Navico WP10 Autopilot

Sep 15, 2013
707
Catalina 270 Baltimore
Fellow Sailors. My Navico WP10 autopilot got stuck suddenly today. An internet search shows it is probably a broken belt. Before I tear into this thing I would like to ask if anyone has done this before. If so, is there anything I need to look out for while disassembling it. All wisdom and experience is greatly appreciated. And I had such great expectations for the last weeks of the season.
 
Sep 29, 2008
162
Morgan Out Island 33 Pompano Beach
I have done it several times. Not the most difficult thing I've done, but not easy. You have to loosen the bolts that hold the outer ring drive wheels to the unit. Dont remove them, just loosen them enough to pull the outer ring off. That exposes the belt and inner workings. Fit the new belt around the drive gears and into the ring, slip the ring over the drive wheels and retighten the wheel nuts. Sometimes you need 6 fingers on each hand. I have attached a diagram of the inner workings
 

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Sep 15, 2013
707
Catalina 270 Baltimore
Thanks very much for the diagram. I ordered a replacement belt this morning. As soon as it warms up a little I am going to head down to the boat and try to open this up. I will provide updates on my progress or lack thereof. Thanks again!
 
Sep 15, 2013
707
Catalina 270 Baltimore
Thanks for the hint about loosening instead of removing the bolts. That in itself saved me an hour and I'm sure some choice vocabulary. I removed the ring and the belt was a tangled mess. I cleaned everything out and now will wait for the new belt. I can see where the six finger thing comes into play when you install the new belt. Also I found and downloaded the 61 page service manual but you probably have that already. Thanks again!
IMG_20161014_125100506.jpg
 
Sep 29, 2008
162
Morgan Out Island 33 Pompano Beach
Actually, I dont have the service manual-just the instruction book. Where did you get it? Bob
 
Sep 15, 2013
707
Catalina 270 Baltimore
Final update. The replacement belt came in today and I installed it. It took a while to finesse it on but it worked. It was a little too loose even with the clutch engaged. I tightened up the clutch using the tension adjustment screw inside the clutch handle. It was stuck but with two shots of MacLube the screw eventually freed up. After the adjustment the AP turned the wheel consistently during dockside testing. I couldn't go out today as it was blowing dogs off chains. I am relatively confident I have a fix though. Thanks very much for your wisdom getting me in the right direction!
 
Sep 15, 2013
707
Catalina 270 Baltimore
I thought this thread was concluded but the belt I received from Amazon is not an exact match. It is definitely not and OEM part. Anyone have a line on where to find an OEM belt for this autopilot? All help and wisdom appreciated.
 
Sep 29, 2008
162
Morgan Out Island 33 Pompano Beach
The last belt I used was GATES # GAT5-825-10. Other sources have it as a AT582510. However, at some point NAVICO redesigned the unit and used a different size belt-longer or shorter-I dont know. If thats the belt you are using, then maybe your unit has been modified to use the new belt. Bob
 
Sep 15, 2013
707
Catalina 270 Baltimore
Thanks Bob. I will remember this info. After posting I did a more in depth search and found this.

http://shop.polybelt.com/searchquick-submit.sc?keywords=wp10

I ordered one last night and hope it (a) is the right size and (b) arrives in time to get some more sailing in before the season is over. The belt I received from Amazon is an AT5-825. Those are all the digits. That belt is a little too long. I am pretty sure this is an older unit and I bet it came with the boat in 97. I did see a service bulletin that indicated a change in belt length. I will let you know if this fits when it comes in. Thanks again for your help.