Cutless bearing

[Garry Grofcsik]

Trying to figure out how to get an old, stuck strut cutless bearing out without removing the prop shaft (the shaft flange at the transmission is also stuck on the shaft). The shaft is still good, but, in case I need to replace it, anyone know the length of the 1" diameter prop shaft for an '87 C34 (M-25 engine)?

 

[Richard]

Chances are.....

your going to have to replace the shaft. If it's as old as the boat you'll spend more time than it's worth trying to save it. And if you have to replace it, you will have wasted all that time when you could have been done with it in 5 min and a sawsall. If it's as old as the boat just budget for a new one and save yourself the headache....

 

[Don]

When you get a quote on a new prop shaft..

you will probably want to save the old one if at all possible. The yard I use here in FL has a hydraulic gizzmo that will press out the old bearing and press in the new one without removing the shaft. I paid the yard apes $75 labor to do it and was money well spent by not removing the rudder. Changing the bearing went quickley, they had the hardest time getting the prop off after 15 years of non-removal. Check the archives for cutless bearings - lots of good information. BTW, my boat is a year older than yours and the shaft was fine.

 

[Lee]

Cutlass Bearing Removal

You can remove the cutlass bearing by making a home-made tool as follows: Take a pipe about 5 inches long with an outside diameter the same as the bearing outside diameter. Then slit the pipe lengthwise and you will end up with two half pipes that you can place aroung the shaft on the inboard side and hammer the bearing out. Don't forget to remove the two set screws holding it in place and ofcourse remove the prop. Make sure the prop will come off before you start hammering on the bearing. Lee

 

[Kevin L. Woody]

removal

Hello Gary, There are a few bearing removers on the market, most of which are in excess of a few hundred $. I would be very careful in trying to remove the bearing using impact pressure like pounding. This can cause issues to the strut with regards to the bedding and its contact to the hull. Most bearing extractors use pressure between the bearing face and the backside of the strut. This way the connection point between the hull and the strut does not suffer dislodgement. Hope this helps. Kevin

 

[Claude L.-Auger]

Check the archives

Back in May or April, there is someone who posted a drawing of a tool he fabricated. I made one and it worked well. If you can't find it, let me know as I had made a hard copy. I'll look for it, and could scan it and e-mail to you. I'm sure whoever posted it would not mind since he had already made the info public by posting. Forgot his name, but certainly want to give him credit. Good Luck