to something here. What if the bearing that was in the box was indeed a metric one because it got switched. That could explain the "close fit". The marine store/boatyard where I bought mine just has them on a shelf and they are accessable to everyone. Maybe someone was looking at a couple and they got put back in the wrong box.

I just changed my cutless a couple of weeks ago myself. It was easy to push in for the first half, then it required my homemade press to push it the rest of the way.

 

[pbuck100]

The yard had to order the bearing from the supplier - it doesn't appear to have these bearings on hand. I still have the box and the label says it is the right size (1 1/4" OD). I also checked it with my calipers and it measures OK, so I'm pretty convinced it is the strut bore that is a little big (cannot caliper the strut since the shaft gets in the way). I experimented with Allan's trick with the spring-loaded center punch on the old bearing (thanks Allan). It just dimples the casing when held perpendicular to the bearing but if operated at an angle it appears to raise the surface just a bit, so maybe I'll try this tomorrow when I visit the boat again.

The old bearing seems to have a coating of something on the outside. Maybe this is just mineral deposits but maybe loctite or something has been used previously. I think I've read that in the UK, they use epoxy (something called Araldite 2011) to affix the bearing.
No comments on the locktite?

Also I noticed a small scrape on the shaft when looking through the set screw holes before the new bearing went in. The scrape is a shiny line about 1/16" wide and maybe about 3/8" long, which I guess must have happened when the old bearing was pushed out. There's no perceptible groove or raised metal to the scrape, but the surface may have flattened. Hopefully this is too small to be a problem.

 

[pbuck100]

The bearing replacement is complete.

In the end I called Loctite (Henkel) industrial tech support and explained the application and after discussing Loctite 660 and some other loctite bearing mount products it was decided they were too permanent and more suitable for looser fit bearings. In the end they advised to use plain old Loctite 242 in order to be able to more easily remove the bearing later. So I slathered on some blue stuff and pushed the bearing in and it held the bearing tight right away. Then I used a center punch followed by a small drill to carefully dimple the bearing (without going through) for cone-end SS set screws held in with more loctite blue, as advised by Allan, and covered with a dab of bottom paint. I feel confident now the bearing won't spin or come out in use, and of course now I'm hoping it will press out OK next time it needs changing. We'll see, I suppose.

 

[Witzend]

Next time, heating with a touch should destroy the loctite, just don't get the strut too hot as to affect the interface with the hull, maybe use a wet rag tied around the strut at the top where it contacts with the hull to be sure.

 

[jibes138]

Sounds like your all set. I was going to recommend you sandblast, glass bead peen, or lightly shotpeen the OD of the bearing to increase the diameter. These processes will grow the surface a few thousandths or more and shouldn't effect the ID at all if done uniformly by rotating the part in the blast stream. Hitting it with a punch and hammer scares me that it would be easy to knock it out of round and cause premature wear.
Another trick for the set screws is to use two in each hole. The first to lock the shaft, the second to act like a jam nut and lock the first one.

 

[Douglast]

fantastic thread...nice to see alot of solutions that i never thought would have been suggested even though i have heard about them many times from old timers and have used them successfully...this forum is Blessed with alot of fine expertise and fine gentleman and ladies taking the time to share it...!!!