TWL: Shaft Alignment
Subject: TWL: Shaft Alignment
Thataway@XXX.XXX
Date: Tue May 01 2001 - 15:38:04 EDT
How to align shaft. First I would pull the shaft and have a shaft machine
shop check it for straightness and balance. This is a good time to check
deflection due to the shafts weight. I would place the shaft coupling put on
the shaft and have the face trued. Then with the new cutlas bearing you can
check the strut alignment--if the bore of the log is out, this gets more
complicated, and probably you can correct it satisfactorily with the engine
alignment. The engine has to be absolutely aligned in all three planes, up
down: sideways and angle. Remember that the weight of the shaft will cause
some deflection so some boats are lasser sighted to be sure that the center
of the output shaft is right in the center of the bearing/log run. After
this is verified, then using feeler guages the engine mounts and moved to
make no more than .003 of an inch out of the faces of the coupling as you
turn the shaft. You should turn the shaft to all four quadrants and check
each.
Some folks will accept .006 inches, but less than .003 is better.
Bob Austin
Pensacola, FL
