Replacing Cutless Bearing

[BradV]

Hi everyone I have a 1972 43 Double cabin with twin ford 427 and Paragon P-45 transmissions. We are hearing a grinding noise (when in forward or reverse) below the aft cabin on the port side and we believe it is the Cutless bearing. When we spin the prop manually (its on land now for winter) it is difficult and it squeaks loudly. The port side doesn't squeak and it isn't nearly as difficult to spin. (We replaced the dampening plate as well to see if that would fix the problem)

We were looking and there are two struts per shaft the most forward one we have been told is basically used for alignment of the shaft and is unlikely the one causing the grinding noise as they typically do not fail. Is this correct?

Our shaft is 1 3/4", the forward strut is 7 inches long and appears to be 2 3/8" bearing diameter. The back strut closest to the prop is 9 inches long which I noticed is very uncommon after some internet searches and some have even said they only make cutless bearings 7 inches long with the shaft being 1 3/4" and a bearing diameter of 2 3/8. We are thinking that there is 2 inches of empty space in the strut but wanted to get everyone's opinion on this.

I'm planning on purchasing the Strut-pro to get the job done if we only need to remove the rear strut. If we have to remove and replace both we would have to remove the shaft anyway in order to get the bearing to the most front strut on the shaft.


Also if anyone has any idea what this grinding noise might be if not the cutless bearing that would be great.

Any recommendations for a good cutless bearing (fresh water low rpm)

Thank you in advance for the advice.

-Brad






The rope is tied on there to keep the tarp tied down.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Is the prop shaft aligned in the center of the strut? If not, there will be uneven wear. Can you move the shaft? Try lifting it up. Does it move or clunk? If so, then you need to replace the bearings.

 

[saltshaker]

If the rear bearings are shot and the intermediate bearings are old, I'd pull everything and do it right. Good time to replace the hoses on the shaft logs and inspect all the strut bolts. Call Sams. They have the bearings and will know the exact ones you need.

 

[Boatsb]

I think the aft struts have tapers at the front. Makes the tool useless. Like Jack said pull the shaft and replace the stuffing box hose too. Check the shaft for wear and wobble and if its all done right you have another 15 years of confidence in the boat.

 

[Boatnut]

While you are at it, it might be a good idea to check alignment as well.

 

[rsmith]

Their hard to turn and squeak because the bearings are rubber and dry from being out of the water. Give them a shot of soapy water or WD 40 and check again. I doubt it's the shaft bearings. Probably in the output thrust bearing in the trans. You should check the shaft bearings any how while it's out. One thing you will learn on this forum that even if it's only a bad float switch on the bilge pump you will be told to replace everything including the kitchen sink just to be safe since it's not their money.

 

[Boatnut]

Their hard to turn and squeak because the bearings are rubber and dry from being out of the water. Give them a shot of soapy water or WD 40 and check again. I doubt it's the shaft bearings. Probably in the output thrust bearing in the trans. You should check the shaft bearings any how while it's out. One thing you will learn on this forum that even if it's only a bad float switch on the bilge pump you will be told to replace everything including the kitchen sink just to be safe since it's not their money.

X2 on the replacing everything. I love the KISS principle, Keep It Simple Stupid.

 

[saltshaker]

I think the advice here is good. The responses he got was that IF the two main cutlass bearings are shot THEN he should do all four. If that's what needs to be done then why wouldn't you look at shaft log hoses etc? If you had 4 tires with 50K miles on them and the front were shot but the back ones had another 5K mile left in them, would you change just the front ones? The bigger question here is do the cutlass bearings need to be changed and is the noise he's hearing coming from them? Hard for any of us to say from here and pretty hard to diagnose with a boat that's been sitting on the hard for the winter. The cutlass bearings may or may not be the cause of the noise but if they need to be changed, there is a right way to go about it.

 

[saltshaker]

No one has mentioned this but when you hauled the boat what was the condition and location of the shaft and rudder zincs? I had a rudder zinc come loose and the chatter you'd hear inside the bilge sounded like a gear was about to come apart. A loose shaft zincs can slide back and chatter or squeal if it's resting on or wearing into the strut.

 

[workingonadream]

I have to agree with rsmith and his skepticism on it being the cutlass bearings, but hey , anything is possible. I say this because I had bearings that were worn, but didn't have any grinding noises. my 4year old bearings on the port side also squeak when I turned the prop last week which I attribute to being dry. you may have something else going on,and without being there to hear it I wont even take a guess. as for the tool it will work on the forward strut but not on the aft because it is tapered and all you will push against is the rubber which wont help you. I have the tool. luckily I have split shafts so I was able to remove the back half and cut out the aft bearing. it sounds like you will have to remove the shaft to do yours. if that is the case save your money and just cut them out if in fact it is the bearings making the grinding noise. I would look a little deeper into the problem. good luck

 

[Fanfare]

Shafts always look awful, especially where the bearings are. Rusty and rough. A good prop shop can make them look like new.

While they are out you may want to consider dripless shaft seals or renewing the packing of the stuffing boxes.