Westerbeke tranny question

[Aloha Marc]

I have an Aloha 28' with Westerbeke 13. The transmission is a HBW MODEL 50
2.7 TO 1 - W1 3A.

Last year I had to replace the damper plate because of
worn gears in the damper plate. This year again I lost power due to worn
gears in the plate.

After examining the plate I notice the transmission
shaft only engage about half the gears. Is this normal there is no
adjustment and could I use longer spacers moving the plate closer to the
transmission and ensuring the shaft if fully inserted in the plate?

Also if
I do this will this adversely affect the engine or transmission?

 

[Mike Holibar]

Reading between the lines I guess that you are talking about the spline in the centre of the drive plate into which the transmission input shaft slides. If this is not engaging properly, something is definitely in the wrong place. Firstly check that the gearbox is the original. If it is, does it have the correct adaptor plate/bell housing to fit the flywheel housing. Different gearboxes require different adaptors and depth is often one of the differences. Is the drive plate correct and facing the right way. Check the input shaft to make sure it is in the correct position, though I doubt it could move aft. If this produces no obvious answers then the usual way to move the gearbox closer to the drive plate would be to find a different adaptor plate to reduce the distance. It may be possible to machine a packing ring to pack the plate out but this wouldn't be a cheap exercise, and there may not be enough clearance to do it this way. Hope this is of some help, good luck.