Tranny noise?

When I first put the boat into reverse gear when I launch I get a very audible clack clack clack noise coming from the tranny area. If I rev it up/increase the speed it goes away and doesn't seem to be present in forward or if it is its for a very brief second. The boat has a little vibration, but nothing I would consider extreme and it doesn't get worse better with speed. Fluid was bright red and at the proper level. Just replaced the coupler and strut bearings so I know the alignment is good, and it has a very slow dirty idle spin, but otherwise runs fine. Any ideas? Maybe a dampener?    

any suggestions on where and what kind of dampener to get? Seems skidim is a tad high...

94 SN with a pcm 1.23:1 tranny.

But, you need the PCM dampner so the splines match!

you need to purchase the OEM PCM from skidim, its seems it changed model this last year and its little cheaper than when I got mine. Payed $185 on 2009.

Edit: yes I purchased the 140016 for $92..double price..geez..so I have the old version... Unless Eric tells you better put the new one I´d buy the old version...

The old version is also PCM OEM, if its available somewhere else than skidim i´d consider it as an option...

Of course!

Foot_Fungus wrote: TR thats the cheapest thus far excluding the one I found on ebay for $75 NEW(Found 4 places that all have them for around $100). I'll probably end up getting the old version unless Eric says the new one is improved enough to merit double the price.

I'd go with the one Tim linked to. Notice the spring pockets are like the Sachs. They must have caught on that the old style with the stamped spring pockets was a poor design.

Before you take out the tranny - - check your prop to make sure it is tight. I had bad noise from reverse & it was a loose prop.   When in fwd, it would seat enough to not have any vibration.    The root cause was I didn't lap the prop, BTW.

Snob, the guys in the yard were fitting some 50's, i told them to dye the shaft, gotta about a 40% contact, they were fcn baffled, told em to grab the coarse compound, put the props back on with out the key and put the nut on snug not tight and spin that prop 20 times and come and get me...amazing, just on a bigger scale, close to 100% after that.
It really is hard walking into a yard and telling veterans who have been around these larger boats some of the tricks. I just sit back and watch and normally absorb..its funny how these guys wouldnt even talk to me and now my phone is starting to buzz all day.
they are putting some inserts (steel plate) on the sides, it has to be ABS certified, I got on the boat and told the guys under me were gonna have to cut the floor back 4 ft...all the armchair QB's came around, no you dont without even getting on the boat, ok whatever, next day the project manager comes to me and says cut it back 2 ft modestly with the jack hammer, its a pan with a concrete floor about 2" thick, (for ballast) its your dime I'll do what you say.
sure as ***************, the next morning he called me again modestly, "I need the floor cut 2 more feet" lol
The stories are gathering and for entertainment purposes only

allright then Greg, we got the boat up on blocks and they are flying in the laser guys, its a 50 ft run on the shaft, the boat is from 1962, and up on blocks...i just asked about the sag over the 50 ft run, now this is the 3rd time in 6 years that the bearings were completely worn through into the metal, and 2 years ago they brought in the laser guy up on dry dock and a portable boring machine and bored the aft struts and the fcn bolt circle on both struts are way off center. Now logically i can really see the problem here. but....this thing has 3 shafts all pilotless flanges with fitted bolts holding them together, (reamed to size eliminating pilots on the couplings) on the front 2 shafts near the engine the bolts slid right out and the couplings didnt gap at all, i had to putty knife a gap to seperate, the inner most forward strut bearing is perfect. normally, if you have severe mis-alignment, you cant get these fitted bolts out and as soon as you do the couplings seperate. more to come....

Great lakes shipyard up here in Cleveland Ohio, its also a 35 tug tow company and i work on the shipyard side. I still have interest in FFM and visit often, Well right now im working on an Canadian 18 place car ferry up on blocks. pretty much oversee the repairs on that, I know that because when something goes wrong I get pulled into the office lol, the Ferry company has 2 ferry's and both are sitting up in dry dock for repairs, im working on the Peelee Islander and the repair list tripled because they are under Canadian laws and alot of thin steel on the sides has to be replaced which that is handled by the welding crew. right now there is no transportation out to Peelee island because both boats need major repairs.
the 2 new tugs being built will have 100k bollard pull and will have Rolls Royce Azimuth drives (Z drives) with variable pitch props....often said in the past all boats will be heading into this direction because of the efficiency of this type of drive and when technology catches up. its pretty interesting for a minute on how they lay the hulls out, they build a steel jig out of plate on the ground and it looks like you took a deck of cards and could build a card house, all lasered in and really if you put a floor in this jig you could use it as a skateboard park, which that jig is scrapped when done. but they start laying the steel in and welding and it takes the shape of the jig, obviously heavy bends would be made in a press.
But all in all its something that interests me and at the end of the day its probably where I belong

Levin,
Here's the 18 place car carrier Eric is talking about. I stole the picture from another thread Eric posted in.

eric lavine wrote: to give you a perspective of its size, Im about as half as tall as the tires,

But Eric, you are on the short side!

Eric - Keep an eye out for inefficiency - then get the good 'ol boys to think that the better way is their idea.

Good luck on the new job - you will do well.