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Engine / Prop Shaft Alignment |
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Jonny Quest 
Grand Poobah 
Joined: August-20-2013 Location: Utah--via Texas Status: Offline Points: 2997 |
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 Topic: Engine / Prop Shaft AlignmentPosted: November-12-2024 at 11:58am |
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How many perform the Engine / Prop Shaft Alignment procedure as recommended by Correct Craft/PCM:
Now I'm about to do an alignment check on the new-to-me 2003 Ski Nautique, but I'm in no mood to take her down to the lake to perform this alignment procedure. Anybody done the alignment on a trailer -- only to find that it was "off" when you put the boat in the water? 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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GottaSki
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Joined: April-21-2005 Location: NE CT Status: Offline Points: 3365 |
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Posted: November-12-2024 at 12:06pm |
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After first setting the alignment with precision, anytime even years afterwards, a quick twist of the coupling with the boat afloat gives me all the feedback i need to know all is still well, or if something moved.
I also have not had the scenario you describe where the trailer/wet alignment changed enough to move anything, even on the punkier boats |
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"There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worthwhile as messing around with boats...simply messing."
River Rat to Mole |
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Jonny Quest
Grand Poobah
Joined: August-20-2013 Location: Utah--via Texas Status: Offline Points: 2997 |
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Posted: November-12-2024 at 12:29pm |
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Tom - I like the idea of doing the alignment on the trailer (warm shop) and then doing a check on the water. I may even wait until next spring for the on-the-water float test.
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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wayoutthere
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Joined: February-28-2020 Location: Florida Status: Offline Points: 496 |
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Posted: November-12-2024 at 4:06pm |
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In water a day or two (to let her settle in) after being on the hard all winter was how i was taught to check/perform an alignment but that was on cabin/sport cruiser types, except connie, she was wood and had to hang in the sling to swell up 3 or 4 days or down she'd go, such a nice riding boat that was
Also re torq the couplers over 3 passes and make sure the isolators are re installed on the marinette. In the water is the way to go but if you don"t have your own dock the other people at the public ramp get a bit agitated. |
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MrMcD
Grand Poobah
Joined: January-28-2014 Location: Folsom, CA Status: Offline Points: 3771 |
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Posted: November-12-2024 at 10:16pm |
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I have only had to do this 3 times in my life so far JQ and each time I did it on the trailer in the comfort of my garage. The shaft rotates freely by hand and no vibrations at all so I think it is just fine. I never read the part of floating the boat to do the final adjustments.
I have had to move the engine mounts on 3 boats to get alignment correct. Each time I was able to adjust to either .0015 or .001 and was very happy with the adjustments. Now you have me wondering if they would shift once in the water. Oh well it is nearly 10 years since the last adjustment and the boat has not sunk.
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KENO
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Joined: June-06-2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 11163 |
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Posted: November-13-2024 at 7:42am |
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That recommendation must show up on page ______ of some Correct Craft manual titled ______. (It's a fill in the blank for Jonny )
Just so we can all read what you're referring to
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Jonny Quest
Grand Poobah
Joined: August-20-2013 Location: Utah--via Texas Status: Offline Points: 2997 |
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Posted: November-13-2024 at 1:46pm |
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OK Ken...here you go:
PCM Owners Operation & Maintenance Manual (printed 11/02) Pages 44 - 46 Engine Alignment IMPORTANT: Engine alignment MUST BE RECHECKED with the boat in the water, fuel tanks full and with a normal load on the boat. Engine must be aligned so that the transmission and the propeller shaft coupling center lines are aligned, and coupling faces are parallel within 0.003 in. (0.07 mm)... 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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KENO
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Joined: June-06-2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 11163 |
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Posted: November-13-2024 at 7:42pm |
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Here's a link to Jonny's manual
link
Since it was PCM and not CC, I'd figure that's it's a CYA thing on PCM's part. It's a good thing you weren't looking at a Borg Warner transmission installation manual like the one in the link below, for their recommendations. Look at page 14 and continue on to the top of page 15 if you want some real genuine craziness. Everybody disconnects their coupling when the boat's on the trailer (or I suppose a lift would count too) right? |
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ultrarunner
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Joined: October-02-2005 Location: Ridgefield, Ct. Status: Offline Points: 1865 |
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Posted: November-13-2024 at 8:51pm |
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I've done it twice...once for a trans R&R, and another for an A.R.E install. Trailer both times. No issues. Nov. JQ, and I'm still on the water in CT! ;-)
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Jonny Quest
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Joined: August-20-2013 Location: Utah--via Texas Status: Offline Points: 2997 |
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Posted: November-14-2024 at 7:33pm |
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Dang Mark...I'm jealous. Here it's water temp 35 degrees. Air temp 37. Too cold for a dry-suit.
That equates to a Shrink Factor 9. 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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tom_d_77sn
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Joined: June-12-2024 Location: Sheboygan Status: Offline Points: 6 |
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Posted: Today at 8:04am |
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I did my own drive shaft replacement last Summer with help from Keno.
As I put the put the boat into Winter storage, I tried rotating the Prop by hand and I could barely turn it without putting a lot of muscle into it. I followed the instructions available on this forum (in multiple places) for how to do the alignment. The boat ran great for the 20 hours after the repair. No vibrations. Good power. Basically good as new. Given the situation, should I be concerned about a Prop that is hard to turn by hand? Or should something like that be expected after only running 20 hours with a new driveshaft and strut. I was surprised the inside of the strut is rubber. For some reason I always thought there would be bearings inside the strut. Please note: I did not change the coupler and there is a very very slow drip leak. I've read elsewhere it is actually correct to have a little drip at the coupler and it should not be bone dry. Any advice I can get on this would be much appreciated.
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tom
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TRBenj
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Joined: June-29-2005 Location: NWCT Status: Offline Points: 21195 |
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Posted: Today at 8:43am |
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Prop should be very easy to spin by hand even with a brand new bushing- if properly aligned. Sounds like the alignment was not done properly. Likely missed the most important part at the beginning that is a little subjective- all the adjustments need to be made to get the coupler faces parallel when the driveshaft is held in the position where it spins freely (is aligned within the strut).
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ultrarunner
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Joined: October-02-2005 Location: Ridgefield, Ct. Status: Offline Points: 1865 |
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Posted: Today at 9:42am |
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As we all know, alignment starts at the strut. My guess is this was just a shaft R&R with a new cutlass, and bolted right back to the coupler.
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KENO
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Joined: June-06-2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 11163 |
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Posted: Today at 11:56am |
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Umm........I'll boldly guess that he did do an alignment since he said this in his post today
here's a link to his original thread from last summer.to see what he did A good question would be.........How freely did the shaft spin when you did the alignment this summer? If you were spinning it with a bone dry cutlass bearing, it can spin harder than if you spray some water on the shaft so it runs down the shaft and lubricates the bearing, it'll spin easier. It's a water lubricated bearing. When you talk about the coupler dripping I think you might be referring to the packing gland where the shaft comes thru the stuffing box. A small amount of leakage there keeps the packing lubricated. You'll see various numbers but something around a drop every 10 seconds is good with the original style flax packing Somebody might ask what the condition of your stringers is, since it's a 77 and if they're not in good shape, your engine may have settled/ moved a little, affecting your alignment. A bad alignment generally doesn't cause vibrations, it tends to dampen any vibration. |
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tom_d_77sn
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Joined: June-12-2024 Location: Sheboygan Status: Offline Points: 6 |
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Posted: Today at 12:47pm |
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This is incredibly helpful information.
After we did the alignment, I could spin the prop. It took a little bit of effort. I had to grab the prop ear with my hand and turn it but once it got going the resistance wasn't much...Prior to the grounding accident, I could spin the prop using just a couple fingers and it would spin easily. When I had to muscle the prop to rotate it right before Winter storage, it was completely dry. So it seems like the logical next step would be to get it wet when the weather warms up and see if that makes a difference. I would consider towing it to a qualified shop to get a second opinion on the alignment and have a couple other things looked at. I live in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. I've struggled to find anyone qualified within a close drive. Hence the reason I've taken up the hobby of trying to fix most things on it myself. Not sure if any of you guys live in the Midwest and would know a good place to take it? I can't tell you guys how awesome it is to find other people doing the same thing. I love my boat. I've driven on the same lake (Crystal Lake in Plymouth, WI) for 10 years and taught dozen of friends and kiddos to ski behind it. I made a big investment to have the entire engine rebuilt in 2020. The stringers were checked by Jim Raijer who did the rebuild and he said they were still solid and no concerns. But with it being 40+ years old, I'm a little nervous at some point stringers will become the next project. |
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tom
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MrMcD
Grand Poobah
Joined: January-28-2014 Location: Folsom, CA Status: Offline Points: 3771 |
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Posted: Today at 1:27pm |
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Why not remove the bolts at the transmission and check to see if the alignment is an issue. Only 4 bolts would not take long., With the bolts out see how much drag there is on the shaft it should be near identical bolted or loose. Good time to verify the engine is aligned to the prop shaft. If it is good a 1/2 of checking and you are back and ready for use. Faster than taking it to a shop.
With the shaft loose you will find it has a happy place. As you hold it you can lift or lower it till you find the spot where it spins with the least amount of drag. That is the spot you want the engine aligned to. If the happy spot does not line up where you need it to be the strut may need to be tweaked to help your adjustment. There are many ways to tweak the strut into the desired spot if needed.
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MourningWood
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Joined: June-13-2014 Location: NorCal Status: Offline Points: 919 |
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Posted: Today at 2:09pm |
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Always a good idea to 'lubricate' the strut bearing when turning by hand or running boat out of water. Simple water works-couple drops of dish soap even better...
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1964 Dunphy X-55 "One 'N Dun"
'I measured twice, cut three times, and it's still too short!" |
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tom_d_77sn wrote: