ST 4000 wheel pilot

[bpalmer]

My Autohelm, which has infrequent use, has begun "binding", ie the clutch grabs the belt when it's supposed to be OFF. The lever remains in its normal position -- ie it's not the lever moving into the ON position. When turning the wheel with the pilot switched OFF, it grabs as if it is ON, preventing the wheel from turning. The belt was new a year ago. Lifting/wobbling the drive motor, ie moving the drive belt slightly with respect to the wheel, sometimes relieves the problem, indicating to me that alignment might be the issue. But nothing has changed there, and I can't see any misalignment.
Any experiences/ideas? Thanks.

 

[davel]

Check the support section of www.raymarine.com.

They have a searchable FAQ area that deals with a lot of common questions. They also have a bit that will allow you to post your question and they'll get back to you with a reply within 48hours.

 

[HaraldS]

Re: Raymarine a black hole?

Don't know your Autopillot, so can't give any advice on it. But if you do send in a request to Autohelm (Raymarine) like suggested, I would like to know if you get and answer. Especially if it comes back within 48 hours as advertised.
I had some good experience last year, but this year I have sent a request in twice, two and three weeks ago, and got no response so far...

 

[Piers]

Try calling Davie Wellcome of Raymarine - 02392 693611 extn 1614 - who has said I can give his name to you.

Dave is the engineering 'guru' on autopilots, and will certainly be able to help.

Dave is the Raymarine's main contact for the MBM cruising club.

Piers du Pré
MBM Cruising Club enthusiast
www.dupre.co.uk

 

[jtwebb]

There is a known problem with the 'clutch' mechanism which might be the problem. The lever turns a shaft via a roll pin. After a while the naff bearing causes the shaft to seize and the roll pin breaks. The lever then rotates, the autopilot works after a fashion but not properly. Look closely at the shaft as you move the lever and check all is turning. If not, remove wheel, separate the two halves of the circular drive and dismantle the offending bit. You can buy a new lever and roll pin.

There is a comment later about the Web site query black hole. I put a query in and got nothing back. Had to ring up.

J Webb