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I’m aligning the prop shaft today after letting the boat settle in the
water for 24 hours. Have read the how-to in the RV-20 manual and it
seems straightforward enough, but if anyone knows any tricks to make it
easier or better I’d be glad to hear about it.Thanks,
Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
http://www.silverheels.us
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I kind of cheat by losening all of the bolts that hold the V drive first. then I shim the shaft up to the center of the opening through the hull. (Pull it up till it hits, note position, down till it hets, note position. Center)
Then I adjust the brackets to hold it there. The shaft and couplings are plenty strong to hold it in mid air while you fasten it.
If you want, now loosen the shaft to Vdrive bolts and check with shims. I my experience, it will be aligned.
(unless one of the couplings has a wobble, in which case all bets are off)
Speaking of which, once you are aligned, rotate either the Vdrive coupling or the shaft 90 relative to the other, then check again. That is how I found out mine had a wobble. A quick trip to the machine shop fixed it. BTW, the wobble was not a result of my unorthodox approach, it was fixed before I ever started doing it this way, and there has not been a problem since.
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Thanks for the response, Walter. I did the alignment Friday with a
mechanic buddy. It really was pretty straightforward following the
procedure in the V-drive manual.Tor
http://www.silverheels.us
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I thought alignment should be done in the water. Like Rich said your method sounds like it must be done without a cutless bearing in place. I guess I don’t understand the process.
On a good day I can see the other side of the river!
On Dec 4, 2011, at 4:28 PM, “Rich Carter” wrote:
Quote:Walter
I’m not sure what you’re describing here. Aligning the V-Drive is not so
much centering it in the stern-tube. It’s a matter of getting its axis
aligned with the drive shaft so it doesn’t vibrate.Rich
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I do it in the water with the stuffing box in place, but I just lift the shaft until it hits the top of the tube, and depress it until it hits the bottom. then I know about where it should be vertically.
Once I have the shaft held where I want it, by simply having the Vdrive bolted tight to the shaft coupling, it is aligned! The only way it would not be aligned is if the shaft were being bent by the weight of the Vdrive, and my experience has been that this is negligible. (or the shaft is bent, or the coupling wobbles, but these are independant potential issues)
If you now bolt the Vdrive down tight to the boat without moving it from the position the shaft is holding it, you are still aligned. I have tested this a few times with feeler guages, and it worked every time for me.
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Walter,
My experience is a bit different from yours. I’ve found that alignment to the shaft is critical for smooth operation. Simply bolting the V-drive to the shaft and expecting it to align itself hasn’t work for me. I’ve tried this approach without success. I don’t remember what Walter’s specifications for alignment are, but as I recall I had to get alignment within about .0002″ to get it right. The last time I did this, it took me several tries to get it right. I did my best following Walter’s specs and took the boat out for a test. I wasn’t satisfied and did it a couple of more times, each time being a bit more careful with tolerances. Its now smooth as silk. I don’t think its centered in the stern tube however.This winter I had to pull the transmission to fix a leaky seal. To get the transmission out, I had to pull the jack-shaft. I sure hope I didn’t damage the V-drive input shaft seal or somehow screw-up the alignment. At least the input shaft seal is easy to replace.
Regards
Rich
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For anyone interested, here are the instructions from the Walter
V-Drives Manual. This is what I did. Have not tested it underway yet,
but I believe my prop shaft is now about as aligned as it can get:All V-Drives are supplied with 3-way adjustable mounting brackets (2-way
on the RV-10 and RV-20) 01’57 as standard equipment. The brackets must
face downward as shown in the illustration to properly absorb propeller
thrust. The mounting plates can be removed and reversed to fit wider
engine bed centers. Before installing the V-Drive, loosen all the nuts
on the mounting brackets and check to see that the studs are in the
center of the slots. Re-tighten the nuts. Place the V-Drive on the
engine bed, lining it up “by eye” to the propeller shaft flange as
closely as possible. Firmly bolt it down through the holes provided in
the mounting plates. Loosen the locking nuts on the adjusting screws.
Slightly loosen the nuts on the mounting brackets just enough to be able
to move the V-Drive.Many good installations are ruined by improper propeller shaft flange
alignment. Accurate alignment will ensure a smooth operating drive train
and eliminate many problems that arise due to misalignment. Final
alignment should not be attempted until the boat has been allowed to
“settle” in the water. Adjust the V-Drive until the pilot diameters of
the gear shaft flange and the propeller shaft flange engage freely. Butt
the flange faces together. Without rotating either flange, check with a
feeler gage in at least four places as shown in the illustration. If the
maximum feeler gage that can slip between the flange faces at any point
is .003″, the unit is properly aligned. If a thicker gage can be
inserted at any point, the V-Drive must be readjusted until proper
alignment is obtained. Turn the propeller shaft flange 1/4 of a turn
without moving the gear shaft flange. Try inserting the .003″ feeler
gage as described above. The gap will not change if the propeller shaft
is straight. If it increases, the shaft or flange is bent and must be
removed and straightened. Rotate the propeller shaft flange in two more
1/4 turn increments and repeat the procedure. The pilot diameters must
be rechecked to ensure that they still engage freely. Tighten the nuts
on the mounting brackets and the locking nuts on the adjusting screws.
Remove the set screws from the brackets (none on RV-10 or RV-20), spot
drill and securely tighten. Recheck the flange alignment to make sure
the V-Drive didn’t move out of alignment. Secure the two flanges
together with the heat treated bolts and special high collared
lockwashers supplied.Quote:
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I hope you meant 2/1000 of an inch and not 2/10,000. If the latter, I
want you to align mine for me Rich.Happy holidays, including Festivus,
Pete
On 12/8/2011 12:38 PM, wrote:
Quote:Walter,
My experience is a bit different from yours. I’ve found that alignment to the shaft is critical for smooth operation. Simply bolting the V-drive to the shaft and expecting it to align itself hasn’t work for me. I’ve tried this approach without success. I don’t remember what Walter’s specifications for alignment are, but as I recall I had to get alignment within about .0002″ to get it right. The last time I did this, it took me several tries to get it right. I did my best following Walter’s specs and took the boat out for a test. I wasn’t satisfied and did it a couple of more times, each time being a bit more careful with tolerances. Its now smooth as silk. I don’t think its centered in the stern tube however.This winter I had to pull the transmission to fix a leaky seal. To get the transmission out, I had to pull the jack-shaft. I sure hope I didn’t damage the V-drive input shaft seal or somehow screw-up the alignment. At least the input shaft seal is easy to replace.
Regards
Rich
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Funny, it works fine for me, and feeler gauges confirm the proper alignment. When confirming, I would separate the two couplings with a .010 shim and then feel for an even “pull” when sliding the shim back out. I think this is much closer than the .003 Walter specs, probably down under .001 It has worked so well that I don’t even confirm anymore, except every few years to make sure the couplings have no wobble and shaft is not bent. Maybe my brackets are different.
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