Thanks Rich–great info and all in one place!!

Question- you mentioned “a set of replacement cases” at $700. Does the case
come in 2 pieces, or are you talking about buying 2 cases for use in the
future?

Rodd
Windseeker, #214

Subject: P424’s – V-drive parts

Rodd,

Can we get a complete set of instructions as to exactly which bearings

could use a

replacement, where to get these bearins(either from Walter or
from an auto parts store), part numbers for these bearings,
which parts need to be ordered directly from Walter, e.g.
gaskets.,

Normally, I would expect that service would require replacement of the
CV-joints and shaft seals. I suggest going to Walter for the gaskets
though
they are easy to make from gasket stock. The CV bearings are
over-the-counter parts. I suggest careful examination of the new parts to
make sure that Walter didn’t do some minor modification to the
replacements.
They may have ground one side down for clearance. I don’t honestly
remember. I know they removed the rubber seals. Take photos of
everything
as you tear it apart.

does the Vdrive have to be removed and brought to a
shop for certain bearings to be removed and/or pressed in,

You need a press to remove the CV joints. These presses are cheap, but
you
might be better off sending it out to a local shop to have them do this.
As
noted earlier, you need a special wrench for the gearbox shafts. I made a
pair of them. They work OK but a real wrench would be better. Torque
settings for these shafts seems insanely high to me. Its very difficult
to
get the nuts torqued down that much.

is the input shaft a problem and does it need to be replaced,

I assume that you mean the jack-shaft. Walter wants big bucks for these.
Offhand, I see no reason to ever replace it. The input gear assembly
inside
the case is a CV joint and is splash lubricated from the gearbox.
Lubrication isn’t particularly good and the life-span of this assembly may
be limited.

how far into the unit should we keep replacing gears, etc.,

This depends on what you find. Unless a unit were left with water in the
gearbox for an extended period, I see no reason to ever replace the
gearbox
bearings. As noted above, the CV joints may not live as long. There have
been a number of reports of seal failure for both shafts too. Removal of
the input shaft cover requires removal of the output shaft. This is
stupid
because you need special tools. Yet another example of Walter quality.
Before reassembly, it may be possible to notch the screw holes on the
cover
so that the cover could be removed more easilly the next time around.
Replacement of the input CV-joints can probably be done without removing
that shaft.

if a case were available what should one pay for it?

It can run about $3500 for a replacement, not including labor. I think a
set of replacement cases would be a good value at $700.

Also,should the feet be left in place when removing in order to
simplify alignment when replacing.

I left the right-angle mounting plate in place when I removed my unit
because I couldn’t get at the bolts underneath. This does help get the
unit
back in the approximate position on reassembly, but realignment is still
needed.

If you go to the trouble of removing the unit for this kind of repair,
take
a good look at the cooling jacket and make up your mind to do one of the
following.
1 – clean and coat the cooling jacket with marine-tex
2 – find some alternate way to cool the unit
3 – Install an over-temp alarm and run it dry
4 – scrap the thing and replace it

Alignment is very tricky. Its hard to see feeler gauges beneath the input
shaft housing. If properly aligned, there should be minimal vibration
even
at high speeds. If not done properly the boat will vibrate like one of
those beds with a coin-operated massage mattress in a cheap hotel.

My recommendation for all owners is to clean the cooling jacket every
other
year. Check the dip-stick for traces of water in the gearbox every time
you
change the engine oil. Keep the unit properly aligned. Repaint it each
year. Plan to send it into Walter every 20 years or so to replace the
cases
and rebuild the unit.

Here’a a resend of my mail message back in 2001.

Rich
BlackSheep #47

---

Attached, please find a list of parts included with the V-drive rebuild
kit.
This crossreferences the Walter part number to a commercial part number.
Most of these parts could be obtained over the counter from an automotive
store. Walter warns against obtaining parts this way. I don’t know why.
The CV joint kit (item 10) is a standard CV joint used in Chevrolet
automobiles. The only apparent difference is that the seals are removed
by
Walter. I assume that this is because they get bathed in oil. Walter
sells
the pair for $57.60. Most automotive stores will sell the same parts for
between $15 and $20 each. Walter apparently marks them up an additional
100%. These CV joints are inside the case; not to be confused with the
universal joint on the shaft. It may be the same part number with seals
intact. I didn’t order these from Walter.

After disassembling my unit, the only part that needed replacement was the
drive shaft seal from the engine to the V-drive. This seal is mounted on
a
removable plate. It would be a simple matter to remove the shaft, then
remove the seal plate without having to remove the V-drive itself.
Removing
the seal was very difficult. It is apparently pressed in. If owners
decide
to replace this seal, I suggest removing the plate (4 bolts), then send it
to Walter. The shaft is not fastened to the V-drive in any fashion. It
can
be removed by disconnecting the universal from the engine, then pull it
out.
While the drive shaft is out, the CV joints can be easily replaced by any
good mechanic.

After tearing the V-drive down, I decided to do a full rebuild. Had I
known
that a rebuild was not necessary, I would have left it alone and just
replaced the top shaft seal. The only practical way to remove the two
gear
assemblies is with a custom pair of wrenches, not available anywhere on
the
planet. I fabricated a pair from two sockets by grinding them down to
shape. If anyone needs to borrow these, I can lend them out. I can also
send a copy of the shop manual which Walter sells for $18.50, but failed
to
copy write.

My best guess is that it should take about 20 hours for an average
mechanically inclined owner to do a rebuild, including pulling and
replacing
the unit. Several days should be reserved for the job, since you’ll have
to
send some stuff out to have a mechanic press the CV joints. I was able to
remove the other bearings myself.

Regards
Rich

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Thanks, Rich, that explains your last. Never mind my question.

Best regards,

Bob

—
Bob Fine
s/v Pelican
Pearson 424 Hull #8
http://thesailinglife.blogspot.com
Follow me at: http://www.tinyurl.com/WhereIsBobFine
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Rodd
The gearbox case is one piece but the cooling jacket should be replaced too,
so there would be two castings plus gaskets. They were once for sale for a
lot less than $700. I haven’t seen a set for many years now. The generic
RV-20 was quite popular for many years, but the 2:1 gear reduction probably
not common. If you come across an RV-20 from a freshwater boat that looks
clean for short money, you might want to grab it. Even if the gear
reduction is wrong, the gearbox case may save your butt in the future.

I now have an RV-26. If I hear that they stop production on them, I’ll grab
some replacement parts before they go extinct too.

Given the light load these things are under there is no reason that the
V-drive shouldn’t outlive us. I wish I could come up with a reasonable way
to freshwater cool the thing. I wanted to run the engine cooling system
through the v-drive just before or after the transmission cooler. Both
Walter and Yanmar say no. Yanmar probably believes it will lower the
coolant flow through the engine cooling system and Walter probably wants a
lower temperature coolant. The RV-26 has an oil pump. I’ve been thinking
of using a heat exchanger on the oil system. In my application, coolant is
definitely needed. The RV-26 runs warm to the touch. According to the
Walter specs, it is run within its rated capacity, but not by all that much.
I don’t have the manual handy but I recall that it is rated for something
like 100hp diesel. Who knows if I’ll still own the boat 20 years from now.
I’ll probably leave things as is and keep maintaining it.

Rich

Sorry,
I meant “the lid to the cooling jacket should be replaced”
Rich

Hey everyone,

I am just finishing a rebuild of my RV-20. Rich was right about this job, it can be a real PAIN! All in all everything went well. I found a blown u-joint that had been squealing for several months. I’m glad I decided to do it, because that broken u-joint wasnt going to last much longer the way it was. I replaced all 3 u-joints. All in all, I ended up spending $60 in parts. I made my own gaskets. Probably saved myself $1000 in labor.

It took me about 20 hours to do the job. I went out to the boat and mounted the v-drive, but now I am having one hell of a time getting the splined jackshaft to slide into the unit. Rich, did you have any trouble with this? It sure came out easy when I started the job… I think I am going to have to pull everything out and mess with on the dock.

I mounted the v-drive, aligned the prop-shaft, and then attempted attach the jackshaft. After a long day, i finally had to walk away from it.

Any insight or experience would be greatly appreciated.

As I recall, I had trouble getting the splined-shaft re-inserted. The end
had an imprint in reverse of the part number for the joint. This indicated
that at one time the jack shaft was hitting the CV-joint. This not only
left the imprint on the shaft, but it flattened the end of the jack shaft.
The fix was to file the end of the spines on the shaft to taper them.

It is probably not possible to move the splined shaft inside the jack shaft
housing. They rust together. Measure the amount that the shaft gets
inserted and verify that its within specs. Move the V-drive on the bed if
you must adjust.

Rich

Thanks Rich.

I will set the file out and see what I can do.

Thanks again!

Just did a sea trial after FINALLY getting the jackshaft seated in the v-drive. I got the file out and was able to get the splines cleaned up. I am super excited because the boat is running smoother than it ever has! My v-drive must have been out of alignment for years…. make that 6 years!! The boat feels so much better!

Okay- so I must say that the V-drive is very robust. Not only has it been way out of alignment for many years, I had also been running the thing with a blown u-joint for months. Everything else in the unit looked brand new except for the u-joints.

I gotta put in a plug for Bio Solv from MAS epoxy… I poured this stuff into a tub and cleaned each part prior to reasembly, and the stuff took all traces of grease and oil of everything in seconds. For a biodegradable product, I am amazed! Much better product than acetone.

I have to second any plug for MAS Epoxy. I have used since I started my
repower. Being a novice I was following directions too closely when mixing
in cabo-sil. When I contacted the company via email JB the president of the
company called me and talked me through my issues. He then gave me his cell
number and said call him anytime. That’s customer service from where I’m
standing.

Linus

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