No the shaft is the same diameter from the bearing down. You can see the circlip that holds the bearing in place. The bearing is what supports the shaft. From what you describe the shaft (and key) are stuck in the bearing gear race. In the pictures you can see the keyway in the lower portion of the windlass and the keyway in the shaft. The shaft should just slide up and down in there. There might be some corrosion down in there that is keeping the shaft from coming out. But you can see the bottom of the shaft from the bottom of the windlass and taping on it should loosen it
hmmm......
Well you have had your fingers and eyes in the guts of this thing, so you have better intel. Please correct me where I'm wrong. It looks like below the upper keyway on the shaft there is a groove with an O ring, then a short shoulder on the shaft with a larger diameter that rides on top of the inner race of the bearing. The bearing itself is retained in the raceway of the baseplate with the large upper circlip I've been fighting with. Below that is the bearing, then below the baseplate another smaller circlip, but with this circlip retained in a groove in the shaft.
Its hard for me to tell if that 2nd circlip would prevent the shaft being lifted free if the upper circlip cannot be removed. Is that lower circlip below the baseplate? If so, can it pass through the baseplate or no?
Secondarily, there's a lower keyway for what looks like a long key, but I can't tell from your pics or the diagram whether or not that would also prevent the shaft coming out.
I'm assuming there's a pinion gear on the motor driving a ring gear under the shaft turning it by means of that long key somehow, the parts diagram doesn't show the gearbox in any detail. It appears that the bottom of the shaft (see pic) protrudes out of the bottom of the gearbox (looks like you can see the end of the shaft key as well).
With everything above removed, are you saying a tap on the bottom of the shaft should free it and allow it to be lifted clear with the bearing and upper circlip remaining in the baseplate?
Thanks again, sorry for being so dense
