Stubborn Shaft Coupling ?

[Jerry Maisonneuve]

I have attempted to (unsuccessfully) remove the engine drive coupling from the propeller shaft of my '84 Catlaina 30. Have removed the set screws, key and forward half of coupling. A flywheel puller along with generous amounts of liquid wrench have not budged it. Neither has a torch affected its' stubborness! I am adverse to using a hammer. There is little evidence of rust in the shaft itself. Have I forgotten something? I usually do. Would appreciate any advice.Thanx

 

[Richard]

Just a thought...

If the shaft is Bronze I think the torch will make it expand more/quicker than the steel flange so I would forget the heat. If the shaft is as old as the boat there's probably a good chance of wear at the cutlass bearing and the stuffing box (leak?) so you might be doing alot of work just to wind up throwing it away in the end! If your sure that's not possible, you might be able to use the hammer with a piece of sturdy hardwood as your persuader....Good luck!

 

[Kevin McGrath]

Shaft Coupling

I put three new shafts in my 27 over the , and was never able to remove the coupling. Save time and cut the shaft and put in a new shaft.

 

[Guest]

try this...

Use longer (2" longer will be fine) bolts and nuts to replace the ones you removed from the coupling. Install them, leaving a gap between the coupling large enough to slip a nut between the flanges. Position the nut between the end of the prop shaft and coupling. Tighten the new bolts in a sequential manner, causing the nut to press against the end of the prop shaft and push it out. Tighten the bolts evenly, a little at a time. This worked for me after trying everything that you did. By the way, the nut has to be smaller than the coupling shaft hole, to allow it to recess into the coupling as the shaft begins to move. What you need to do will be obvious after you get started. Good Luck!

 

[Rod Worrell]

A Little Patience

The previous reply was truer to what can really be done and end up with your original shaft in good condition. After removing the coupling from the transmission and with the stuffing box loose, you should be able to freely slide the shaft and attached coupling aft. In order to remove the coupling from the shaft, take a small nut and tape it to the center of the coupling where the shaft is. Then, reattach the coupling to the transmission such that as the bolts are tightened, the shaft will be slightly "pushed" away from the transmission. Unfortunately, you will need to loosen the three bolts, add another nut to the earlier one, reattach the coupling to push the shaft out a little more for several more cycles ( maybe 10 times or so). Ultimately, the shaft will back out of the coupling and be free to slide out the rear of the boat. Basically, this is an exercise in patience caused by repetition, but it really does work. A good thing to do before you start, though, is to scribe a mark across the coupling and corresponding transmission in order to align it back in the original orientation when you reassemble the whole thing. This will help keep the shaft in alignment and minimize vibration. Otherwise, you may need to adjust the engine mounts to compensate the alignment. The good thing is that you are doing this on a Catalina 30 where there is pretty good access to this task. Take care.

 

[R.W.Landau]

The nut trick

After you have placed the nut and reassembled once, you may be able to use the flywheel puller. Sometimes it is just getting it broken free that is tough. The set screws gouge the shaft and once moved may slide more freelyr.w.landau