pulling the prop shaft

[Fired Up]

Tried pulling the prop shaft on my 89 Canyon. Had to pry the shaft off of the coupler using the safety collar and pry bar as a lever. The hang up seems to be in the strut. Shouldn't a prop shaft just slide out? What can hang up in the strut? The shaft does not appear to be bent, but the naked eye is deceiving. The shaft is still not out. Any suggestions or ideas?

[spectras only]

Fired Up,the coupler has two set screws to hold the shaft in.Make sure to loosen the second set screw ,before you try to pull the shaft!You may have to heat the coupler slightly [the key may be too tight also]to move the shaft.I'm not sure if you actually removed the shaft from the coupler and just having problem with the strut itself? If you have some demage or serious burr on the shaft ,it could cause some problem.Does the shaft turn freely in the srut?
[This message has been edited by spectras only (edited December 02, 2001).]

[126driver]

The coupler should also have two threaded holes to use for spreading the coupler. Back all of the bolts way out and take two of the coupler bolts out. Spin the coupler 180 deg. and you should find the holes. (Should be the same side as the set-screws.) Thread the bolts in and spread the coupler slightly. Don't forget to take the bolts out when you put it back together. Seems like a no-brainer, but we've forgotten before. Yes, the prop shaft should slide easily, even if slightly bent. Does the shaft slide at all, then seem to get hung up?
Scott

[Fired Up]

Yes, I was able to remove the coupler from the shaft by using two bolts to sread it slightly. The coupler is now on the lower outshaft of the v-drive clear of the propshaft. Even still the shaft would not slide out freely, that was why I had to use a pry bar against the safety collar to move it back. There were no other bolts in the coupler other than the five that hold it place on the shaft.It does not spin freely in the strut. It is sitting in the boat with about 3 inches extending past the shaftseal towards the v-drive. (disconnected of the coupler). I've tried getting underneath and pulling, but it will not move. My next attempt this morning is to put the prop back on, wrap it with some towels (to keep my fingers) and try twisting it out. We'll see.

[Infomaniac]

F.U. Good luck getting it by the rudder with the prop on. Try knocking it back fwd and put some anti seize on the shaft fwd of the strut. Maybe that will lube it up some. I would for sure call Phil at Bergeron 480-834-1531

[howard69]

FU
I JUST TOOK A BENT PROP SHAFT OUT OF MY BOAT THAT ACTED THE SAME.I USED A PEICE OF WOOD AND PRY BAR ON THE V-DRIVE SIDE TILL IT WAS PAST THE RUDDER.THEN I PUT THE PROP ON AND TWISTED AND PULLED AT THE SAME TIME AND WORKED IT OFF. SOUND LIKE THE SHAFT IS BENT TO ME

[shirkey4750]

If you have acess to a porta power, slide it up over the shaft and put a spacer behind it and then put on the nut with washer, you can jack it out. Worked for me.

[Costello]

Rather than put the prop back on and try twisting or pulling, use a drilled block of wood with a big 1" diameter washer and the prop nut to give it a good jolt and free it up. That should free it up, then you can remove the wood to clear your rudder.

[Fired Up]

Finally got the !#*!#*%#! shaft out. The keyway on the v-drive end of the shaft definitely is bent. You can see a slight twist in the shaft. The key itself is twisted also. But this should not have caused the entire shaft to be hard to remove from the strut. The shaft to the naked eye does not appear bent. Rolling it on a concrete slab does not show any abnormal shape either. The bushing in the strut appears to be the fiber type,but not having seen any other type I do not know what to look for. To be on the safe side I will most likely replace the shaft with a good quality one. Thanks to all those with ideas. I used a combination of your different ideas to get it out. It was difficult up to the last 12". Then it was smooth coming out.

[Snowboat]

What a pisser, it didn't take. Round two. The more you spend in haste the more you lose. Don't buy a shaft until you put it on some smooth v blocks and check run out. I'll bet the strut has constrained the fiber bushing after it was installed, have die grinder with stone, not carbide burr, must use. After one pulls the bushing in with all thread, the bushing conforms to the ID of the strut. If the shaft doesn't clear the rudder caliper up a dummy shaft and see if that one will turn. I bet that's the prob.