Capn Craig
Guru
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2010
- Messages
- 519
My boat shook like a paint mixer on both engines at the close of last season, as the result me attempting to bring the boat home up the flooding Mississippi River last summer.* I thumped*way more than I wanted to.**Getting thru the floating forests coming at you at 10 to 12 mph was hard enough, but most KaBOOM's came from things I never saw before or afterward in the wake from the flybridge.
So, it's time to fix her.** The props scanned badly out shape.* They should be all fixed up and dynamically balanced soon.* The shafts indicated good with a TIR of 0.001~0.002.* I want to replace the strut bearings knowing the vibration they have been subjected to has got to have taken a toll.* That, and the fact I doubt they have been changed out since at least the late 90's.
Although, I also plan to replace the soft plywood backing boards that the struts are bolted thru.* I decided that since I'm working by my self, it would be easier to replace the bearings in place, without dropping the struts.* I saw a puller on the internet for this, but basically I'm too cheap to pay the $400 or so cost to buy one.* So what to do?* Make one.
The photos below show my puller.**The puller first presses the bearing out*the back (prop side).* Then the new bearing is pressed forward into the strut.* The puller consists of two 5/8 x 4 plates that are pulled together by two 5/8-18 'bolts' (made from threaded rod).**The plates have either a 1 1/4" (shaft OD) + clearance center hole or a 2" (bearing OD) +* clearance center hole.* Both plates have a 1 1/4' wide notch from the center hole to the edge, to allow it to be slipped over the shaft.******** A piece of tubing with an ID slightly bigger than the shaft, and an OD slightly smaller than the bearing OD is cut a half inch longer than the* strut.* It is then cut in half lengthwise.* This allows it to be taken apart and fit over the shaft.* The front plate pushes the cut tube pieces into the strut and push the bearing out.*** It worked really pretty well.* So far, I have the*the first bearing removed and the*new bearing in within *a half inch of all the way.* I ran out of daylight.* I will try to take few better pictures when I do the other side.
It turns out the hardest part was getting the set screw out of the strut.* Bent the allen wrench, rounded the set screw*hex, drilled it out, broke the easy out, bleed al over the place from the broken easy out schrapnel.* Drove a 20 mile round trip to buy a new bigger American made*easy out, drilled a bigger*hole thru the set screw, and it came out 'easy'***
So, it's time to fix her.** The props scanned badly out shape.* They should be all fixed up and dynamically balanced soon.* The shafts indicated good with a TIR of 0.001~0.002.* I want to replace the strut bearings knowing the vibration they have been subjected to has got to have taken a toll.* That, and the fact I doubt they have been changed out since at least the late 90's.
Although, I also plan to replace the soft plywood backing boards that the struts are bolted thru.* I decided that since I'm working by my self, it would be easier to replace the bearings in place, without dropping the struts.* I saw a puller on the internet for this, but basically I'm too cheap to pay the $400 or so cost to buy one.* So what to do?* Make one.
The photos below show my puller.**The puller first presses the bearing out*the back (prop side).* Then the new bearing is pressed forward into the strut.* The puller consists of two 5/8 x 4 plates that are pulled together by two 5/8-18 'bolts' (made from threaded rod).**The plates have either a 1 1/4" (shaft OD) + clearance center hole or a 2" (bearing OD) +* clearance center hole.* Both plates have a 1 1/4' wide notch from the center hole to the edge, to allow it to be slipped over the shaft.******** A piece of tubing with an ID slightly bigger than the shaft, and an OD slightly smaller than the bearing OD is cut a half inch longer than the* strut.* It is then cut in half lengthwise.* This allows it to be taken apart and fit over the shaft.* The front plate pushes the cut tube pieces into the strut and push the bearing out.*** It worked really pretty well.* So far, I have the*the first bearing removed and the*new bearing in within *a half inch of all the way.* I ran out of daylight.* I will try to take few better pictures when I do the other side.
It turns out the hardest part was getting the set screw out of the strut.* Bent the allen wrench, rounded the set screw*hex, drilled it out, broke the easy out, bleed al over the place from the broken easy out schrapnel.* Drove a 20 mile round trip to buy a new bigger American made*easy out, drilled a bigger*hole thru the set screw, and it came out 'easy'***
