New prop shaft installation, grease?

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Spyro

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I'm hoping fit my new prop shaft soon, should I apply any grease to the the shaft at the coupling end to ease removal in future, it's a split coupling tightened with 4 bolts and a locking bolt into a dimple on the shaft. Also should I apply any grease on the taper before fitting the prop?
 
2 nos but can you explain why?
The reason I ask was because I used to have a powerboat (:o:o:o) with a stern drive with a splined shaft. the advice was to grease the splines before fitting the prop.
 
The transfer of energy from coupling to shaft to prop depends on friction at the tapers.

Grease could reduce the friction, so general engineering practice is not to grease. I agree that it can be a b****r to remove the prop of shaft later!
 
A splined shaft must be greased on assembly or it will wear terribly.Your coupling needs friction to stay put.The same goes for a taper fitting as in the prop.Hope this helps.
 
Spyro said:
I'm hoping fit my new prop shaft soon, should I apply any grease to the the shaft at the coupling end to ease removal in future, it's a split coupling tightened with 4 bolts and a locking bolt into a dimple on the shaft. Also should I apply any grease on the taper before fitting the prop?
Click to expand...

Grease the bolts by all means for future dismantling, but the split coupling relies on friction to hold the shaft and in any event once the bolts are removed will separate )as you have discovered) - so no grease there then.
BTW - don't over tighten greased bolts, it is easy to shear bolts with little or no friction to overcome.

The shaft, as I discovered repeatedly on my own boat, is friction clamped and must not be greased. My shaft was repeatedly "ejected" from the coupling and it took forever to figure out why, lack of torque and an oily shaft and coupling was the ultimate reason!
 
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