Simrad WP10 Wheelpilot maintenance

[teknocholer]

Hello all. New member here. I wonder if anyone can give me some advice.
I have a Simrad WP10 Wheelpilot, purchased in 2000, owned by me since 2006. When I installed it this spring, the steering seemed stiff. I removed the unit, and the drive ring doesn't turn smoothly and makes a harsh noise when I rotate it.

Simrad no longer supports this device, and the manual says nothing about maintenance or how to open the case to change a drive belt (I have a spare belt).

My questions are:
(1) is any sort of lubrication needed or recommended for the WP10? and,
(2) can you point me to any information (preferably with pictures) on how to open the case?

The only reference I can find online doesn't say much, beyond suggesting that I am likely to end up with many small parts all over the floor, which is why I am taking the prudent approach and asking here.

[sailorchic34]

I assume you mean it binds when the engage lever is up.

There is an adjusting screw under the lever. Raise the lever up and using a small/tiny screwdriver, turn one way or the other to adjust belt tension, One way tightens, the other loosens.

If that does not work and it's still too stiff, you can remove the outer wheel, by loosing the 4 screws on the back top of the wheel. Loosen 1 or 2 turns, but don't remove. This loosens the idler pulleys and allows you to pop the outer rim off.

Issues could be:

Stuck clutch plate (metal bit with two idle wheels by the drive wheel, which should slide easily up and down.

The plastic sleeve that the idler pulleys runs in could be loose.

[teknocholer]

Thanks so much for your quick reply. The tension adjustment made no difference, but following your advice I removed the drive ring. I actually had to loosen all six screws on the back to give enough play to remove the ring, but it came off with no parts making a dash for freedom.

The problems I can see are: first, the inside of the unit is quite dirty, with a layer of grime over everything; second, the metal liner inside the drive ring is scored as if something has been scraping against it. Either of these issues could account for the harshness in the operation of the unit. The clutch plate rollers look likely to be the cause of the scoring. The ends of the bolts holding the nylon rollers are rather sharp, and could be making contact with the ring, although they don't stick out very much.

So the first step is a good cleaning of the interior, then I will try filing the ends of the roller bolts a little. I'm tempted to put a drop of light oil on the idlers and the clutch plate as well, although I'll have to be careful not to get any on the belt. I'll report when I'm done.

Thanks again for your invaluable advice.