Beta 30 with VP 120S saildrive - help diagnose rattle sound

[West Coast]

Set up is a 3 year old Beta 30 coupled to an older but serviceable VP 120S saildrive, with the Beta adaptor plate. Over past 2 weeks a rattle noise has developed. It is a dry rattle noise, seems to be coming from the back of the engine area, where it connects to the saildrive. It is there at all engine revs, doesn’t change frequency with changing engine revs, just sounds like a loose metallic rattle. Have checked all external items, nothing obvious. There is still drive to the saildrive and the gears in the saildrive seem to be working normally.

Suspicion is the dry coupling between the engine and the saildrive, but I’m no expert!

Any ideas as to what this might be, and if safe to run the engine meantime?
Video to follow

 

[West Coast]

Video of the problem

DA42BBD5-4F6C-4FCE-BD0F-93D85E6312C8.MOV

 

[scottie]

What form does flywheel adapter (drive plate) take if there are springs involved that may be an answer

as for being safe that might be dependant on what use you are thing of

a lot of manoeuvring would definitely be more stress than a constant flat water run I would think

 

[West Coast]

Thanks for the response - don’t know the adaptor type for sure, cannot find for sure online what type is used for the beta engine to VP saildrive adaptation. Use would be longer term running in windless conditions with occasional fwd reverse during typical mooring operations

 

[scottie]

Worth talking to beta as they have an excellent reputation for customer relation or do you know who did the replacement then ask them

 

[Yngmar]

Sounds very much like something rattling around in the flywheel housing, perhaps a broken spring from the damper plate, or a loose screw? Probably worth having a peek in there sooner rather than later. Eventually it gets ground up to fine dust and stops rattling, but it might've been something you miss later

 

[West Coast]

Thanks all, we stopped at ardfern to let the beta engineers there take a look - consensus was the drive plate. The boat is on way home from the cruise, back this weekend so decided to sort the problem when home.