Bravo Problem

[Buddyc]

In Philly here we don't have to worry about hitting any gators on the Deleware river~~~
Just floating telephone pole sized logs, , dead mobsters & ex- street gang members.
They are called "Floaters" around here .
Every spring ~~~When the water warms-up just after the spring rains~~~
they come floating up to the surface .

wow you put your boat in that river... I wouldn't put my mother inlaw in there.

[Tidbart]

post a pic of the piece that goes in before the prop nut..it should lock in the 4 slots and and have splines in the middle of it..im wondering if the piece in the center whoich may still have splines in the middle may have broke..if its a solid hub then that piece that slid out may just be a spacer..

It appears to be a solid hub. Looks like I have to go further.

B

[Tidbart]

Went a did some checks today. Visually, can find no issues with the prop, prop shaft, splines. Put it in gear, turned with breaker bar and engine turns.

Pulled the drive oil drain plug, no metal on the magnet.

Got a look from above at the coupler area. No metal shavings nor rubber strewn about, at least on the outside where the shaft enters the rear of the coupler.

Next......

[gcarter]

Went a did some checks today. Visually, can find no issues with the prop, prop shaft, splines. Put it in gear, turned with breaker bar and engine turns.

Pulled the drive oil drain plug, no metal on the magnet.

Got a look from above at the coupler area. No metal shavings nor rubber strewn about, at least on the outside where the shaft enters the rear of the coupler.

Next......

Bob, my one coupler experience produced no shavings or fur balls of rubber. It just made a horrible juddering sound and feel when the torque exceeded the sheer limit.

[MOP]

It does not look like a solid hub to me, the rubber is between the outer and the square. It also does not appear to have let go, you usually can see a bit black gooey of rubber in the grove. Most any prop shop can torque test it, it should hold over 600 lbs.

Phil

[VetteLT193]

It appears to be a solid hub. Looks like I have to go further.

B

Bob, does your setup match what is above? Mainly the brass end part is long and slides into your prop?

I'd also check the brass piece. That part is the single thing that holds the whole setup together. All of the torque runs through it, and I could see where it might have gotten messed up with a hit. See if when you slide it on the shaft that it bites well and nothing is sheared. Normally the plastic insert should blow first but it's only a 2 second check.

I've also seen a forgotten washer (the big brass one) cause some interesting results.

if all that checks out, put the prop on, put it in gear, and try to turn the prop. the plastic insert might look ok but still be slipping around in there.

[Tidbart]

Hi Bob,

If you look at the middle photo that I put in post #7, you can see the part of the hub that is removable. I did eventually knock it out.

Unlike the one that Fixx posted, I had the high hp version that has 4 thin round strips of rubber that are in between that removable piece and the permanent hub. The thing about this type of hub is that although it has rubber strips, it is considered a solid hub. The square piece and the rubber are just for minor shock absorption like when you put it in gear.

Anyways, yesterday I took it to a prop shop along with some other props that needed cleaning. Spoke for some time with the owner, very knowledgeable. Result being, it is not the prop and hub. No signs of rotation and in essence it can rotate anyway. The plastic insert is just a spacer to fill between the smooth part of the prop shaft and the prop. I performs nothing else.

So, after some more conversation he said if the clutch pack went, I would not have been able to move. He points to the coupler. On one side, the coupler is probably 3-4 hundred and a lot of my labor. On the other side, the clutch and gears are about 1400 plus someone else's labor. Let's hope it is the coupler.

Mike, prop guy showed me another replacement hub that I can put in that prop. See photo.

My guess is the coupler. Will probably start taking it apart next week after my drive stand shows up. New toy.

B

[gcarter]

You'll love the drive stand.
Everyone should have one.

[mrfixxall]

before you take anything apart, drop the boat in the water again,drop it in gear and see if you can duplicate the problem..if its the coupler it will make smoke in the engine compartment and that would be a dead give away,when they slip it creates heat and will melt the rubber back together so you will have to try and make it smoke on the water..also if your shift fork is worn in the drive it will take about 5-1o seconds to drop into gear after putting the drive in gear,this is also a common ware item on a bravo drive..check all the bolts on the back cap to see if they are loose,snug them to 20 ft lbs of tq.

[Tidbart]

before you take anything apart, drop the boat in the water again,drop it in gear and see if you can duplicate the problem..if its the coupler it will make smoke in the engine compartment and that would be a dead give away,when they slip it creates heat and will melt the rubber back together so you will have to try and make it smoke on the water..also if your shift fork is worn in the drive it will take about 5-1o seconds to drop into gear after putting the drive in gear,this is also a common ware item on a bravo drive..check all the bolts on the back cap to see if they are loose,snug them to 20 ft lbs of tq.

That was going to be my next step after I get the props back. I will most likely strap it down well to the trailer, back it in and run it. I will not have a tow boat with me, if needed.
As far as shifting, there was no hesitation, but I will double check it.
After that, I am considering going to talk with a Merc drive expert in St. Cloud and see if it is worth bringing in the drive and have him go through it. At the very least, see what he has to say. Obviously, if that is good to go, it has to be the coupler.

B

[VetteLT193]

if you need props, hubs, whatever just let me know and I'll drop it in the mail. I have a 25, 23 Mirage + with hub... both the rubber style you have and the new delrin style hubs.

i also have 24, 26 bravo props...

The way you keep your stuff it would blow my mind if your drive needed going through.

my guess at this point is with most others... coupler. knowing the engine has been out I'd yank one more time, do the coupler, align it to the hilt (as only an engineer could) and rock on... and no more gayterds!

[Tidbart]

Anyone know the difference between the hub that I show in post #22 and and the Delrin style (Flo-torq II)?

They must have some max HP rating, I would think.

B

[Tidbart]

if you need props, hubs, whatever just let me know and I'll drop it in the mail. I have a 25, 23 Mirage + with hub... both the rubber style you have and the new delrin style hubs.

i also have 24, 26 bravo props...

The way you keep your stuff it would blow my mind if your drive needed going through.

my guess at this point is with most others... coupler. knowing the engine has been out I'd yank one more time, do the coupler, align it to the hilt (as only an engineer could) and rock on... and no more gayterds!

Thanks Bob, I will keep it in mind about the props. Should be good to go for a while on those.
I am not going to go through the drive necessarily. Would just like to pick the brain of Craig Colabella. From what I understand, he was the Lake X drive guru for Merc and he has a shop in St. Cloud. Good to know.
B

[CHACHI]

Bob, when my engine coupler went a few years back, no smoke, no noise.

I was in gear idling, pushed the stick forward a bit, not hard, boat started to rise and then fell back down. Took all the splines out of the coupler.

Motor was out of alignment. Further investigation showed that the engine mount/stringer bolts were too long from Donzi, (it is a '99).

The nut would bottom on the threads before you could get the bolts tight enough.


Ken

[mrfixxall]

If it turns out to be the coupler get the HP one with steel splines..They last about twice as long as the aluminum spline one..