1993 Hunter 33.5

[Paul Cyre]

I'm going to change my cutlass bearing, and PSS Shaft Seal. I am in need of mentoring here. What is the best way to remove the shaft coupling at the engine, I am looking at the Buck Algonquin Flange puller for this. What is the best way to do this ? Once the coupling is removed is it recommended that it be replaced or reinstalled? Once the PSS seal is removed can the propeller shaft seal be removed without taking off the prop? With a new cutlass bearing installed can the shaft easily be reinstalled. Is there anything special to do or just pull on the shaft. I have good information on removing and replacing the cutlass bearing. Any and all information provided regarding these procedures will be read with great interest.
Thanks in advance

[Jim Cate]

Paul, I see that you haven't received any help with your query. I can't offer any advice, but will suggest that your thread title may not be helping you, for it sounds more like someone wanting general advice about a specific model of Hunter.

You might try re-posting with a title something like "How to remove shaft coupling and PSS seal", for that sort of advice isn't too model specific, and t here are some drive train gurus here on CF.

HOpe that you can get some useful help, mate!

Jim

[JPA Cate]

Paul, if you do want to change the title of the thread, report your first post by clicking on the red outliined triangle in the lower left of the post, or Jim's or mine, to the moderators with a request: they are able to do fix it for you!

Good luck with your job.

Ann

[LeGe]

Paul,

I have a 335 and I replaced the cutlass last season just after I bought it. The PO did not love her and the cutlass was so worn that most of the brass of the housing (the rubber part was long gone) was a little thicker than tin foil. I tried getting it out with the special cutlass puller but the bearing just disintegrated instead of pushing out. I ended up removing the strut to get the bearing out. I did this against the advice of countless "experts" but in the end all it took was some heat to break the strut lose from the bedding material - 5200 is a bear to get lose from but loses the battle easily when the metal is heated with a blow torch to "nice and hot" but not crazy hot. Just don't set the boat on fire. It really is easier than you think. Without heat though it is not possible. One caveat, your strut will most likely have a certain amount of spacers at each screw that holds it to the hull. These will stay in the bedding material initially. Do not loose them and make a good note of which came from where. Make sure you put the same number of spacers back at each screw to keep your alignment...

When you replace the strut it is not difficult to get it back to where it was because the bedding material will have a perfect imprint of where the strut came from and you will replace any spacer in the right position. I also made 2 marks perpendicular to the strut on the hull exactly 10" away from the center of the strut which means I could get it back to pretty much the exact place I took it off from.

BTW, use 4200 as a thin layer of bedding material when replacing the strut.you will thank,yourself if you ever have to take it off again. Nothing is so permanent that it justifies something so strong as 5200...my opinion of course.

If you do not remove the strut you will not be able to get the drive shaft out of the boat without removing the rudder. Something that will need a hole dug underneath the boat so the rudder can drop into it and way to much of a mission for my taste...

I haven't removed the drive shaft before but I'm thinking I might eventually do it to replace my aging dripless shaft seal which is slowly beginning to develop a small drip.

The best advise I heard for doing this is to remove the 2 bolts that hold the two flanges of the coupling together, place a nut or multiple washers with a slightly smaller diameter as the shaft between the ends of the drive shaft and the transmission shaft and replace and tighten the bolts that draw the two parts of the coupling together - you'll have to get longer bolts of the same diameter to make way for the spacers you place between the ends of the shafts first of course.

As you pull the two parts of the coupling together again you should "press" the drive shaft out of the flange of the coupling... Have not tried this myself but heard it works well and will try it when the time comes.

I was also told that you should not reuse the flange that you removed from the driveshaft but to use a new one that is press fitted onto the shaft. Not sure how you'll get the shaft back in but I think that you should be able to get it past the engine with the shaft seal removed and no need to try and thread it back through the strut.

That's my two cents worth. One thing I know is that working on your boat is often not as difficult as many othe "experts" say it is. Just be logical and methodical about it. Good luck and let us know how it went.

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by Paul Cyre

I'm going to change my cutlass bearing, and PSS Shaft Seal. I am in need of mentoring here. What is the best way to remove the shaft coupling at the engine, I am looking at the Buck Algonquin Flange puller for this. What is the best way to do this ? It won't come easy, but it will come. Tighten things up as far as you dare and hit it with a hammer.

Once the coupling is removed is it recommended that it be replaced or reinstalled? As long as you didn't destroy it you can reinstall it. After you have pushed the prop shaft through the cutlass bearing and reinstalled the dripless seal on it, then get it started in the coupling (being sure to line up any dimples in the shaft with their respective holes), put the prop shaft nut on to protect the threads, and whale on the end of the prop shaft with a 2x4. Better, have some else hold the 2x4 and whale on it with a 5 lb hammer.

Once the PSS seal is removed can the propeller shaft seal be removed without taking off the prop? Pull the prop as the first step, and hope you don't have to drop the rudder.

With a new cutlass bearing installed can the shaft easily be reinstalled. Yes--slide it on through the bearing toward the motor. Is there anything special to do or just pull on the shaft. Push it while rotating it a bit. I have good information on removing and replacing the cutlass bearing. Any and all information provided regarding these procedures will be read with great interest.
Thanks in advance

Good luck.

[seahag]

I have done these things by myself, which took agonizingly long, and with the help of a friend who pushed/pulled the shaft while twisting the prop ( wear gloves). It's almost necessary to have someone do that while you get the PSS back on. As for removing the coupling, I have pried them apart with a screwdriver and hammer. You may need a bunch of different lengths of hard wood to hammer on from whatever angles you can get some purchase at. This job is tough but doable. Lots of penetrating oil can help too. Be really careful with the set screws on the PSS because they are stainless and can easily strip and that means you get to start all over...my boat is set up so that all of this work could be done without removing the rudder or the prop but many rigs will require one or both to be taken off. keep the faith and believe that no matter what it takes you can do this no matter how bad it seems to get. That's the best advice I can send from here.