shaft not going through hull after cutlass bearing replaced

[h_2_o]

92 prostar 190 powerslot
So I replaced the cutlass bearings and all seemed to go well. the original ones were very perished (See pictures) anyway like i said the new ones went in like they should however when i put the driveshaft through it doesn't even come close to alignment with the hole through the boat. What do i do to resolve this? all I can think of is pull the strut off and check it to make sure it is not bent. I can take it to a friends shop with a cmm so i can be pretty accurate there. but if it is not bent do basically remove it from the boat, clean the boat up and realign it so it goes in correctly then do a motor alignment at that point so all is square?


thanks

[waterlogged882]

good luck

[h_2_o]

well you are mostly correct but i can complain some mostly because this is a new to me boat and I've never had it in the water so i'm not the cause of the bad cutlass bearings. Anyway I pressed the new ones in already and got the misalignment like you saw, and thankfully I have done exactly what you have described I was just hoping there was an easier solution. Now for the questions.

the shaft where it looks a little warn, when feeling it with hands it does not appear to taper in, just burnished. However I'll throw a mic on it and check it out, is there a tolerance that I should watch out for? Since I have it out I am also going to throw it in a lathe and put a dial indicator on it to check for straightness.

as for the motor alignment and engine mounts, yup did those last year as well, hopefully they are free and firm but they will probably need replaced to, here is to hoping i'm wrong and they just slide nicely.

I'm sure i'll have more questions
thanks for the quick help here

[waterlogged882]

good luck

[mikeg205]

can you take another picture of your strut? Your picture looks a little off- but I am thinking it's just the angle you shot the photo.

w-logged is dead on - the strut is the center of your universe - the shaft does not have to be centered perfectly - but why not at this point.


good news only one more step to get it straight...... look forward to seeing more pics and it being done.

[h_2_o]

I'll take a photo of the strut off it is about off now. piano wire is great for removing them you do not have to worry about hurting the strut by putting undue force on it. as for shimming it if needed what do you guys suggest I've read that washers can cause bad things to happen because of vibration or are they ok to use? Or do i have to go all mcocd figure out how much to build up and use west down there?

[mikeg205]

I personally would not shim with a washer - but remember the shaft only has to go thru the hull does not have to be centered. Yours being so far starboard is a bit worry some. could be an optical illusion from pic - but strut shows a bit being off center to port.

[h_2_o]

OK the update, be it good bad or other it is what it is. the shaft first. that gunk on there that you guys were suspicious of is really nothing more than old packing. A scotchbrite pad took it right off there is no pitting on it at all. Used a dial indicator on it and it is straight as an arrow as well. Now for the strut. It is slightly bent, how, why, what happened who knows but it does have an ever so slight bend towards starboard. We put it under a microscope and checked it out and did not find any cracks in it anywhere. So what I'm going to try initially is see if it can be aligned with the holes cleaned out of the bedding/sealant that they used while dry fitting it and if that works I'll be happy. If that does not work but gets it close i'll check clearance on the mount of the strut and see if there is enough to rasp out the holes just a bit to re-align it. If not i might be in for a new strut down there.

let me know if anyone else has any other ideas.

thanks for he help

[FrankSchwab]

Bent struts are pretty danged common. And they do exactly what you see - the propshaft no longer lines up with the shaft log.

Try to straighten it; if that doesn't work, some have been successful shimming the strut to line up the propshaft. I'd just buy a new one, but that's me.

Once you get everything ready, you should do a full engine/propshaft alignment. You only have to do it once, but it'll reduce friction and vibration in your driveline. See the attached procedure.

[mikeg205]

Get a new one... the struts are cast... you already did all the expensive work.. OJ Props will get you set up..

You'll need a top notch shop to straighten - and will cost.. for a little more you'll be golden

but that's just me too.

[h_2_o]

yup so I need a new strut.

so now my super dumb question should I go with a call to OJ or skidim? I was unaware that OJ made/distributed struts.

thanks

[AZDave]

Elbert's. 800 541 4962. They are located in Oregon.

[mcmx2]

H2O, I just sent you a PM.

[Deb]

I have a brand new strut if you need it~~ $250 plus shipping. [email protected]

[Deb]

Don't know if you got my post, but I have a brand new strut if you need it for $250 plus shipping. [email protected]