How to slide back the drive shaft on Albin 27

[Maxsail]

We are trying to slide the drive shaft back from the Hurth transmission on our Nissan engine so we can remove the transmission. We have disconnected the flange securing the shaft to the rear of the transmission which has given a bit of play but is still retained by the key in the shaft. A few more inches of space is still needed to remove the trans.
If the lock nut on the stuffing box is loosened (boat is dry on a boat lift) can the shaft be pushed rearward a few inches without other procedures required or what other steps would we face?
Any input and advice on this process and the trans removal would be welcome.
Thanks Bill

[Beta Don]

Have you pulled the prop back until it touches the rudder?

Don

[Maxsail]

No Don, after disconnecting the flange on the rear of the transmission it gave us some minor play but no ability to move it rearward at all. (We have not as yet loosened the stuffing box nut.)
Bill

[Beta Don]

Ahhh!

I believe your 27 has the stuffing box aft under the rear cabin floor? You'll need to loosen that to be able to move the shaft aft

Don

[Maxsail]

That's correct Don its under the rear cabin floor. We'll loosen that and see if we can get 6"s or so rear movement. We were concerned that would just lead to a domino effect of another step and another step etc.
Thanks Bill

[Maxsail]

Don (or helpful others) sorry about the delay... minor health distraction ... we have loosened the stuffing box and parted the "cup" up the shaft about 6 inches but still cannot get the shaft to move rearward at all. We notice there is a bearing about 3 ft forward in the bulkhead thru which the shaft passes and of course the shaft enters the rubber boot and metal sleeve after the stuffing box before exiting the hull but neither appear to retain it in a fore/aft position. Do they? Is there anything on the exterior of the boat/shaft that is stopping us from being able to slide the shaft rearward?
Thanks in advance.
Bill

[sail149]

Bill
Is there a retainer ring on the mid shaft bearing? There might be a set screw holding in. Not what would expect on a boat , more usual on industrial applications but I am surprised you have a mid shaft bearing , did not know they fitted any to A27.
Also is there any crud build up on the shaft where it goes into the stuffing?
I assume the shaft turns freely?
Is the shaft defiantly disconnected? Ie can you pass a putty knife between the flanges?
Some flexible joints run the shaft fwd of the flanges...... But this sounds like a simple flange set up.
Have you tried driving a wood wedge between the flanges? (After checking above?)
CaptVic on this forum removed his shaft recently and I think had to cut it I would check his posts or PM him with questions.

[Beta Don]

Bill,

It appears you have a completely different set-up than Warren and I have on our '84 models with 4 cylinder engines

It sounds like you are on the yard - Surely there's a technician there somewhere who can take a look and tell you what's preventing the shaft from moving?

Wish we could be of more help

Don

[Maxsail]

Warren and Don thanks for the additional ideas. Unfortunately we are not in a yard but on a lift behind a residence.
From the rear view of the mid shaft bearing ( the only view we have) there does not appear to be a retaining ring nor a set screw. There is a male grease fitting. My next guess is that although the shaft turns easily there may be a crud build up that is preventing it from sliding so we are going to PB blast every entry point, repack every grease fitting and put a double set of clamps on the shaft that we can hammer against to see if we can persuade it. If that doesn't work get in the kayak with a hammer and wood block and try tapping against the front flat of the prop from the water.
We are also considering explosives.
Bill

[JT48348]

I sometimes hesitate to comment on things mechanical, especially engine related as I am frequently wrong.

But have you considered a shaft puller?
When I had my classic 30ft sailboat I replaced the shaft and coupler and had an absolute nightmare getting it out of the boat. I had to grind off the bolts connecting the coupler to the transmission and Atomic 4 gasoline engine, and then the coupler from the shaft. Then I used a device from the local marina to get the shaft out of the boat. And if I recall correctly it screws onto the shaft then you "pull" the shaft out in a series of "hammering". Not with a hammer but with this weighted thing on the end... A slide hammer?

See this link to buy one:
http://www.mindermanmarine.com/pullers_frame.htm

[Maxsail]

Thanks for the additional thought.
We have considered a slide hammer. I don't know of a place to screw into the shaft (please let me know if there is a place) but if our other "creative" attempts fail we might try a wheel puller slide hammer with the three legs hooked around the flat front face of the prop.
Again my thanks
Bill

[Maxsail]

(We are posting this inquiry both as a new topic and as an addition to "how to slide back the drive shaft" post)
Does anyone know of a mechanic, service facility or talented amateur that has had extensive experience working on the 27s and might be able to answer a couple of specialized questions
We have a 1986 with a Nissan 6 cyl LD28 engine which has us stymied on what we thought would be a rather straight forward job. Trying to remove the transmission from the rear of the engine we are trying to slide the drive shaft back a few inches for clearance. We have disconnected everything, loosened everything, persuaded everything and still cannot get it to budge.
It has been suggested that the set up on our boat is possibly a rare one in that there is a bearing thru which the shaft runs integral to a bulkhead about 2 feet forward of the aft cabin floor. There are 4 bolts that hold the bearing plate to that bulkhead which of course we can only see the rear side of. The front side, which is not visible to us seems to hold the attachment nuts for these bolts and is in the permanent fuel tank compartment and is inaccessible. All we can guess at this point is that something in this configuration may be stopping the shaft from moving.
We would really like to hear from or get a lead to, someone who has had direct experience with this particular bulkhead bearing and fitting arrangement. By process of elimination and observation when we try to persuade the shaft rearward, it seems to be the guilty party.
Thanks in advance.
Bill

[JT48348]

I don't know if this helps but I went onto my boat and crawled under the cockpit since my aft cabin and fuel tank is completely removed. My boat has a hole cut in the deck under where the fuel tank sits to access the shaft and support bearing. It was cut open by a previous PO and not finished in any way. But I figured I could at least get some photos of the front and back side of the support bearing for you.

I'm particularly interested in ur situation since next summer I will be pulling my engine and doing all maintenance on shaft etc. Be sure to tell us what you discover because I will be following in your footsteps.

Hope this helps.
PS- from the engine compartment if you can get in there deep enough you may be able to reach the backing bolts with a 24-36" extension on a 3/8" socket driver. Idk for sure.

[JT48348]

I have one other thought which might not be accurate but here goes. Could there be a slip ring or something, accessed from the aft side of the support bearing, that holds the shaft and bearing in the bulkhead plate?

I didn't see anything because there's grease in the way. But it seems like there might be enough space to have something in there holding it in place. I could see removing such a slip ring and then the bearing, shaft, and all moves back. You could then remove the bearing if there's hidden set screws or something.?

I'm just guessing really

[JT48348]

More clues. It's called a flange shaft bearing.

http://www.boatdesigns.com/mobile/Flang ... ducts/581/

There may be an explanation on how to install/remove somewhere online.