Shaft Alignment - PS 197

[vogelm1]

Looking for some clarification and hoping somebody can help...I was reading over the attachment on aligning driveshafts and was wondering how the first part was accomplished (getting engine parallel and co-linear to strut) -

If I separate the couplers and move them side to side, what do you use to measure the distance (says it needs to be within a 1/4"), or does a guy just eye-ball it and look for obvious mis-alignment side to side, top to bottom?

Reason for asking is once you move the drive shaft back and forth within the "clearance of the strut bearing", it is possible to move it even further beyond if you push harder...which leads me to believe it's impossible to get this measurement accurate.

Once I get to the feeler gauge stage, I'm good to go. Thanks for any help out there folks!:o

[vogelm1]

Bump please?

[WTRSK1R]

That sounds like a question for one of the resident mechanical experts here. I have done a shaft alignment check in the past, but as the document states, I started with the feeler gauge part. I figured the motor should be properly alinged from the factory, but who knows I may have been wrong. Where did the document come from?

Hopefully someone will comment.

[vogelm1]

Thanks WTRSK1R - not sure who the original author of that document is, but it came from here at TT. Seem to remember the intro message to that stated that is was not uncommon to have things mis-aligned at the factory...in fact there were a couple guys posting pics or nearly new boats whose couplers were apart, and couldn't get them back together again without some prying - that's how bad they were. Maybe close is good enough for this step, then go with the feeler gauges? Hopefully someone will know.

[wesgardner]

Unless you've re-powered or some similar engine work (as in pulling the motor) you should be well within the "feeler gauge" stage....just separate the coupling and see where you are...