Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
John, this is great news. In reverse remember that the shaft is now ‘pulling’ at the V-Drive so it is very possible it may sound different. I’ve never paid that much attention to the sound the thing makes other than noting that it’s a noisy contraption. I doubt I’ll buy another boat anytime soon. If I do it won’t have a remote mounted V-Drive. The complexity and aggravation it add isn’t really worth the space it saves. This is especially noticeable when you have to change out an alternator belt on a hot engine.
Chuck
John, backlash is a measurement between gear teeth. If the backlash is excessive it means the gears are not mating each other at the proper area on the tooth face. This normally does not result in more noise in one direction or other but may when changing direction as there’s more play in the gears before they engage.
This is a good reference for how it is measured. http://www.clevelandgear.com/hg/backlash.htm
The Velvet Drive is a hydraulically operated gear, hydraulic pressure moves the clutch plates to engage the drive gear. Once the gear is engaged it is a solid coupling. Worn clutch plates, clogged pump passages among other things will result along with a myriad of other issues can prevent the gear from going into reverse.
The V-Drive is a noisy component and has nothing to do with forward/reverse. It transfers power output from the gear to the prop, regardless of direction.
The RV-26 is not a bolt in replacement for an RV-20. It has a different mounting profile that requires appropriate spacing.If you lost reverse it was a failure of the transmission, not the V-Drive.
Consider this, the entire forward thrust of the boat is being created by the spinning prop. This is transferred forward up the shaft, through the gearing into the bearings in the V-drive and into the mounts that hold the V-Drive in place, this is where the entire load moving the boat is finds its way to the fiberglass. As thrust loads increase it forces the gears closer together, compresses and twists the shaft, stresses the V-drive mounts.
The mounts are rigid, so any deformity of the shaft, unbalanced or bent prop will be transmitted to the hull. The V-drive essentially becomes a thrust bearing. A true thrust bearing has flexible mounts.You can search for the reason of failure but your funds would be better spent on insuring all engine and drive train components are properly installed, aligned, lubricated and cooled.
Damper plates should be replaced anytime the gear is off, and Yanmar does update and improve parts continuously.I watch owners (myself included) sometimes try to diagnose and correct issues, thinking there’s going to be a ‘single issue’. Often it is a combination of things that occurred that made us aware there is a problem. Methodical, effective troubleshooting is often seen as expensive but more often than not fixes the problem.
I wish you the best in isolating this issue on your own. Working in a yard and being a boat owner I see both sides. I know mechanics are expensive but getting it all right can be worth it. Even better, getting a yard that says if it isn’t, bring it back and we’ll make it right is even better. Where I work that is our policy.
Chuck
On the subject of ‘I found a cheaper source’…
I did a major refit on a twin engine trawler. The dripless shaft seals which were relatively new were already failing. I contacted the manufacturer and explained the issue, they said they would replace them and sent me such. They also requested we send the old ones back so they could examine them. A few weeks later I get a call back and asked to find out where the customer had obtained them from. They were knock offs.I’m sure the cost to replace them was considerably more than the savings up front.
Make sure such products are coming from a reputable supplier. These knock offs passed all the tests except usage.
Duramax is the main manufacturer of cutless bearings, they supply the military as well.
SS hardware/fasteners is another real problem we are seeing problems with.
I’ve purposely not noted the manufacturer or the source of the parts.
Sorry, forgot the link; http://www.thornycroftparts.co.uk/
W60; Thornycroft marinized the same British Leyland block. They have base engine parts including piston rings, bearings etc. Shipping is expensive.
The W58 is a Mazda industrial block.
Dan, Patrick’s set up is about as good as it gets. He only puts a check valve on his ‘drying’ pump and it has a float switch. On the secondary (no check valve) high capacity bilge pump I’d include a float switch and also have it wired to a 24 hour bus. Something like a fridge for AC discharge hose will outpace a 500 gph pump that is fighting 6 feet of head pressure. If you are not around you won’t get to flip it on. A second manual pump would be a good plan if you expect to be offshore.
The secondary should be dry, a few inches above the drying pump is ample. A high water alarm should be tied into this pump. The float switch noted below has a secondary circuit that will recognize if the pump isn’t keeping up and will sound your alarm.
Rule makes a great pump but the float switches are crap. We are constantly replacing them. This product is the cats ass; http://www.tefgel.com/contain.php?param=pumpswitch_infor.
Make sure you wire your pumps with the proper size wire, the distance run is measured round trip, the path of the current… not just one way. The available current can limit the performance of a pump. Why they put those tiny pig tails on the bigger pumps is beyond me. Still the wiring leading to the pump should be of proper size. Ironically per ABYC bilge pumps are not safety equipment and the wire can be sized for up to 10% voltage drop but no reason to cut corners.
Lastly put over current protection in the circuit between your panel and the pump. Locked rotor on a centrifugal pump can start a fire, even though it is protected at the panel. I got a demo of this in a class and was amazed at the results.
The demise of any quality pump installation is garbage in the bilge. Keep it clean.
Chuck
Patrick, stay away from Starboard. Nothing sticks to it. If you are trying to get a waterproof seal, you’ll be disappointed. G10 is overkill. FRP4 is easy to work with, wear an appropriate respirator when cutting and sanding.
Sand the entire surface before painting. Our yard only uses this, we do not use marine ply.Your explanation on the panel and it’s orientation went over my head so I’m not sure about the design.
Chuck
ABYC specifies that safety equipment which includes navigational lighting shall have no more than a 3% voltage drop and provides appropriate wire sizing based on load and distance.
DO NOT use a common ground. You are asking for issues. It is so simple to run a pair of wires to each lighting system. The savings in wire will be far outweighed by the costs associated with troubleshooting a faulty ground issue. Also, don’t use the mast as the ground, bad juju or use the vessel bonding system.
The other reason not to share a ground is the cool new tri-colors that are on the market. A mast wired for an anchor light, can get a tri-color LED and use the existing wiring as long as it has a dedicated ground. It has a polarity reversal switch that activates it between anchor and nav light.
Put a quality terminal strip, sized for all your terminations in a nice water tight J-box and affix it to a sole support near the mast and you’ll be a happy camper for years to come.
Chuck
Don’t cut off the bottom of the mast then try to build up the step. Build your new step, ideally out of G10 (Garolite) with the needed additional height, determine the new step height vs the old then cut that amount off the bottom of the mast. This is not at all an unusual repair. I had 3 projects this year that included new mast steps. Don’t put metal back under it. I’ve yet to see a boat with a dry mast step in a driving rain.
For the mizzen use a die grinder and a cut off disc to remove the old aluminum step if (it will be) stuck to the bottom of the mast. You can create a new step, G10 isn’t needed here, some 1/2 inch FRP laminated together to about 2.5 inches can be shaped to slide up into the mast, put a 1/8 inch base that mimics the shape of the outside diameter of the mast at the bottom of the stack and you have a step that wont fuse to the spar. Drill a drain hole in the mast just above the top of the new step.
Take Garolite to a shop that cuts granite counter tops to cut to shape. Much cheaper than blades.
I’m pulling my sticks next year and replacing my main mast step. Did the mizzen when I had the engine out.
Chuck
The non-marinized engine would probably take almost 5 quarts to replace. Adding the oil cooler and remote filter housing is probably what brings it to 7 quarts, which is about how many quarts of oil you’ll need. Fill the oil filter about 2/3rds full before installing it.
It appears the intake is the shaft opening in pump housing. I don’t see an inlet where you would attach a hose. This makes sense as it is always running, indicating it is a hydrodynamic pump, not hydrostatic. It won’t prime until it is underwater.
You’d need to build some sort of shelf to mount it on. Getting that in the right spot should prove tricky. I’d do it in the water, it won’t be in the same spot on the hard. It will have to match the angle of the shaft as well. I’d make it a little short and shim the pump housing to the proper height and angle. Good luck working in that area under the output shaft, besides the port cockpit scupper through hull, I can’t think of a more inaccessible location on the boat.Chuck
Wire sheave at the mast head may need to be swapped for a proper rope sheave. The sheave grove shape can cause the rope to jam in the more v-shaped sheave causing excessive wear.
