Cutlass bearing or something else?

[wpc691]

Wanted to take the Admiral out for an instructional cruise with the new AIS. Got 100 yds from the dock when we heard a loud squawking noise for a few seconds from the back of the boat. I first thought it was somebody putting down a lift - it sounded just like it. We went another 50 yds and heard it again. The Admiral took the helm and I jumped down in the engine room, heard the squawk again just as I lifted the hatch. Saw the shroud on the stuffing box on the port shaft pulsing up and down about 3/16” and the stuffing box leaking about 3 drops a second. Shut that engine down, and returned to the dock. Went back to the engine room, nothing seemed amiss except the stuffing box leaking a drop every 2 seconds. I backed the stuffing box off, then retightened (probably tighter than usual), slowing the leak to a drop a minute. Today, my diver went under the boat...I was thinking he might find a palm frond wrapped up in the shaft...but didn’t. Said the wheel, shaft and struts looked fine. Rotated both wheels, said the port was harder to turn than starboard...maybe that’s an over-tightened stuffing box. No runout that he could see in the shaft. I went down in the engine room while he rotated the shaft, and didn’t see or hear anything unusual. I tried to wiggle the shaft and couldn’t. I’ve read quite a few threads here about bad cutlass bearings, but I don’t recall any reports of loud howling noises or shaft wobble. It almost seems like that kind of motion in the shaft would have to come from the transmission end. The boat was running perfectly right up to the moment it started squawking - no noises, no vibration, although we were at idle, so maybe not surprising. Any thoughts? I’ll be back in the engine room tomorrow with a pry bar to see if I can get something to wiggle. Anything else I should look for or try? Should I just head for haulout before something really breaks?

[SEVEN]

I just heard a high pitch went I went into gear, only at low RPM and only on the outside of the boat. I am going to haul out and have the bearings checked. Let me know what you find out.

[wpc691]

I just heard a high pitch went I went into gear, only at low RPM and only on the outside of the boat. I am going to haul out and have the bearings checked. Let me know what you find out.

Will do. This noise was REALLY loud. A woman crossing in front of me in a Sea Ray almost drove into the mangroves - I guess she thought I was blasting her with my emergency horn.

[SEVEN]

Totally different than mine. It was a very high pitch and only for a couple of seconds when I put her into gear.

[Scarlett]

Had that happen once on a boat and it turned out to be the rubber in the cutlass bearing had come loose and had folded over so it was actually jamming the shat in the bearing, like you said making the shaft very hard to turn by hand. Cure was obviously to replace with a new bearing. Seemed like a pretty weird thing to me but it happened. John

[Byresch]

I had one go out but the sound was a loud squeal. You could hear it all over the boat. People on other boats look over at us to see what was happening. Mine was the port side, replaced both to be on the safe side.

[wpc691]

Thanks guys, sounds like I’m in the market for new cutlass bearings. I did loosen up the stuffing box and verify that the shaft in question is much more difficult to turn. The amount of deflection I observed in the shaft while running is still pretty surprising. If it happened to be at a resonant frequency, I guess I should count myself lucky the shaft didn’t snap; maybe I’ll have it Magnafluxed while it’s out.

[Pascal]

Thanks guys, sounds like I’m in the market for new cutlass bearings. I did loosen up the stuffing box and verify that the shaft in question is much more difficult to turn. The amount of deflection I observed in the shaft while running is still pretty surprising. If it happened to be at a resonant frequency, I guess I should count myself lucky the shaft didn’t snap; maybe I’ll have it Magnafluxed while it’s out.

Since you re going to pull the shaft then absolutely get it magnafluxed. Personally having suffered a shaft failure once, I will have them magnafluxed every time they come off whatever the reason and every 5 to 6 years regardless.

[oscarvan]

Since you re going to pull the shaft then absolutely get it magnafluxed. Personally having suffered a shaft failure once, I will have them magnafluxed every time they come off whatever the reason and every 5 to 6 years regardless.

Out of curiosity what's a ballpark figure for that? Thanks.

[Pascal]

Not sure... I don’t think it was billed separately. Whatever the chemicals costs which is nothing compared to a new wheel!