Pull the Shaft or Not??

[markpj23]

From my numerous posts on this by now folks know I had a shaft seal leak along with heavy black smoke. Shaft turns a little stiff by hand.

I just spoke with the local mechanic who has the hydraulic gear to press out the cutlas bearing and replace. He said - logically I think - that the shaft almost never gets bent in the middle, meaning between the strut and the stern tube. If it was a bent shaft it would likely be aft of the strut since the prop being grounded would exert its force back there. (I have not grounded aft by the way). The only other way it could be binding is if the strut itself was now misaligned. Mechanic says he'll be able to tell that also by the way the cutlas bearing rides on the shaft.

So we can measure shaft runout without removing it. I still plan to have the alignment checked / redone so that I'm confident we're still in spec. I don't see a need to replace the shaft seal at this point - it looks OK, but I did have that leakage problem.

If we pull the shaft I will take it to the local shop to check for trueness and polishing. Would still have to align whether I remove it or not.

So what do you think - pull the shaft completely or not? My inclination is to leave it in IF the runout checks good with it installed as-is.

[Maine Sail]

Many, many times when you pull the shaft you break a layer of rust free on the inside of the coupling. This rust layer can be as much as tenths to hundredths of an inch thick and can make the fit of the coupling off when you re-install it.

I learned this the hard way. Unfortunately, it also took out my shaft too within an few hundred hours. If you pull the shaft my advice would be to have a NEW coupling fit and faced to the old shaft once you have had it tested for trueness. It's important to always have your coupling "faced" or at least checked for run out before re-installing it...

[AnchorageGuy]

mark, After this much time effort and expense the little it will cost to pull the shaft and have it checked at this point should not be that significant. Pull the shaft and have it checked if for no other reason than piece of mind. Even if it is not bent there is a real possibility that it may be scored and that can be a source of leaks and problems with the cutlass bearing and shaft seal.