Indigo

[sastanley]

As for cotter pins, 316 stainless and Silicon Bronze are close on the galvanic series and do not pose the same corrosion issues that other metal combinations do. Many people use the stainless cotter pin on their bronze shaft's and vice versa without problems (I know Don Moyer does, for example).

marthur - this was exactly the info I was looking for, since I don't know where they are on the scale. I think the braintrust has the cotter pin mystery solved

Shawn - I hate to sound pedantic but it is absolutely essential that you get your shaft aligned within .003" or many draconian consequences could ensue. If you cannot separate the two pieces "nicely", then you must do as Tom suggests - you must destroy and replace them.

hanleyclifford - this was not the info I was looking for but understand that I need to worry about it..I will try to separate them tomorrow.

[roadnsky]

Shawn - I hate to sound pedantic but it is absolutely essential that you get your shaft aligned within .003" or many draconian consequences could ensue. If you cannot separate the two pieces "nicely", then you must do as Tom suggests - you must destroy and replace them.

Hanley-
Pedantic? Draconian?

Nice wordsmithing!
(Bill, we may have to revive the contest!)

[thatch]

Firing blanks I hope!

Dear firing squad,
I was sure that my cold chisel comment would wake a few of you up but I didn't think it would be the entire platoon! Having been through this drill more times than I care to remember I can assure you that rust makes a lousey glue and it normally just takes a little rattleing to break it's bond. Using wrenches to try to twist it apart will surely damage the prop shaft and it would take an enormous wrench on the engine side to get around that coupling. The tool shown does not play into this senerio because shawn is trying to seperate the Two parts , not remove the engine coupling. Basically I have yet to see the tool that will fit into the space Shawn has so If care is taken I still stand by my method.
Sorry gents, Tom

[hanleyclifford]

roadnsky - OK I deserved that. Shields down.

[roadnsky]

All in good fun...

[hanleyclifford]

Now that the platoon is awake and we have thrashed this around a little, here is one more suggestion before we bring in the heavy stuff. Try tapping lightly with a small ball peen over a sharpened putty knife - Tom is right about rust being a lousy glue.

[jhwelch]

Shawn,

I was once in a "boat launches on Friday" type scenario and ended up on the hard
later in the summer doing something I should have done before going back into
the water (actually, it was shaft replacement, among other things).

So I would suggest a "do the job right" approach -- you really do want your
engine aligned, and also, alignable (is that a word) in the future.

-jonathan

[sastanley]

getting a handle on the situation

Thanks for the continued support and suggestions.

Thunderstorms are the forecast today, so that likely means a chance to free the couplers from their lousy, rusty glue and re-align them when I take off work early to head over to the boat. What I hope I find once the parts are apart is enough mis-alignment as to be obvious.

So, provided one of the above methods works without damaging anything, do I clean up the two mating pieces before re-assembly? And if so, what is the best method? Should I apply a film of wax or something to the mating surfaces to make de-coupling easier in the future, for when the day comes I need to replace stuffing boxes & cutless bearings?

[marthur]

I should have stated outright that I think Thatch is right about using the cold chisel. It is the first thing I would have tried. Sorry you felt alone in the wilderness Tom!

The pipe wrench thing does work, however. I had recourse to a pipe wrench when replacing my rear seal just last month. I will defer to the expert. Here is an excerpt from the instructions Don Moyer provides for removing the coupling:

NOTE: While the special tools mentioned in the following procedure (from
our online catalog) make the job somewhat easier, alternate methods are
provided in each case where the tools are not available:

1) Separate the prop shaft coupling from the engine output coupling. No
special tools required. A 9/16" box end wrench for the three coupling
bolts, and an 18" pipe wrench may be necessary to keep the couplings from
turning.

2) Install the Output Coupling Retaining Handle into the engine output
coupling using the three short 3/8" bolts in the baggy. If this tool is not
available, an 18" pipe wrench can be used to hold the output coupling while
the 1 1/8" nut is removed.

[Marian Claire]

Having read this thread I plan to do a little checking on the MC. I will unbolt and separate the flanges and check alignment. All this .003 has me worried; I did not do it that exactly when I reinstalled the A-4. Then coat both parts with anti-seize and or make an over sized gasket to keep the plates from rusting together. Thanks for a new reason to get back onboard. Dan S/V Marian Claire

[Dave Neptune]

alignment

Shawn, what diameter is your shaft. Mine is 3/4" stainless and my mounts are so rusted that I have&will not attempt to adjust as I am just waiting for my steel mounts to fail which is a common problem in these ole' Ericsons. When I installed my Indigo I also installed a new stuffing box and straightened my shaft. When I separated the shaft from the coupler I could see that I was misalligned quite a bit about 3/8"(low) of an inch and I thought that that was due to the bent shaft. After straightening and installing the new s-box I found the alignment was still a 1/4" off, so I pulled up an the shaft and shoved it in the coupler. I had been running the boat for years this way and still do. As I said my adjusting nuts are so corroded I don't want to twist them off the frame rails there that bad. I am sort of waiting for the engine to fall over then I will re-bed and adjust. I don't worry about the allignment all that much as the 3/4" sahft is quite flexible and is about 34" long. I know this is not the best but I have had no problems in the last 5 years or the previous 20. This may be why my rear seal is beginning to fail and leak a bit.
NOTE I did this all in the slip and paid the diver for an hour over the 2 dives. I didn't even get enough water in the boat to kick off the bilge pump. I took about a week altogether.

Dave Neptune

[thatch]

Thank's for allowing me back into the barracks.

Shawn,
I will echo the comments of others who suggest going through with the aleignment process. Motor mounts tend to settle over time and use and I would be surprised if yours hadn't. I have found that the easiest way to prep the flange faces for measuring (if they are still in the boat) is to use a "flat bastard file" and while holding pressure on the file at the center of the flange, rotate the flange and work the file back and forth. The object is to remove the rust contamination while removing as little material as possible. It's a little late to be mentioning this but I also usually put center punch dots on the 2 flanges so that I can reassemble them in the same position. If you remove the propshaft flange you can flatten it's face by placing a sheet of sandpaper (about 80 grit) face up on a machined surface, like a table saw or a granit counter top and working it back and forth. Hang in there, we'll stick with you until she's back in the water.
Tom

[thatch]

Confession is good for the......

All,
During all of this discussion on Shawns project I have been mentally preparing myself for re-aleining my own A4. Based on the rusty condition of the right rear motor mount (caused by a leaking water pump) I'm sure it hasn't been done in many years. As soon as I finish my "tiller to wheel changeover" I will be tackling the dreaded "A" project myself. I'll keep you informed on how it goes.
Tom

[roadnsky]

Take pics for Shawn!

Take the time to take pictures.
Then if you can, take the time to do a thread.
That way, the rest of us can learn from your pain... er, ah, experience. ()

[sastanley]

pic

Jerry,
I have a pic..not the best, & not related to the coupler but this is what I have related to the subject at hand. I have another one waiting to upload from the cell phone.

Dave, I have a 1" bronze shaft. I know I am supposed to align the motor in the water too, but I am interested to see if when I pop the coupler loose if it instantly shows a mis-alignment as yours did. This is my theory because my motor mounts have moved over the years..one of the large nuts that adjusts the motor had moved down almost 1/2" away from the motor and more than one were loose..I just don't know which way to move it to fix the problem!