bent shaft

[uhu]

if i ran a reef going only a few knots could that have bent the shaft? and if so what symtoms would i have?

 

[walleyehed]

Re: bent shaft

Shaft wobble...you can watch the end of the shaft with the engine on muffs and you can usually see the wobble...Run it without the prop to look at this...put it in gear (water running) and don't go over about 1000RPM...700-800 is fine.

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: bent shaft

I usually just give the prop a spin while it's on the trailer and not running. If there is a visible wobble, take it in for an estimate. Insurance should cover it. If you can see a visible wobble looking at the end of the propshaft, there is a significant chance of further damage to the gears inside. It could still be bent enough to cause concern if it's not obvious. That would need to be measured with special tooling. But if you can see it, it's way bad enough to justify serious concern.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: bent shaft

There is a simple way to test for a bent shaft. Clamp or tape a pencil, pen, phillips screw driver, or other pointed object to any type of support (wood blocks or whatever is handy to form a stand). Position the point close to and directly at the center of the prop shaft. Rotate the prop. Even the slightest bend will show up as the shaft wobbles around the point. Continuing to run a bent shaft will eventually do damage.