Stripped driveshaft

[Pirogue45]

I tend to do more harm than good when I work on a motor. I just bought a 1995 3.3hp Johnson. The motor was hardly used, but it’s the newest motor I’ve ever had so I wanted to do the typical maintenance on a motor that hasn’t been used in a while. This included replacing the impeller, which is located behind the prop in the driveshaft. After replacing the impeller, I was screwing the pump cover back on and ended up stripping the threads in the driveshaft. One step forward, two steps back. Any suggestions on how to fix this? I was thinking either longer or thicker bolts, but if that’s the case, do I need a machine shop to re-drill the holes? Below is an illustration from the manual and a few pictures I took.

 

[F_R]

Re: Stripped driveshaft

An outboard mechanics best friend is a Heli-Coil kit. It inserts a stainless steel insert in the stripped hole, restoring the original thread size. You can buy such a kit, but for a one-time job the machine shop may be cheaper. Better yet, an outboard repair shop. They will have the right size on hand, etc.

 

[boobie]

Re: Stripped driveshaft

Heli-Coil is the way to go. Have done a lot of them.

 

[Erik.C.]

Re: Stripped driveshaft

And heli-coils are easy to use and readily available.

 

[Pirogue45]

Re: Stripped driveshaft

Thanks guys. I think the helicoil will work perfect and come in handy on many future projects.

 

[steelespike]

Re: Stripped driveshaft

Doesn't look like much room but:
There is a slim chance that if the holes are deep enough you may be able to carefully use
longer bolts. There may be enough material to drill deeper and tap your own threads.
The illustration seems to indicate the bolts are short.
Is there enough material for a helical?