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Drop Strut to Replace Drive Shaft? |
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Jonny Quest 
Grand Poobah 
Joined: August-20-2013 Location: Utah--via Texas Status: Offline Points: 2974 |
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 Topic: Drop Strut to Replace Drive Shaft?Posted: April-01-2017 at 11:47am |
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Update...
The strut came off very easily. It appears that this is the first time that the strut has been removed. The only odd thing I noticed is that the strut screws used nylon insert lock-nuts, but the nuts were installed upside-down. The SS washers were pressed into a conical shape by the rounded part of the lock-nut. The fiberglass is also slightly concave so the nuts/bolts fit like a lug-nut into a wheel. Also, one of the set screws on the drive shaft coupler broke off and I could not remove it...so I had to cut the tip of the drive shaft off with a cut-off wheel. After cutting the coupler, the shaft came right out. The loosened strut allowed the shaft to move past the rudder without dropping the rudder first. JQ |
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2003 Ski Nautique 206 Limited Previous 2001 Ski Nautique Open Bow 1994 Ski Nautique Open Bow Aqua skiing, ergo sum |
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MrMcD
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Joined: January-28-2014 Location: Folsom, CA Status: Offline Points: 3749 |
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Posted: March-29-2017 at 8:12pm |
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A bent shaft will need to be measured to see if it is true or not. I used a magnetic mount dial indicator to verify mine. If you see movement it is far more than the allowed play.
Someone here will know the exact allowed movement but I think it is less than .003 inch. 3/1000 of an inch. Your eye will never see that. |
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Jonny Quest
Grand Poobah
Joined: August-20-2013 Location: Utah--via Texas Status: Offline Points: 2974 |
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Posted: March-29-2017 at 7:23pm |
Pete: Until I have the shaft out, I won't know 100% if it is bent. I believe that it is slightly bent, as I get a slight wobble where the shaft comes out of the log. The shaft turns freely in the strut bearing with just a little dry "squeal", but I can feel a tight spot The strut bearings are original and the shaft is just starting to have just a bit of up/down/side movement. When turning the prop by hand (on the trailer). I did buy a new A.R.E. shaft last fall and the intent is to replace the existing shaft with the new double-taper unit. JQ |
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Current
2003 Ski Nautique 206 Limited Previous 2001 Ski Nautique Open Bow 1994 Ski Nautique Open Bow Aqua skiing, ergo sum |
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MrMcD
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Joined: January-28-2014 Location: Folsom, CA Status: Offline Points: 3749 |
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Posted: March-29-2017 at 12:50pm |
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If you decide to remove the strut be aware they don't just fall off when the bolts are removed. I had some wooden door shims. the ones about 8" long 1/4 thick at the wide end and almost zero thickness at the point. Mine were about 1 1/2 inches wide.
I tapped the door shim in between the strut and the fiberglass. As soon as one started to go in I added another shim beside it till I had full width covered with shims.. Tapping these in evenly, tap one, then the other to keep the pressure equal as they went in broke loose the strut on my boat and did no damage to my fiberglass. but it was a chore. The strut did not want to come off. I don't know how others remove the strut but this worked for me. Good Luck. In my case I removed the rudder to get my shaft out and later found my strut was tweaked and I had to pull it anyways. to get it aligned so I could have left the rudder in place like you want to do. |
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8122pbrainard
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Joined: September-14-2006 Location: Three Lakes Wi. Status: Offline Points: 41045 |
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Posted: March-29-2017 at 6:42am |
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JQ,
Why are you replacing the shaft? You mention checking the shaft for straightness. Are you putting the original strut back on? Yes, you can remove the strut but aligning them can be on the tricky side. They tend to move when you tighten the bolts. When you remove it, be aware there may be shims under the base and the mounting holes may be elongated. The key to strut alignment is making sure the shaft turns freely in the cutlass when the shaft is centered in the log. Go with 4200 just in case future removal is needed. I'm not aware of any torque specs for the bolts. |
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Jonny Quest
Grand Poobah
Joined: August-20-2013 Location: Utah--via Texas Status: Offline Points: 2974 |
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Posted: March-29-2017 at 1:15am |
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My 1994 SN has the fuel tank with the deep well that sits directly over the rudder assembly. It is impossible to drop the rudder without removing the fuel tank first. I really, REALLY don't want to pull the tank again, but I need to replace the strut bearings and install my new A.R.E. shaft.
Since I need to align the drive shaft anyway, what about dropping the strut to remove and re-install the shaft? Then I can check the shaft for alignment and see if the strut is straight or bent. How difficult is it to re-bed the strut? Just apply some 3M 5200? What are the torque specs of the strut bolts/nuts? JQ |
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Current
2003 Ski Nautique 206 Limited Previous 2001 Ski Nautique Open Bow 1994 Ski Nautique Open Bow Aqua skiing, ergo sum |
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8122pbrainard wrote: