tozz
Senior Member
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2017
- Messages
- 323
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Conundrum
- Vessel Make
- Nordlund 63' Pilothouse
I was tagging along to a survey and sea trial with a friend of mine interested in a 2002 Jefferson pilothouse. Twin Cummins 450C engines. During survey the surveyor couldn't spin the props at all. Neither would move and inch. Multiple people mentioned they had never seen this.
Theories ranged from fishing line fouling the bearings, the bearings were installed with petroleum jelly so they are all swelled up, to a weird transmission issue that locks the shafts when engines are not running. We splashed it and went on the sea trial and the stb engine was vibrating noticeably more than the port. An obvious physical vibration. Potentially related to the shaft issue on that side.
BUT... both port and stb exhibit the same behavior...no ability to spin freely even when the surveyor went into the engine room and tried with a 2.5' crow bar. This told us that both sides experienced same event or sequence of consequences to get the shafts into this state.
Any ideas or anyone that has seen both shafts completely lock up while not underway? other than the vibration on the stb while underway there isn't anything obvious including the cutlass bearings looking ok.
Thanks in advance!
Theories ranged from fishing line fouling the bearings, the bearings were installed with petroleum jelly so they are all swelled up, to a weird transmission issue that locks the shafts when engines are not running. We splashed it and went on the sea trial and the stb engine was vibrating noticeably more than the port. An obvious physical vibration. Potentially related to the shaft issue on that side.
BUT... both port and stb exhibit the same behavior...no ability to spin freely even when the surveyor went into the engine room and tried with a 2.5' crow bar. This told us that both sides experienced same event or sequence of consequences to get the shafts into this state.
Any ideas or anyone that has seen both shafts completely lock up while not underway? other than the vibration on the stb while underway there isn't anything obvious including the cutlass bearings looking ok.
Thanks in advance!