Raymarine Linear Drive M81130 Not Releasing

[pbiJim]

A spiral pin has many layers that are wrapped around from the center out. A roll pin is just 1 wrap that goes about 90% of the way around. You treat them the same. They do basically the same thing.

These pins don't need to be fully centered in the hole. As long as both shear lines on the OD of the inner shaft have full pin diameter in contact, everything is usually fine.

Inspect the pins that you remove. If they have grooves worn into them, that is a problem.

Kerosine is probably OK to clean with, but grease is probably not the best lubricant for the ball screw. You probably want an oil. I have used 90 weight gear lube in the past, but less viscus oils are frequently recommended.

Grease should be OK for the bearings. Any #2 grease should work. General purpose marine grease should be a good choice. My personal favorite is Lucas Red N Tacky, but that is of no importance.

If things move freely with the thrust bearing off of one end, then the problem could be one of the parts you removed, or it could be the thrust bearing at the other end, or it could be a preload problem. If the actuator took a hit, it could have knocked the preload out of whack. Tolerance on the preload is usually pretty tight. It doesn't take much to knock it out.

If you don't see problems with the parts that you took off, then I'd keep digging.

Are you able to see where the balls come out? There is usually some kind of gate. The gate is frequently located at a corner on the nut.

[pbiJim]

I just looked at the pictures. The screw looks terrible. The thrust bearing also looks bad.

The screw should be just about a mirror finish.

I think that I would start cleaning the screw by having at it with #000 steel wool that has been soaked in motor oil. Be sure to remove all the steel wool remnants before reassembly.

Cleaning & lube may be enough, but you will not know until you try.

If there was a paper-thin metal washer under the bearing retainer flange with the 4 screws, don't loose that paper-thin washer & be sure to keep track of where it came from. That would be a bearing preload shim & it will be precision matched to your particular assembly. There is not going to be a standard replacement part that you can order to replace it unless you know exactly how thick that particular one is. Measuring for a new one requires precision tools that you probably don't have on the boat.

I don't see any problems with the planetary gears, but the picture isn't clear enough for me to have a strong opinion. Look for bent axles there & also ovaled axle bearing bores.

If there are O-rings in there anywhere, I would replace them & coat the new ones with silicone grease like Dow Corning #111 before reassembling the unit. It looks to me like moisture inside the mechanism was the root cause of your problem.

[markmyers]

Yes, that end of the screw looks bad indeed. I will try a clean up and reassemble and see if that does the job.

I don't recall seeing a paper-thin metal washer and there wasn't one on the diagram.

The planetary gears seem fine. I don't think they are a problem.

The problem with the spiral pin (as I see it) is not that it wasn't centered in the hole but that it was sticking out from one end, only a little bit but I'm sure that can't be great.

So will try a clean & lube and see how it goes. I have Orca Slap marine grease onboard so will try that.

[markmyers]

Pretty sure I am on the right track. I cannot get the spirol pin out yet and am loosing light so will have to do tomorrow.

I did clean the one bearing assembly I could get off and when reseated it made pushing in the arm much easier. I am sure the other bearing assembly is the problem. Will update when I get it sorted.

[Talbot]

I had a slightly different problem with my Type 2. When in standbye, there was some resistance to steering, and it juddered as you moved the wheel, as if the clutch was grabbing and releasing.

I sent it off to Raymarine for diagnosis - to quote from their explanation>

Initial investigation showed that motor current draw, and clutch resistance and current draw were at normal levels. Further investigation revealed that the bearing washer's spiral pin was cracked, and has been replaced. Clutch coil metal contact + clutch plate + driven pulley have been smoothened and cleansed. Raceway washer and roller assembly + bearing washer parts have been cleansed. Lead screw has been greased.

After test is all works smoothly again.


This may highlight areas that others should check in order to assist in the smooth running of their drives.

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by markmyers

The problem with the spiral pin (as I see it) is not that it wasn't centered in the hole but that it was sticking out from one end, only a little bit but I'm sure that can't be great.

Actually I don't think that is a big problem in itself. The pin just binds the two parts to transfer the torque from one to the other. The only big problem would be if the pin was sheared off which it does not appear to be from your description. It is possible the pin has been jammed due to the real problem. Unless you must remove this pin to get at the real problem then i would consider leaving it alone.

[markmyers]

Thanks for the post on your Type 2. From the description I would suspect that your problem was very similar and perhaps just a mild version of what I was experiencing. Your resistance in steering and juddering was most likely from the dirt etc in the bearing assemblies and raceway. Mine was just more extreme to the point that the steering was completely stuck in standby. I would say the cleaning and regreasing did more to fix your problem than anything else. I wonder if the spiral pin was cracked prior to disassembly? Mine is proving difficult to get out but I don't really have the correct tools for that.

[pbiJim]

You may or may not have a paper thin washer. If you did have one, it may or may not be on the drawing. Those shims are added when dimensions don't add up correctly due to normal dimensional tolerances. They are not always needed. They are often, but not always, added at the discretion of the assembler at time of assembly.

Spring pins can stick out of one side of a hole & still be OK as long as both shear lines where the parts meet have full diameter pin engagement. If that explanation is not clear, let me know & I'll find another way to describe it. If the pin was sticking out so far that only one of the two shear lines was covered, then that is a problem.

A pin that does not want to come out may indicate a problem. When those pins are overstressed, they sometimes yield partially. In that case, the pin is no longer straight. In extreme cases, a shoulder forms at the shear line that will block the pin from coming out in either direction. If that has happened, the holes may have wallowed & may need to be redrilled to the next larger pin size. If the shafts are hardened, then the holes are probably fine as-is, & would be very difficult to drill with normal tools anyway.

I would let the stuck pin sit in penetrating oil for a few hours, then have at it with the punch again. A dead blow ball peen would be my hammer of choice if one were available. Be sure that the underside of the shaft is well blocked with wood against a solid surface, like a concrete floor or an anvil or an iron keel. Use a short pin punch that is very close to the diameter of the pin, but just a bit smaller.

If that doesn't work, then your best next move is to find a machine shop with a Bridgeport & a small carbide end mill to cut out the bad pin. Failing that, you could try to make a hole through the pin with a drill bit, but that is likely to do more harm than good. An end mill in a Bridgeport will go in a straight line. A drill bit in a drill press will wander. The pin is going to be a little hard. You may need to heat it up to around 400 or 600f to soften it enough for a drill bit to get through it. Heating the pin enough without overheating the shaft can be a bit of a trick.

Once you have a hole through the center that is about 60% of the pin diameter, you should be able to punch out the remaining part of the pin, even if it is damaged. Boring out the center should relieve enough pressure to let the pin move.

Hopefully, the pin will come out with the punch after it sits in oil for a while. Drilling the pin out, without making a mess of the job, is not easy.

Dan's suggestion of leaving the old pin in there may be a good idea if the pin does not want to come out with a hammer & punch.

[markmyers]

I believe I have found the problem.

I was able to get the spiral pin out by liberal spraying with WD40 and let it soak for a while and then purchased a pin punch of the right size. It then came out undamaged.

The Bearing Washer was difficult to get off as it is tightly fitted. When it did come off all the rollers from the roller assembly on the screw side of the washer fell out. I have put a photo of it in the album. Cruisers & Sailing Forums - markmyers's Album: Raymarine Linear Drive

I have tried to put the rollers back into the assembly but I don't think that will work as they keep falling out. I believe it will need to be replaced after which I am pretty confident that my problem will be fixed.

Any ideas where to get one of those parts from? Raymarine?

[pbiJim]

If the rollers are coming out of the cage, then the bearing is shot & needs to be replaced. End of story. A damaged cage could easily let the bearing turn well in one direction, but not the other.

Look for a number on the bearing. It should have one somewhere. It will probably be a standard item at a local power transmission supply house. If not, then there are plenty of bearing guys on the internet that you can order from. One that I sometimes use is VXB.

Ordering by bearing number is the easiest & most reliable way to get the right one. You can also measure the old one & order by spec. This page may list what you need - http://www.vxb.com/page/bearings/CTG...NeedleBearings

Probably the easiest thing for you to do is walk into a local bearing supply place with the old bearing & let them match it up with a new one. If you do that, bring the hardened steel washers that were on either side of the bearing. They may need to measure the thickness of the whole sandwich.

[pbiJim]

Actually, bring the whole unit with you to the bearing house & let them measure everything. Heck, even try the bearing on the shaft before you leave. Why mess about?

[markmyers]

yeah thanks. I will do that, ie go to a local bearing shop. I couldn't find a number on it anywhere and looked carefully with a magnifying glass. Will see what the bearing guys say. If I get no joy from them I will hassle Raymarine for a part number.

That website looks great and if I know the part number will be just what I need.

Thanks for all your help and support.

[markmyers]

so I went to a local bearing shop and they said yes they could supply the thrust bearings and the outer washers but not the inner one. They STRONGLY recommended not just replacing the bearings but also replacing the outer and inner washers as it was not wise to run new bearings on the old washers (they had some signs of wear). It sounded reasonable. I have put a call into Raymarine to see if they can supply the parts and will see what they say.

[pbiJim]

If Ray's prices are reasonable, then by all means, order them directly from Ray. If the prices are sky high, then you might want to look around at a few more bearing suppliers. I'll assume that you now have a bearing number to work with & probably some good measurements. That should make shopping around much faster & easier.

Just out of curiosity, which item are you calling the inner washer & what feature of that inner washer caused the local bearing house to not be able to supply it?

[markmyers]

On the diagram it is item 21 Bearing Washer.
The problem was the thickness of it (and the hole for the spiral pin).
They suggested if I couldn't source it then I could get one machined but obviously it would need to be hardened and I think that wold be an expensive way to go. I will see what Raymarine say and then look elsewhere if I need to.