Repair/refurbish a Raymarine Autohelm Linear Drive

[jviss]

Has anyone ever gotten up to their elbows in one of these? I have an old Autohelm 5000 linear drive that is beat - appears to have been flooded with salt water. There's corrosion, the bearings in the screw and the motor are sticky, the motor aluminum end caps are severely corroded, etc. However, given a new motor and screw bearings, this may be forth refurbishing, given the cost of new
Can someone tell me the type or spec for the motor (the label is gone on mine)? A source, perhaps?

Types of bearings? A source?

Hints on reassembling the recirculating ball screw?

Thanks,

jv

 

[jviss]

Anyone?

Well, it appears the bearings are all pretty standard parts, and apparently easily obtainable; at least the two I've looked at, one of the motor bearings, and the main lead screw bearing.

The motor housing is steel with aluminum end caps. the aluminum corrodes rapidly and severely in salt; the corrosion is readily dissolved in vinegar, but it takes a while. Some of the housing is just "gone" afterward. Looks like a job for "Liquid Aluminum," or JB Weld, or some such. Motor brushes are standard stuff. One brush spring partly gone.

I'll turn the commutator when I get the drive gear off and hte front bearing and housing off.

I wish I could get a replacement motor, but the label is gone. It is made by Klaxon (yes, the horn guys).

The magnetic clutch works on the bench, but needs the slip ring contacts cleaned.

I'll remove the AH 5000 electronics board and just convert this to use as a Type 1 Linear drive.

Can anyone help with their experience doing this?

Anyone care?

 

[tcbro]

I'm not sure which one you have.

But I've got an old Autohelm 3000. The motor mounts to the pedestal and drives the wheel with a belt. I think the controller is cooked but the motor is fine.

 

[jviss]

Inboard pilot

Tom,

Thanks, but I'm referring to an inboard drive, i.e., below-decks linear drive unit.

You might want to unload the working bits of the 3000 on ebay, there still seems to be some interest in these.