Alpha one alignment

[thenewcraft]

Wondering if anyone happens to know what the ID of the gimbal bearing on a alpha 1 gen 2 should be. I replaced the gimbal bearing, u-joints, and all bellows and can not get my output shaft back in. It slides in easily up to about the last inch. I have been all the way through the adjustment on the front motor mount 1/4 turn at a time and it seems to make no difference. The best that I can tell there is about 8 to 10 thousanths of an inch clearance between the shaft and the bearing. Is this too tight? Is it possible the bearing has too small of an ID? Any help is appreciated

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Alpha one alignment

did you use the alignment shaft to tap the bearing around in its tolerance ring

 

[thenewcraft]

Re: Alpha one alignment

I have not. How do I know which way to move it? Won't the depth of the grooves in the grease only tell me if the motor needs to be tipped? How much will the bearing move in the tolerance ring?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Alpha one alignment

How much will the bearing move in the tolerance ring?

Ayuh,... It's Gimbeled,.... 360?.....

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Alpha one alignment

It moves alot. Installing a bearing does not necessarly line it up with the coupler.Sometimes it needs to be moved around a bit to get the alignment shaft to enter the coupler.

 

[thenewcraft]

Re: Alpha one alignment

Ayuh,... It's Gimbeled,.... 360?.....

Thank you captain obvious. I meant laterally not in rotation. By asking if I used the alignment tool to tap the bearing aroung in its tolerance ring Bt Doctur implied that the bearing would move right to left and up and down.

Bt Doctur- thanks for the help, I'll give it a try

 

[thenewcraft]

Re: Alpha one alignment

OK I'm back to thinking that my gimbal bearing has too small of an ID. I used the alighnment tool to tap the gimbal bearing into alignment, so that the end enters the engine coupler about 1". Thats as far as I can get it to go, no matter how much I adjust the front engine mount. I have been all the way through the adjustment again from top to bottom and bottom to top, 1/4 turn at a time. The bearing seems to be leaving a ring around my alignment tool right where the tool changes from a 1.375 Dia to 1.38. Any suggentions?

 

[thenewcraft]

Re: Alpha one alignment

Just wanted to add to my above post. I am using a stainless steel alignment tool which is much softer than the carbon steel used to make the engine coupler. I put the tool in as far as I can get it then give it a few taps with a hammer. The tool and bearing rotate together. After pulling the tool out and examining it it shows no scratches or indentations or any signs of contacting the coupler. This is why I think the tool is getting stuck in the bearing. Its a good thing this tool is so heavy, that way I can beat the boat into submission if I can't figure this out.