Tips for removing flange off 45mm propshaft (replacing stuffing box with PSS seal)

[kashurst]

It's off! that's all that matters!
good luck with the shaft seals

 

[superheat6k]

Nice one Vas - you won't regret using the PSS seals.

 

[vas]

thanks guys, for good measure I'll relocate the temp sensors currently living in the oil return pipe of the g/box to them, make sure they're happy and cool.
Nothing fancy sensors are DS18B20 in their waterproof ss jacket, so a couple of tie wraps for a month will do, then I'll revert them back to gbox oil temp duties (which is a rather boring task...)

 

[Bandit]

"scottie said:
Are the shafts reversible ?

? you mean turn it round and fit the prop on the now flange side?
No idea if the taper is the same and anyway wont be removing the props now . Mind if it is reversible, all the hammered bits are going to end on the p-bracket cutless bearing, not ideal "

It was normal to make the taper on the coupling and the propeller the same so that the shaft could be turned around end for end for longer life, so that the wear from the Stern Tube and the P Bracket then fell on parts of the shaft that were not critical ie a new piece of shaft was exposed to the stern tube and the bit that had been exposed to the stern tube was then ahead of the cutless bearing when reversed.

You see critical wear on commercial stainless steel shafts but hardly ever on leisure boats, probably a hangover from the days of softer bronze shafts which wore more quickly. Most shafts today are parallel at the coupling end with a key and tapered at the prop end with a key. If you do end for end the shafts you will need to bed the prop to the shaft using a fine grinding paste to get a good fit.

 

[burgundyben]

Those shafts with tapers both ends can usually be 'end for ended' so worn areas by cutlass bearing or shaft gland can run on virgin shaft.

 

[scottie]

Unfortunately the coupling bosses are often too short for the taper length so that is what sparked the original question

 

[vas]

without measuring them accurately and without having the prop out, 45mm shaft, taper sizes seem comparable just under 100mm for the coupling side, prop boss is also around that (will measure it today)
TBH now with the stuffing box removed and sealing taking place differently with the PSS and the cutless bearing area looking like the pic below, I don't think I have to worry about for a few more years:

[the zig-zag pattern is me pulling it out, it's smooth and clean]

btw, port fitted as well, so only need to compress the metal ring against the belows and secure it down - got to remember to do it before relaunching...

V.

 

[superheat6k]

Those shafts with tapers both ends can usually be 'end for ended' so worn areas by cutlass bearing or shaft gland can run on virgin shaft.

When I considered this for my Corvette the pitted area where the old gland seal sat if end for ended would have sat right in the outer cutless bearing where the sharp edges would have ripped the cutless to bits, so I had to replace the shaft (cheaper than any re-metalling process I could find).