Hurth HBW 150 on a Phasor (Kubota) engine rebuild

[CHM]

Scenario: 1988 Beneteau Moorings 432 with a Phasor 49hp engine likely installed around 2003. The engines were sold with above transmission. I have had the well known issue of poor shift to forward but no problem in reverse which is said to be due to worn clutch plates or thrust washer. In any case, I am at the point of rebuild or replacement. I am writing this post for others as I could not find specific informations related to my boat.

The job: so, finding rebuilt 150s or new ZF 15Ms is not a problem. Alternatively, one can install a Twin Disk which has better reviews for reliability. Removing the existing unit is not easy to say the least. The prop shaft isn't bad. Shift to forward to lock shaft, remove bolt, shift to neutral, rotate shaft by hand to next bolt, repeat. I also left index marks everywhere possible for installing linkages etc. The bell housing or adapter plate has 8 bolts on this setup. They are 14 mm. Use a 1/4 inch drive if possible as there isn't much room for bigger wrenches due to other obstacles or the housing itself. The 2 bolt on the bottom are especially hard to access. Lots of pretzel moves and gymnastics.

I then had to unplug the engine harness and fuel return hose. The throttle cable linkage needs to be removed so you can remove the transmission. Then crawl in the engine space and push the prop shaft back about 2 inches. In theory, the whole trams should slide off the flywheel. NO. Not that easy. tap housing with a hammer and work it loose with a pry bar carefully. Now you can slide the unit back and clear the flywheel/damper plate.


The linkage in my boat required an 8mm socket and 11 mm socket and this may be unique to my situation.

Next step: either remove trans and adapter housing as a unit or remove the four Allen bolts holding the plate youths trans for easy removal from engine space. This is where I am at now. Hope to update soon


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[CHM]

Update: gear is out and disassembled from housing.
I was going to have it rebuilt but got a good price on a new one so will replace it with a new damper plate. I've read a lot about issues with these transmissions but there are many folks who have hundreds of hours on them so I will take my chances.


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[CHM]

Update: New transmission installed easily. I then took time to measure my drive cable travel to insure complete shifting which requires 30mm in both directions. Unfortunately, my drive cable was not centered correctly and I only had 26mm in reverse which may have contributed to the demise of the old trans. I had to disassemble the control at the helm to adjust the shift cable. I also replaced the linkage fastener at the shift arm due to corrosion. All is functioning perfectly now. Hope this helps anyone working on their boats.


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[Antares Sky]

Did you end up finding out what was worn out in the original hurth was it clutch plates or thrust washers?Did you get it rebuilt as a spare?


Glen

[Ocoast]

I have a HBW 125 in my boat. It took two hours to swap out. I had a spare rebuilt transmisson. Rebuild kit is $225. The issue is not having the shifter adjusted correctly. It causes wear if not fully in foward.

[ErikFinn]

Originally Posted by CHM

I've read a lot about issues with these transmissions

Hi CHM, could you please include some links or notes where you have read and learned about these trannies? For any possible future help for members going through same as you. Thanks.

[CHM]

At this time, I have the original transmission in my garage as a spare. I have not rebuilt it yet and may just sell it as a "core". The clutch plates and thrust washer are typically replaced but the tricky part of the rebuild is shimming the case for proper shifting forward and reverse. I downloaded the Hurth manual from the net as a reference and decided on a new transmission vs rebuilt. If I rebuilt it myself, it would have been the cheapest way to go. I found a ZF dealer nearby and decided their experience was worth the extra money. Once I had the transmission, I had to mate it to the Phasor engine drive saver and adjust the linkage which was also a problem.


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