Alignment

LakeHoliday wrote: Eric, Page 27 of the Borg Warner Velvet Drive Installation Manual (the Reference section of this site is awesome!) states the Propeller and Output Shaft Alignment should be checked anytime the propeller strikes a heavy object and also after the boat has been lifted by a hoist or moved on a trailer. Does everyone here check their alignment everytime they trailer their boats somewhere? I'll be bringing home a Mustang hopefully soon (about 300+ miles). Should I check the alignment before putting it on the lake? Thanks, Brice

I check my alignment every spring. Once it has sat on the lift for a couple weeks I check it, this year it gets checked twice since the trans was out. Everybody says how smooth my boat runs. Its 21 years old now too.

To get it to slide side to side use your 1 1/8" wrench to move it instead of a pri-bar. The wrench over the mount will distribute the forces more evenly.

Tim

they are so much easier once you clean them and lube them, they will practically move effortlessly once you do this, take the extra time to get your alignment correct, it will save you in the long run and your boat will perform that much better

some times they rust in place and are a real pita to remove, it sounds like if you can't move them side to side, i will remove 1 at a time and cabinet blast them and never seize them, but are you capable of this? heat from a mapp gas torch will also possibly break them loose but now your in a gray area with open flame. what are your alignment readings now?

i don't know what PB Blaster is, but i tried using a couple different compounds on them, and the prybar i used was huge already. i made an appointment with west coast correct craft to have them align it next month, but i still don't see how they are going to be able to.   what is PB Blaster and where can i find it?

if your out .004 you can temporarily, any further you may do damage. id really try to get it straightened out. take some pics and we;ll try to figure it out for you

Ace, the year does not matter, its still done the same way. .003 is a thin blade.

whoa your awesome thank you!

what the heck is a "feeler" that your using to get these measurements????

the dry rubber may be causing this in the strut, spray a touch of silicone to lube and then spin, check your alignment...dont put it off

Tullfooter, the Midwest CC guy Jeff told me that I should run straight 40 weight in it all year round. He said when it's cold it will trun over a little slower, but give it an extra minute of warm up time when it's cold and no problems.

I followed his advice no probs here.

i would only use a screwdriver to seperate the halves when your not watching..
my first sentence shouldve been, common sense required lol   eric

David
The reason to remove the propshaft packing assembly is because if the shaft has been sitting off for a while the rubber "trains" to that position. The cutlass bearing and strut will tell you by feel where the propshaft wants to be. If the rubber is pushing the shaft to its trained position its harder to feel where the cutlass wants the shaft to be. Once recentered the rubber will flex and retrain, and you will be reclamping it into the correct position. Sure you should support it while its unattached, I just slid the propshaft back up against the tranny when I wanted to let go. I am sure the cutlass and strut designed to hold up to so many pressures could handle the weight of the shaft, but supporting it is probably a good idea.

Justin131313 wrote: Steve, you can tell if the resistance is the propshaft packing by taking off the hose clamps and sliding the whole packing assembly up the shaft a couple of inches. Then this wont be part of the equation. Then if you take a couple ore minutes and remove the four bolts hlolding the shaft to the trans you cann determine really quick how well you are aligned. It takes longer to remove all of the interior than it does to check all of this. Actually alinging it as Eric said could take a while. Took me about an hour of nudging this way and that. Thats not counting removing the interior and dissasembling everything and doing the reverse. I didnt have a helper so I was in and out of the boat a hundred times. Get a helper.

I do not see how this can be a good method. If you remove the rubber hose from the shaft log, AND disconnect from the tranny, then you are essentially supporting the drive shaft only via the cutlass bearing. This will put a terrible out of alignment condition on the cutlass bearing for sure.

I always try to center the shaft in the cutlass bearing longitudinally and then support the shaft with the packing assembly (i.e. shaft log, hose, packing. Or, I support the shaft with a wood block). Then I move the engine to match up to the coupling.

Worth the trouble to adjust the alignment now, or pull the shaft as the first order of business? Thanks Eric!