just cut the key off and then pull the rest of it out ...then you should be able to pull the shaft back far enough to get the coupler to clear ...you may have to cut it two times to get it all out ...cut once and pull .....cut it again and pull .......is the boat on the hard or in the water can't remember what was said
on the hard, That' an idea but i'm affraid to not be able to put a new key when I will reassemble all
Stephane,
would this work: as you move the key forward (off the shaft, towards the transmission), move the shaft the same amount backwards (astern). You may be able to wiggle the key out of the keyway.
I can't because the key is at the maximum out (block by the transmission coupling) and if I pull the shaft backward, the key is too much in is way , so the key slide at is place in the shaft coupling and block all.
see here the shape off the key
What a mess.
Can you source a split coupler for a diesel. I know Moyer Marine sells them for A4s but the bolt pattern is different.
My suggestion is get a sawzall with a long metal blade and cut off the coupler laying the blade along the side of the shaft as a guide. I converted my boat to A4 and had to cut the coupler off. It was pretty soft and the sawzall made short work of it. Of course I had no engine or transmission in the way she I did it.
Replace with a split coupler.
What a great idea, it will be a change for next here.
I heard that the stuffing have to be change at aprroximately 1000 hours of engine running, so my engine have only 350 hours. And know a friend off mine is machining ( is that the good word) something like stutpro tools to change my cutlass bearing without pulling out the shaft. Beacuse this problem start when I need to change my cutlass bearing. The tools is so expensive that I decide to pull out my shaft , change the cutlass bearing and at the same time , change the stuffing.
I was at my first time on this forum, it's so cool that as many people help me like this.Be sure that you will see my bad english ;-) again.
Thanks folks
Stéphane