Sticky wheel after disengaging autopilot on Hunter 33

[ADW-Canada]

I'm a fairly new owner of a 2008 Hunter 33. We've engaged and disengaged the autopilot on a few sails without issue. Yesterday i was on a sail and had used the autopilot once (engaged and disengaged) without issue. Later in the sail i had the autopilot on and when i attempted to disengage (pressing standby button and releasing manual clutch lever on the wheel) the wheel did not disengage from the autopilot mechanism. I could turn the wheel but it was very stiff and i could hear sounds similar to the ones the autopilot makes when turning the wheel. I powered down the autopilot but this had no impact. Some fiddling and jiggling with the clutch lever eventually freed things up, but it grabbed a bit a couple of times later.

I'm guessing this is a mechanical issue with the clutch sticking. If anyone's encountered this and has tips on how to resolve it (lubricant? clearance adjustments? etc.) please let me know.

 

[jviss]

Is it s Raymarine pilot?

 

[kloudie1]

Probably a drive belt issue .. but there have been reports of the clutch lever not turning the eccentric (which tightens and loosens the belt..
Raymarine Autopilot Rebuild ST 4000 Mk2 - drive belt, motor, clutch, bearings, power connector (youtube.com)

 

[dmax]

It could be the clutch not disengaging but it may also be that the belt needs replacing, they get stiff and develop a memory and won't feed through the clutch maze - this happened to me and I couldn't turn the wheel at all.

 

[JoeWhite]

It sound like the problem that I encountered on the water. I had to remove the ring attached to the steering wheel to be able to steer.
View my website to see how I fixed the problem

Wheel Auto Helm | Sail La Vie

mei1970.org

Also view the images in the related album.
The roller wheels inside the ring were broken off. I was able to glue them back and made them strong by inserting a screw and a washer in the axel. Also replace the belt.

 

[Tally Ho]

Try washing out the drive ring (there are some holes in the back for this….just water). I do not think lubricant of any kind is recommended.

If that doesn’t do any good, you can remove the wheel, separate the drive ring and check the condition of the belt, rollers, clutch mechanism, etc.

The older black drive rings (ST4000) did not have an adjustment for the clutch tension. The newer gray drive rings (ST6000 and EVO) have an adjustment on the back of the drive ring…maybe it just needs a little adjustment. I suspect you have a newer drive unit based on the age of your boat.

If you open the drive ring, inspect around the nut inserts….there have been reports of the plastic cracking around these. Hopefully it is not the case with your (and I don’t think your issue is necessarily indicative of this failure).

 

[Tally Ho]

This might help as well…

Box

raymarine.app.box.com

This link is for the newer wheel pilot drive (which I assume you have on a 2008 boat).

Greg

 

[jssailem]

Here is a write up and a blown up image of the internals of the Mark 2 Raymarine wheel.

EV-100 Autopilot 4000Mk2 Wheel Drive Repair

When it comes to selecting an autopilot, if your boat has a displacement weight less than 16,500 lbs, the Raymarine EV-100 is a likely option under consideration. It was the primary option when I explored my first AP. Now that I am 5 years into use with about 2000 nm usage I have had to do a...

forums.sailboatowners.com

Your description sounds like the clutch arm screw may be loose. Or the clutch arm fitting onto the eccentric (the white nylon gear that when rotated tightens against the belt) may be stripped. The grey clutch arm has a D shaped hole that fits over the D shaped end of the eccentric. The grey arm is a softer plastic than the eccentric. It wears out.

 

[ADW-Canada]

Update. Tightening the clutch arm screw, as John suggested, did solve the problem, sort of. The screw wasn't exactly loose, but i was able to tighten it a bit and that allowed the clutch to release for a few times and then i'd need to tighten the screw again. And i suspected that something must be worn inside, since it would be odd to have a mere friction fit for a connection like this. So now i understand John's second point about the the clutch arm fitting being worn, as that D shaped hole/mortis fitting over a D shaped post/tenon would give that positive extra connection over mere friction.

I'm hoping that i can just replace the grey arm and that the eccentric is still in serviceable condition. Now i just need to find somwhere to buy the arm. For now i'm going to try to avoid the auto pilot, but some comfort in knowing that i've got a patch fix in the screw tightenning if i come across a situation where i really need to use it.

Thanks all for your very helpful thoughts and advice on this.