Misaligned prop shaft???

[wishart]

I'm doing a full restoration on a 1982 s&s (see my build thread under "general/other")...

While preping the center section of the hull for paint, I pulled off the trans to prop shaft coupler off the prop shaft, and pulled the stuffing bock/rubber hose from the hull. Was planning on doing this anyway to replace stuffing.

When I pulled the stuffing block/rubber hose off, I noticed that the prop shaft wanted to "pull" to one side..... Thought this was a little odd.

I reinstalled the block/rubberhose, and with a small amount of force, all parts go back together, and seem to be "centered" and aligned.

but....when the stuffing block/rubber hose are removed, the shaft doesn't want to ride in the center of the hole...

This doesn't seem right to me.

I spun the prop shaft, and it appears to be straight. (at this point....I am going to pull out the shaft and make sure...)

But....this doesn't look right.....Seems like the shaft should ride in the center of the hole.

Does whip strut need to be loosened and whole shaft religned????

What do you think????


Maybe ok?????

[mikeg205]

would the weight of the shaft not being connected to the tranny cause this?

[1redTA]

could be a number of things such as worn cutlass bearings, bent strut and a bent shaft.

[CantRepeat]

could be a number of things such as worn cutlass bearings, bent strut and a bent shaft.

Add strut alignment to this list and you've probably got it covered.

[FrankSchwab]

It would be best if it were centered, but if the rubber boot is sufficient to bring it back into line, it really isn't that bad. Some have posted on here where, even with the rubber boot on, the propshaft has rubbed a notch into the bracket bolted to the hull.

Removing the strut isn't always the easiest thing to do - it has a lot of surface area glued down. But based on the pictures, it looks like you might get away with breaking it loose, cleaning off the old sealer, putting down new, and bolting it in place while holding the shaft where you want it. There's probably enough slop in the screw holes for that to work.

Frankly, I'd re-do the strut ("cutlass") bearings, repack the stuffing box, do a full alignment (search here for the document "propshaft_alignment.doc"), and call it good.

/frank

[psychobilly]

Mine was the same way and after further investigation you could see in the strut where the PO had struck something with the running gear. I removed the shaft and found me some round bar that would fit the strut and tweaked it back to normal. All good now.

[wishart]

good tips....

I think the first step is to take a closer look at that strut to see if it has been tweaked....and ofcourse check that prop shaft to make sure it's straight....

[pbgbottle]

mine was like this also .i did play with my strut for awhile in a press. and then bolted it back on holding the shaft centered in the hole and tightening it down .mine runs right through the center now.
i would try and center it better than that looks.

[keith3613]

Define PO?

[CantRepeat]

Define PO?

prior owner

[wishart]

Problem solved:

I removed the propshaft to check it for straightness. It was straight.

I then turned my focus to the Whip Strut. I removed the strut from the boat, and inspected it to see if it had been bent or damage.

No sign of any damage to the strut, but the stuffing block had signes that the shaft had been rubbing. Not suggnificant enough to replace block.

I simply took a round file and ovaled the 4 outside holes in the bottom of the hull...slightly....

Put everything back together...and...problem solved.

Thanks guys for the suggestions..

[pbgbottle]

congrats on the fix ,thanks for posting back to let us know and for the pics.

[psychobilly]

That sure us a clean bilge!!!! Good deal man!!