Replacing the Prop Shaft onto the Coupling

[Bryanphaas]

Hey All-

So after many hours of tedious frustrating work I've managed to get the Propeller Shaft pushed out from the Coupling using the "press out" method many have detailed elsewhere in this subforum.

Amusingly enough, it turns out that there was no key installed on the shaft, nor was the shaft actually aligned to the keyslot..... Only the dimpled Set Screw was holding the shaft to the coupling. Needless to say the dimple is in the incorrect place, and a new dimple will need to be drilled.

Considering the large amount of slowly applied force required to push the shaft out of the coupling, I am very concerned about getting it set back into place.

Can anyone walk me through the process of getting the shaft pressed back into the coupling? Ive read that it can be tapped back in.... Does this mean that the coupling is attached to the transmission? I thought any force on the shaft could damage the bearings?

How should I go about getting this done...

I also am wondering if anyone has any idea where to get a new shaft key, so that when I do re-install the shaft, it is done correctly, and actually installed.

[tenders]

Getting the shaft back on is pretty easy.

You can get brass and stainless keys from McMaster.com; search for "machine keys" and expect to have to cut a 12" piece to size. I believe brass is the preferred material. You might even find some pre-cut in Home Depot or Lowe's.

The removal difficulty came from corrosion inside the coupling, not because the parts were previously assembled with huge force. Once the coupling and shaft have been cleaned up with bronze wool and maybe some wet sandpaper or a Dremel with a light touch, you'll find a shaft and key with a light coat of anti seize will fit the coupling with a few light hammer taps - certainly nothing that would damage the bearings. I suggest assembling everything on your workbench first, marking it all so you can tell when the shaft is properly placed on and driven into the coupling, then taking it apart for reassembly in the boat.

Note also that Moyer's "split coupling" was specifically designed to make this process easy and is my unhesitating recommendation. The kit includes a key. Now that you know how hard it is to get that thing off the engine, I'll bet you see what a huge labor saver it is:

(Towards the bottom of the page;if this link doesn't work, look under Overhaul Parts -> Reversing Gear/Drive Train)

http://www.moyermarine.com/cgi-bin/shopper.cgi?search=action&category=OREV&keywords=all&template=Templates/B000_storebuilder.html

[Bryanphaas]

Thanks for the explanation Tenders!!

Glad to hear its not a "press fitting" like the cutlass bearing im struggling to remove!

[tenders]

There's a lot on here about removing Cutless bearings too.

My suggestion is to cut it out carefully with a Sawzall. If you go slowly you won't damage the strut. Cut out a longitudinal slice of the bearing using two cuts, and then mangle the bearing on out.

You can also do it with a hacksaw that's been taken apart and reassembled with the blade running through the inside of the bearing.

Press the new Cutless bearing in with a very large C-clamp, and a socket of proper size to fit inside the strut but on top of the bearing. You might need a cheater bar to crank on the C-clamp, but once you get it all in place it's a 2-minute job.

[hanleyclifford]

Here is another option if you have the time and inclination to make a tool for the job. Controlling a cutless bearing while pressing with a C-clamp can be tricky - alignment is crucial. The tool pictured is made from a 1" bolt worked on a bench grinder so the head is the outside diameter of the cutless while the bolt shank acts like a mandrel guiding and supporting the bearing.

[marthur]

Very Nice Hanley! I am adding that to my list of good ideas "just in case".

I have turned lots of parts and tools in what I affectionately refer to the "red neck metal lathe." That is a piece chucked into a hand drill or the drill press and worked with the bench grinder, files, the dremel, hacksaw blades or in one extreme case the 4" grinder. It is surprisingly effective and I have gotten some surprisingly precise parts.

Can anyone think of a way to chuck a 1" bolt using 1/2" drill?

[sastanley]

Here is how I pressed in my cutless bearing.

Threaded rod, and some nuts & washers. Put the bearing in a cooler full of ice water to shrink it and used good ol' Marvel Mystery Oil as a lube, but I hear dish soap works well too.

[hanleyclifford]

Here is how I pressed in my cutless bearing.

Threaded rod, and some nuts & washers. Put the bearing in a cooler full of ice water to shrink it and used good ol' Marvel Mystery Oil as a lube, but I hear dish soap works well too.

Shawn - Your method is the #1 best, hands down.

[edwardc]

... Put the bearing in a cooler full of ice water to shrink it ...

Our yard uses a cooler full of dry ice (frozen CO2). Readily available at a nearby grocery store.

[romantic comedy]

Shawn's method is the only way to install a cutless.

Dont need to grind that bolt, just use a socket over a threaded rod.

who said about the 1 inch drill? I used to grind the shanks down to the smaller size. Yes it was not perfect, but it worked.

[sastanley]

RC. I had a box end ratchet on that bad boy..it worked a treat!

[CalebD]

Threaded rod press fit method

When pressing the new cutless bearing into our deadwood the ONLY tool that delivered enough torque was a box wrench with a cheater bar on it.
Regular open ended wrenches only bring force to 2 sides of a nut but box wrenches grab all 6 sides of a hex nut at once. We deformed quite a few nuts before realizing we did not have the right tool for the job.