advice needed on cutlass bearing replacement ???

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gordon029

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advice needed on cutlass bearing replacement ???

Hello I have to replace the cutlass bearing on my seawolf 26 .It has a volvo 2001 engine with approx 1m x 25 mm shaft to "P" bracket which holds the problem bearing.I went today to look for the screws which are supposed to hold the bearing in place but all I found were two flush and headless studs.My questions are should I drill them out ,Is it necessary to remove the shaft and if so how do you get it past the rudder. If the shaft needs to come off does it need to be professionally realigned or can I do it .I hope someone out there knows more about this than I do and is happy to share the info.Thank you
 
Re: advice needed on cutlass bearing replacement ???

Yes, the shaft needs to come out, either backwards past the rudder or forwards by lifting the engine after you have uncoupled the shaft from the gearbox.

You may find one (or more) grub screws in the P bracket that stop the cutlass from moving. They could have either socket heads or slotted - probably buried under anti fouling so dig it out. These are just long enough to locate in a dimple in the outer shell of the bearing which is either brass of phenolic resin. Take the screw(s) out. Remove the cutlass either by making up a drift or cutting through the old cutlass with a hacksaw blade and levering the remains out. Press the new bearing in with a drift. Make sure you measure the shaft accurately as a 25mm shaft is very close to an inch shaft, but the cutlass is made to fit exactly. The outside diameters will be the same. A 1 inch shaft does not go thru a 25mm bearing and a 25mm shaft is a sloppy fit in a 1 inch!
 
Re: advice needed on cutlass bearing replacement ???

I removed the P bracket from the hull leaving the rudder and engine in place. Mine was bolted on with 4 bolts and bedded onto sikkaflex. I had to cut through the sikkaflex with a long thin knife. The bearing can the be removed easily away from the boat. I only replaced mine as I was taking the shaft out as it was bent and I replaced the coupling, bearing and stern tube seal.
Cutlass bearings should be loose on the shaft as the engine mooves on its flexible mounts.
On replacing the P bracket fit it dry first to check the alignment and use packers if necessary
 
Re: advice needed on cutlass bearing replacement ???

I also have a P bracket on my boat but have never had to remove the shaft to replace the bearing.
I have made pullers using a piece of piping sawn down its length, put back together around the shaft and clamped there with hose clips . Using brackets and threaded bar to pull out the old bearing .
Mine has grub screws that require an allan key to remove them.
pete
 
Re: advice needed on cutlass bearing replacement ???

If you have this sort of set up, this is how we replaced ours, remove prop, find a piece of tube that is roughly the diameter of the shaft, scaffold pole in our case, cut about 2 inches longer than the bracket, then slice it so that it can sit on the shaft, remove set screws, some times they will move some times the will need drilling, either way thay have to come out. Then with club hammer drive the old bearing out they do get tight but they are pretty tough so do not be afraid to give it some wellie, if you do not have enough room to apply the drift then you will have to remove the shaft and cut the bearing out. Rudders are generally fitted the same way as shafts, remove the tiller and drive the rudder post out of it's bearings.
cleanportprop.jpg


refiitng is easy apply a bit of grease to outside face of the bearing and drive it home using a piece of hardwood and the club hammer. Hope this helps
 
Re: advice needed on cutlass bearing replacement ???

You may find the grub screws have a very small allen key fitting on them that is clogged with anti foul, give them a poke in the middle with a pin or small nail.
Did mine last year. If you can get the shaft out easily by separating at the coupling and sliding it past the rudder after removal of the prop then the easiest and quickest method I found was to carefully cut out the old bearing with a hack saw.
I made a pusher with a length of threaded rod, nuts and some large washers for fitting of the new bearing.
 
Re: advice needed on cutlass bearing replacement ???

Two caveats:

1. Quite a lot of folks determine the cutless bearing needs replacing when they can move the shaft in the bearing. Movement in itself is not an indicator that it's time to go to all this trouble. Significant movement leading to rumble is the action standard.

2. For many boats, getting the shaft out is not a lot of fun. The ideas above, making a sleeve and driving the cutless over the end of the shaft, are good propositions. The caveat is not to place strain on the P bracket, unseat it or distort it, or you'll have double the work.

PWG
 
Re: advice needed on cutlass bearing replacement ???

Benefits of removing a shaft is the opportunity to check it for straightness as well as wear.
 
Re: advice needed on cutlass bearing replacement ???

In answer to your questions.
You shouldn't have to drill out the grub screws, as others have said dig out with a sharp object.
Removal of shaft is good as this is a job you won't do that often its worth knowing shaft is good.
Measure shaft and bearing carrier accurately at several places on the radius and length shaft can be worn or oval.
Our bearing size calculator is available here but check with the bearing manufacturer you choose as to their requirements.
Bearing size calculator

You can do the aligning yourself, easiest if you opt for a clearance fit for the bearing in the carrier, that way with shaft supported you should be able to slide the bearing in place and spin it in the P bracket.

Best not to hammer the bearing out, using a threaded press is far better, the P brackets are not designed to take shock loads.
like this

StrutRemove.gif
 
Re: advice needed on cutlass bearing replacement ???

I did say "if you can get the shaft out easily" I can do mine in about 20 mins this easily beats the time it would take to find the parts and make a puller that could remove the bearing whilst the shaft was left in place.
 
Re: advice needed on cutlass bearing replacement ???

I thank you all for your advice .It all sounds perfectily logical except when I come to these grub screws which as I said are flush with the surface of the "p" bracket without any grooves or holes for allen keys or screwdrivers.So have any of you come across this before and how did you sort out the problem?I like the idea of removing the shaft as the bracket does not look like it would withstand a determined assault with a hammer so the threaded rod approach seems like the gentler option.I just have to figure out how to get past the rudder as I would prefer not to have to remove it as well. Thank you all again for your valuable advice.
 
Re: advice needed on cutlass bearing replacement ???

Assuming shaft is removed:
Try and establish what the "grub screws" are by removing all crud so as to leave only a shiny metal surface.
If it is clear they can not be removed by unscrewing then the bearing must be removed in sections.
As cutting through rubber can be frustrating buy or borrow an electric sabre saw. If you can't then settle for a hack saw with new blade and coarse teeth and CAREFULLY divide the bearing into four sections by making four
equispaced cuts right through the bearing. Be careful not to cut into the carrier.
Peel out each section leaving the studded section last as it will need extra levering to remove it.
 
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