Alignment

make sure though that it is a press fit, that is one of the first signs of mis-alignment is a loose coupling which has been working on the shaft

it will still rock if it is bad as the screws haven't moved since they are safty wired and the coupling was pressed on when they where tightened and they'll ware too if the coupling as worn due to misalignment.

Also are you doing this in the water or on the trailer?

Thanks- I am doing this on the Trailer-is that not good?

yeah, this is a great post. thanks Eric!

Thanks again, I'm gonna go out and see where its at right now- I'll keep you all posted, thanks for the help!

Ive been accused of self promotion, but, i would pull the trans and take a peek, that is classic example of a severely mis-aligned transmission and imagine what happens when you force the two halves together with the bolts with a wrench, you load the ass end of the transmission, one other thing a mis aligned boat will do is create a drag also when connected because it cocks the input shaft in the planetary bushings and it will drag.
the answer to your other question of should the trans drag? and with the prop shaft connected in nuetral it should not drag, with the shaft dis-connected as it is now you should be able to turn the output coupling of the transmission freely by hand, this lets you know that if it does turn that you do not have warped clutch plates. If it does not turn then you do have warpage.
I would seriously pull that trans and look at it, it may still be working but with the alignment issue from what i see and if it has been like that for a while it has been running hotter than normal causing the lathe cut rings to harden up.
the planetary is probably worn into the case and i bet the trans internally has a few issues

Thanks again- to get my motor in alignment do I need to loosen the other 4 bolts that are for the up and down adjustment? When I put the couplings back together do I just line up the bolt holes? The two halves didnt seperate on there own, but I did not have to pry them apart either- it was fairly easy    Thank you

Hey Buffalo what do you use to tell if the shaft is centered in the strut bore, and what do I pry the motor around with without damaging boat bottom or stringers.   Baumanmt

Greg, Shaft concentricity in the cutlass is a tough one. It's more of feeling the rotation of the shaft for freedom of rotation and comparing that to where the shaft goes through the hull and the shaft log. Hopefully the strut hasn't moved or has been bent and the factory did a good job of lining the strut up with the boat. I mentioned in another thread about using a plastic bushing instead of the rubber so the shaft is concentric but that was for replacing and re mounting a new strut.

Blocks of wood and a pry bar against the base of the mounts are good for side to side adjustment.

you can do better than .003....shoot for .000

Hey guys I got two wrenches both 1 1/8 and they are not a snug fit- what size are these four bolts? They are not metric are they? Sorry so stupid,     Greg

There is the nut on top and one under that - the top one seems like the locking nut or the one used to lower the motor on that side - I stuck a cresent wrench on to get my size, but when I got home it was sloopy, maybe it is an 1 1/16? Not a big deal I just need to bring more of my friends tools to my house and find the correct size, I dont want to strip anything! Thanks

hi Eric
Newbie here.Great read, thanks for the info.
Decided to take a look at the "gearbox" (South african in New zealand) and found the left mount (looking from the back) had NO bolts in it (bought the boat from USA- Vegas a month ago), so I have a job ahead.
Although the coupling halves are "flush", but i cant pry them apart anyway(what is recommended to force them apart, does that mean they could be misaligned? but tightened by previous owner to fit tight?.
Also noted the shaft running into the rubber hose is "lopsided" and touches one side, but not the other so i assume the whole motore has to be moved to the right (looking to the front)
Any ideas guys if this is someone you knows boat? been in NZ about 3-4 months (without tower- about 500 hrs)
Look forward to many hours on this site.
Adios

saffer, We are glad you found this site and will give you the best advice we can. There are lots of people here with lots of knowledge. Eric is our transmission specialist (his business) so he knows first hand the importance of prop shaft/engine alignment. He has repaired many a trans that was damaged by someone who didn't know or care about the alignment. You do not want to have to deal with trans problems so DO NOT drive that boat until it is checked. It sounds like there is a problem. Keep us informed.

Glad to see you post Eric!