You can jack the coupling off the shaft using the coupling bolts and a spacer that sits on the end of the shaft within the coupling. A spacer could be a nut or a few washers . Place the spacer in the coupling so that when the flanges meet you have a small gap. Put the bolts back in and tighten them evenly, the spacer will start pushing on the end of the shaft. Keep adding more spacers until the coupling is pushed right off.
I have been contemplating a similar project to replace my "Maincraft /tides Marine" prop shaft seal, system.(I think my thrust bearing is also loosing its grip on the shaft and allowing a bit of forward movement of the shaft; opening up the seal when pushing the engine hard. Research has revealed that It seems every system (including a stuffing box) claim to be the best... I had planned to tie up alongside the scrubbing posts but have now done some further research and opted to get the boat out! The most useful information that clinched the decision was that "The fastest way to get water out of a boat is a frightened man with a bucket!" another tip was to keep a bicycle inner tube alongside the sterntube. in the event of total failure/split flange etc. tie it tight and keep wrapping it around all the old rags and stuffing, pulling it tight as you go . Allegedly this will keep you afloat long enough to sail/row/tow home....
You should put a screwdriver in the split and you pry the two apart just a little bit. That’s how my prop guy does it. Also, anyone watching this video who is going to try to do this in the water should realize. Moving the shaft back may not be successful. If you’re Propeller hits the rudder or if you have shaft zincs that hit the strut preventing you from moving the shaft. keep that stuff in mind before you attempt the job. You need to know how far the shaft can travel without being obstructed.
Intense… your braver than I would be on that job. I did find what you has to say about the PSS seal interesting. When we were in the yard after purchasing our boat, I had the shaft pulled and serviced along with the prop. The yard convinced me to replace my Tidesmarine seal with a PYI PSS seal. The reasoning was due to how the Tidesmarine seal wore a spot into the shaft. The yard guy said his preference was with the PSS because of how the seal mounted to the shaft and sealed agains the carbon bellow face vs having a rubber seal spin around the shaft. I wish I could share the picture with you, but there was a nice shinny 3/4” wear in the shaft from the Tidesmarine seal. My PSS seal has been working good, but they do need to be serviced and mine is four years old now. I have it on the list for my next haul out.
I know you've probably done this already, but all you need to do is gently spread the fitting in the slot, with a chisel, or some heat from a blowtorch to expand it, Also be aware your prop shaft doest slide all the way out! 😂 one way to stem flow is to wrap plastic bags around the shaft outside then as the pressure forces the bag into the gaps it makes a semi permanent seal. Well done for giving it a go first times the scariest, after that it's just a meh that's not so bad!
Hi Lee, Sara. Thanks for this video. I’ve been wanting to learn more about the Tidesmarine seal. My former boat Snow Gum has a PYI PSS setup. I got to play with it a bit and install a new one while helping Volvo techs replace gearboxes and couplings a few times. Which leads to a suggestion. From listening to you I can tell you’re on top of this but it won’t hurt for me to emphasise the importance of eliminating vibration in the engine to propeller drive train. Our coupling failures were caused by poor alignment during build, so I applaud your efforts to chase that down. It matters, even if you have an Aquadrive. Coupling bolts will be fatigued by the vibration and the threaded bolt holes in the flywheel itself will be damaged, leading to repeat failures of the coupling bolts. It can become a nightmare. Regards, Rick.
I've had the bands break, yes the boot came forward and lots of water ingress. All bilges on and manual help to remove the water. Not once but three times this has happened. I love the access you have, i have a side access under a bunck that is an 8 inch by 4 inch hole you can only fit one arm in to remove the broken band, lever the boot back onto the mount and try to feed the new tension clamp on without marking the drive shaft. Balancing a torch to see what your doing while you perspire like a fire hose and feeling your losing it when suddenly it all popped into place, an 8mm socket washes out from under the boot which now makes sense why it wasn't on properly in the first place. You really feel great after an event like this but wish there was better access to all engine spots. I love watching and learning from you but please do it before I've done it LOL 😅
I know I'm late : Sorry but if the bellows fail on your new seal you will have the same problem. First remove the bellows from the stern tube forward on the shaft and stuff it with a large one piece rag really tight. this will stop the flow and make it easy to remove later. You will need a wedge hammered into the slot to relieve that half coupling to ease removal. Also there could be another locking feature there. I shall watch the next vid to see what happens. :0)
Lee what is the "L" Shaped Bar that is Fwd of your PSS shaft seal that looks to touch the drive shaft is it a pulse probe for RPM indication or Electrical conductor for Negative earth for bonding and or Lightning strikes ?????
Are you sure you want to run your raw water outlet to the shaft seal? I'm assuming you are going to tee off the hose that goes into the wet exhaust elbow? Typically the shaft seal water inlet tube(s) are connected to a small forward facing scoop thru hull, so when the boat is moving through the water it provides a low volume/ pressure supply of water to the seal. I worry that if you connect the seal to the raw water pump outlet that you could provide way too much pressure and volume. That water needs to go out through those small passages in the bushing and then out the prop tube. If you have too much pressure or volume it could bypass or damage the seal. Also you would be pushing warm water into the seal, this might be good in cold waters, but in most circumstances I think would not be good.
Get a flat screw driver and place it into the slot and tap it into the gap to open it no heat or Chisel and as said plastic bag out side on the Shaft will slow the seawater flow. Great Vlog on not to do if you have never done it before.
what does the cutlass bearing housing, aft end look like, if it's protruding & just like the forward end of the stern tube, slide the shaft back as far a possible making adjustment to the pss compression as you go then wrap 4" wide flex tape around the tube & shaft to seal, to stem in flow, they say works under water. I guess the lip seal type of setup is good for gearbox/flywheel work in water as the seal is maintained not matter where the shaft is, nothing grabbed on to it !
What about making a puller by putting a socket that is just smaller than the shaft in between the flanges on the end of the prop shaft & on the end of the gearbox output or coupling shaft put longer bolts back in & tighten while tapping on the back of the coupling near the shaft not on the flange
Mnnn? Is stainless steel a good surface for a long life of a lip seal to run on, isn't it usually something like forged or cast steel as in gearboxes, engines etc. ?
While all these cleverly engineered devices will work for awhile, like anything else on a boat, they will fail at sometime. It probably won’t happen in your boat’s slip. Traditional stuffing boxes with flax and wax packing or newer materials that work similarly, can be maintained in the water and underway in a sailboat. Water in the bilge? So what. All the dust, sand, food crumbs that end up in the bilge will get pumped out by the bilge pumps. Traditional packing glands can be carefully adjusted after a short break-in period with all new packing to drip about one drop every minute and almost none when at rest. They have worked reliably for a long, long time since shaft drives have been used for propulsion.
I understand your anxiety with the PSS installation however I have tried lip seals and they leaked annoyingly from day one and created a groove in the shaft. You may have better luck.
Learned a lot again! But I fully understand that this is not nice working with a boat in the water. A long time ago i was an army diver. We used dry diving suits if it leaked at 50 m depth you weren't happy either...
Best best best thing you can do when it comes to your shaft seal. Dump those PSS ones. Great principle, not so good after time. Also the Lasdrop brand seal uses same principle as your Tidesmarine one.
Also to get coupling off shaft. Put a socket inside coupling and using longer bolts connect shaft coupling to gearbox half and evenly wind bolts up, this will pull halves together pushing socket onto shaft and hopefully pushing the shaft thru the split coupling. Tapers on shafts are the way to go. As if taoers are the same both ends you can reverse the shaft if ever needed due to wear.
You can jack the coupling off the shaft using the coupling bolts and a spacer that sits on the end of the shaft within the coupling. A spacer could be a nut or a few washers .
Place the spacer in the coupling so that when the flanges meet you have a small gap.
Put the bolts back in and tighten them evenly, the spacer will start pushing on the end of the shaft.
Keep adding more spacers until the coupling is pushed right off.
I have been contemplating a similar project to replace my "Maincraft /tides Marine" prop shaft seal, system.(I think my thrust bearing is also loosing its grip on the shaft and allowing a bit of forward movement of the shaft; opening up the seal when pushing the engine hard. Research has revealed that It seems every system (including a stuffing box) claim to be the best...
I had planned to tie up alongside the scrubbing posts but have now done some further research and opted to
get the boat out!
The most useful information that clinched the decision was that "The fastest way to get water out of a boat is a frightened man with a bucket!"
another tip was to keep a bicycle inner tube alongside the sterntube. in the event of total failure/split flange etc. tie it tight and keep wrapping it around all the old rags and stuffing, pulling it tight as you go . Allegedly this will keep you afloat long enough to sail/row/tow home....
You should put a screwdriver in the split and you pry the two apart just a little bit. That’s how my prop guy does it. Also, anyone watching this video who is going to try to do this in the water should realize. Moving the shaft back may not be successful. If you’re Propeller hits the rudder or if you have shaft zincs that hit the strut preventing you from moving the shaft. keep that stuff in mind before you attempt the job. You need to know how far the shaft can travel without being obstructed.
Intense… your braver than I would be on that job. I did find what you has to say about the PSS seal interesting. When we were in the yard after purchasing our boat, I had the shaft pulled and serviced along with the prop. The yard convinced me to replace my Tidesmarine seal with a PYI PSS seal. The reasoning was due to how the Tidesmarine seal wore a spot into the shaft. The yard guy said his preference was with the PSS because of how the seal mounted to the shaft and sealed agains the carbon bellow face vs having a rubber seal spin around the shaft. I wish I could share the picture with you, but there was a nice shinny 3/4” wear in the shaft from the Tidesmarine seal. My PSS seal has been working good, but they do need to be serviced and mine is four years old now. I have it on the list for my next haul out.
Drive a screwdriver into one of the slots in the flange to open the bore up to let the shaft slide out.
Often works but sltel wedges are better.
Geez Louise…This install WAY beyond my Pay Grade😜 But grateful somebody know how to do it…Continue to Stay Safe and Enjoy😎
I know you've probably done this already, but all you need to do is gently spread the fitting in the slot, with a chisel, or some heat from a blowtorch to expand it,
Also be aware your prop shaft doest slide all the way out! 😂 one way to stem flow is to wrap plastic bags around the shaft outside then as the pressure forces the bag into the gaps it makes a semi permanent seal.
Well done for giving it a go first times the scariest, after that it's just a meh that's not so bad!
A couple of steel wedges in the two slots works for me.
Hi Lee, Sara. Thanks for this video. I’ve been wanting to learn more about the Tidesmarine seal. My former boat Snow Gum has a PYI PSS setup. I got to play with it a bit and install a new one while helping Volvo techs replace gearboxes and couplings a few times. Which leads to a suggestion. From listening to you I can tell you’re on top of this but it won’t hurt for me to emphasise the importance of eliminating vibration in the engine to propeller drive train. Our coupling failures were caused by poor alignment during build, so I applaud your efforts to chase that down. It matters, even if you have an Aquadrive. Coupling bolts will be fatigued by the vibration and the threaded bolt holes in the flywheel itself will be damaged, leading to repeat failures of the coupling bolts. It can become a nightmare. Regards, Rick.
Oh goodness how nerve racking, you know what they say" the best laid plans"... great video, thank you...
I've had the bands break, yes the boot came forward and lots of water ingress. All bilges on and manual help to remove the water.
Not once but three times this has happened.
I love the access you have, i have a side access under a bunck that is an 8 inch by 4 inch hole you can only fit one arm in to remove the broken band, lever the boot back onto the mount and try to feed the new tension clamp on without marking the drive shaft.
Balancing a torch to see what your doing while you perspire like a fire hose and feeling your losing it when suddenly it all popped into place, an 8mm socket washes out from under the boot which now makes sense why it wasn't on properly in the first place. You really feel great after an event like this but wish there was better access to all engine spots.
I love watching and learning from you but please do it before I've done it LOL 😅
Another awesome video, great explanation, looking forward to part two.
Best sailing channel out there. You are legends ! 😂
I am just about to do the same in my boat. Great video to help me out. Especially with the set screw problem you talked about. Thank you!
Thanks again, Lee!
Merci pour le partage
Good luck. 🍀 See ya next week.
Nice work!
About the work boots. They work very well, however if you hear a Kiwi approaching RUN! 😉
Such as it on a boat. Try, try on some projects not working out as planned, Lee will figure it out.💪
He sure does ☺️
I know I'm late :
Sorry but if the bellows fail on your new seal you will have the same problem.
First remove the bellows from the stern tube forward on the shaft and stuff it with a large one piece rag really tight. this will stop the flow and make it easy to remove later.
You will need a wedge hammered into the slot to relieve that half coupling to ease removal. Also there could be another locking feature there. I shall watch the next vid to see what happens. :0)
Lee what is the "L" Shaped Bar that is Fwd of your PSS shaft seal that looks to touch the drive shaft is it a pulse probe for RPM indication or Electrical conductor for Negative earth for bonding and or Lightning strikes ?????
Bang a screw driver in slot on the flange to spread the joint, then slide it off.
Are you sure you want to run your raw water outlet to the shaft seal? I'm assuming you are going to tee off the hose that goes into the wet exhaust elbow? Typically the shaft seal water inlet tube(s) are connected to a small forward facing scoop thru hull, so when the boat is moving through the water it provides a low volume/ pressure supply of water to the seal. I worry that if you connect the seal to the raw water pump outlet that you could provide way too much pressure and volume. That water needs to go out through those small passages in the bushing and then out the prop tube. If you have too much pressure or volume it could bypass or damage the seal. Also you would be pushing warm water into the seal, this might be good in cold waters, but in most circumstances I think would not be good.
Get a flat screw driver and place it into the slot and tap it into the gap to open it no heat or Chisel and as said plastic bag out side on the Shaft will slow the seawater flow. Great Vlog on not to do if you have never done it before.
what does the cutlass bearing housing, aft end look like, if it's protruding & just like the forward end of the stern tube, slide the shaft back as far a possible making adjustment to the pss compression as you go then wrap 4" wide flex tape around the tube & shaft to seal, to stem in flow, they say works under water. I guess the lip seal type of setup is good for gearbox/flywheel work in water as the seal is maintained not matter where the shaft is, nothing grabbed on to it !
What about making a puller by putting a socket that is just smaller than the shaft in between the flanges on the end of the prop shaft & on the end of the gearbox output or coupling shaft put longer bolts back in & tighten while tapping on the back of the coupling near the shaft not on the flange
Mnnn? Is stainless steel a good surface for a long life of a lip seal to run on, isn't it usually something like forged or cast steel as in gearboxes, engines etc. ?
While all these cleverly engineered devices will work for awhile, like anything else on a boat, they will fail at sometime. It probably won’t happen in your boat’s slip. Traditional stuffing boxes with flax and wax packing or newer materials that work similarly, can be maintained in the water and underway in a sailboat. Water in the bilge? So what. All the dust, sand, food crumbs that end up in the bilge will get pumped out by the bilge pumps. Traditional packing glands can be carefully adjusted after a short break-in period with all new packing to drip about one drop every minute and almost none when at rest. They have worked reliably for a long, long time since shaft drives have been used for propulsion.
I understand your anxiety with the PSS installation however I have tried lip seals and they leaked annoyingly from day one and created a groove in the shaft. You may have better luck.
Hello 👋
Hi 👋
Maybe a torch can get it loose 😊
Hi
What a tease
*_ Actually, "Much to do about Nothing" _*
Guys this is so scary!!!
Your a keena man then me gunga din , A lift & Hold ???
Learned a lot again! But I fully understand that this is not nice working with a boat in the water. A long time ago i was an army diver. We used dry diving suits if it leaked at 50 m depth you weren't happy either...
Why do you need SaltAway to clean up when salt is 100% soluble in fresh water?
*_ Did we just watch a 21-minute video on a FAILED shaft coupling and seal removal with so many 'How to' repeated about six million times? ( FAIL!) _*
Best best best thing you can do when it comes to your shaft seal.
Dump those PSS ones. Great principle, not so good after time.
Also the Lasdrop brand seal uses same principle as your Tidesmarine one.
Also to get coupling off shaft. Put a socket inside coupling and using longer bolts connect shaft coupling to gearbox half and evenly wind bolts up, this will pull halves together pushing socket onto shaft and hopefully pushing the shaft thru the split coupling. Tapers on shafts are the way to go. As if taoers are the same both ends you can reverse the shaft if ever needed due to wear.
You have made a lot of repairs to your boat. Have you thought about renaming the boat? How about Lemon of the Sea. 😂
Guessing you own a shiny new mega yacht power boat, or you have never owned a boat.
Putting a spare seal on the shaft, with the retaining plate on the wrong side, is pointless.