Lewmar deck block/fairlead servicing

[Cardinal]

May I please
ask for any practical guidance on servicing this deck mounted block/fairlead. Should it come apart if the small screw on the plate on the upper face is removed? All seems solid upon removing that screw and I do not wish to apply force until assured of the correct approach.

 

[Bobc]

No. Just squirt some silicone spray into it and spin it up a bit

 

[Cardinal]

Thanks but the sheave in one of these has seized solid. That suggests to me that the bearings or bearing surfaces have rusted?

 

[Bobc]

No bearings in it. Use release agent and some heat

 

[RunAgroundHard]

There was a post on this type some time ago, same issue. If I remember correctly, the busing is pressed in. I cant remember what the post stated but I think they managed to free it up and may have pressed out the bushing, but I am guessing here. Try searching the forum using Google Advanced Search, not the forum search tool.

 

[Cardinal]

Thanks both for your advice.

 

[DinghyMan]

There was a post on this type some time ago, same issue. If I remember correctly, the busing is pressed in. I cant remember what the post stated but I think they managed to free it up and may have pressed out the bushing, but I am guessing here. Try searching the forum using Google Advanced Search, not the forum search tool.

The pin is shaped like a clevis pin - it has a larger head end and needs to be pressed out from the thin end else there is a great risk of breaking the housing

Sheave may well be size 2 from LEWMAR Replacement Sheaves sheave for Ocean blocks Sizes 1,2 & 3 Location 3/11 | eBay (nothing to do with me, just had this saved from previous searches) with a sintered bush added to take the middle down from 13mm to 10mm

 

[West Coast]

I had the same problem, no amount of penetrating spray would work. In the end, I removed it from the boat and was able to drive out the pin from the underside of the housing. As said already, be careful not to break the housing by supporting it well. The pin came out fairly easily

 

[Cardinal]

Thanks for this advice. Removal seems to be the way to go. I hope that the attachment screws are into captive nuts as it will otherwise be a pita to remove.

 

[TLouth7]

If you search "footblock" you will see various earlier threads on this issue. Typically you need to drill the top off the pin to remove it, destroying it in the process. It's a pretty easy job to turn up a new pin though.

However the top of yours doesn't quite look the same as standard. Either it's a different model to those I have seen before, or a previous owner decided to make a removable pin when they did the same job before. I'd certainly try walloping or best pressing it with a suitable drift, in my experience the castings can take quite a lot of abuse.

Annoyingly I just did my second one, but now I can't find the replacement sheave I bought...

 

[rotrax]

Our boat had a two-dimensional angled double footblock. I needed a quadruple one.

Unable to buy one I stripped it down, made a sandwich plate, added two ebay sheaves-7 quid each?- and replaced the top plate, using longer bolts. Two seasons on, works fine.

Sheaves, in various dimensions and materials, dont appear to be hard to find.

 

[Cardinal]

Thanks. Sadly the thread linked in your 2018 post seems no longer to be available. I‘ll see how I get on once the block is removed and if the pin can then be removed I shall have options.

 

[TLouth7]

It doesn't help much but here is a photo of one of my blocks with the drilled out pin, the bushing and the broken sheave. The amount of wear on the inner diameter of the sheave was impressive, but it seems like maybe you have the opposite problem.

 

[Cardinal]

Thanks again. Yes, my problem is a jammed sheave which may be fixed by driving out the pin and cleaning it and the sheave.