I have a 1973 C&C30 sailboat with an Atomic engine. The problem is the engine will run in forward drive for about 20 minutes & a grinding sound / vibration occurs briefly for a few seconds. After another 10 minutes of motoring it returns again for a few seconds, & after another 5 minutes it comes back. If I continue motoring it will return a couple of minutes late & eventually the grinding noise will stay permanently, its so bad I have to stop motoring. If I change into neutral it goes away immediately, if I shut the engine down for 10 or 15 minutes, & restart everything is reset and its back & it will run for 20 minutes before the problem returns. It can be lessened by motor sailing, if there is enough wind it goes away. Presumably driveline thrust into the gearbox/ reversing gear, is reduced when the sails make a contribution, implying it might be a thrust bearing.
I don’t generally motor great distances, so is generally not a problem. I have tried various other fixes, non of which have worked. I changed the prop, it made no difference. There was some cutlass bearing play and the shaft was worn, so I replaced the cutlass bearing and drive shaft, it made no difference. The engine & drive line were re-aligned (its solidly mounted), it did not fix it either.
Has anyone experienced a similar problem?
I don’t generally motor great distances, so is generally not a problem. I have tried various other fixes, non of which have worked. I changed the prop, it made no difference. There was some cutlass bearing play and the shaft was worn, so I replaced the cutlass bearing and drive shaft, it made no difference. The engine & drive line were re-aligned (its solidly mounted), it did not fix it either.
Has anyone experienced a similar problem?
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