tail shaft - how much wiggle?
Hello all,
I had a leak at the rear of my reversing gear and am tackling the repair this year. So far I have lifted my engine forward into the "salon" and removed the output coupling and thrust bearing. The spring was broken in the oil seal so I am hoping that was the root of the problem. while i am in there i decided to replace the thrust bearing as well. My questions. 1) Should there be any side-to-side play in the tail shaft with the output coupling removed? Mine has a fair bit of wiggle - maybe 1/4" or 3/8"? 2) Would this suggest a bum pilot bearing? 3) If so, can i remove the reversing gear with the thrust bearing plate removed? 4) Is this all covered in the reversing gear video? Looking forward to your wise council. Best, Peter |
The output coupling rides inside the rear bearing. With the coupling removed, the tailshaft will have some motion - can't really say whether 1/4" is too much. Check again with the coupling in place - should be fine.
Replacing the seal should stop the leak. First overhaul I did consisted of new rings and a new output seal. Engine is still in the boat to this day, and just completed a run from CT to Rockland, ME - including about 30 hr of continuous running (at reduced throttle, burning 10 gal of fuel). Only issue was an exhaust system failure, repaired class A in 9 hours at Burr Bros in Marion, MA.(yes, this is a plug - they're good and fast). |
To close the loop on this, I examined the tail shaft on a blown engine I have kept for miscellaneous parts and trying out repair procedures on.
The tail shaft on that engine wiggled about the same as the one in the boat. I concluded that is the normal amount of wiggle. I suppose they both could be bad too... I finished the repair and cannot recommend the MMI Tech Video on rear seal replacement highly enough. Transmission seems to work fine now - no leaks and much quieter with the new thrust bearing. Regards, Peter |
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 10:55 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Universal® is a registered trademark of Westerbeke Corporation
Copyright © 2004-2024 Moyer Marine Inc.
All Rights Reserved