Squeeky Prop

[J]

Just had some gear replaced under my boat from a little mishap last fall.
I was wondering....

How easily should the prop turn on the shaft through the prop strut when out of water?Right now it does turn, not easily though, and sqeaks a bit as it turns in the prop strut. Is this normal?

I really wont have a chance to do a wet run with the boat for about another month.


PS> What I'm calling the prop strut is the bronze thingy that holds the drive shaft behind the prop.

[NautiqueJeff]

RE: Squeeky Prop

Sounds completely normal to me.

[darrel409]

RE: Squeeky Prop

spray it with some wd-40 then you will be able to get a better "feel" for it and no squeek. It should rotate smoothly w/o any binding throughout the full rotation. Does not necc need to be easy to spin but it shouldnt have anyplace that binds. Any binding indicates an out of alignment problem.

[east tx skier]

RE: Squeeky Prop

We got my father-in-law's MC back from a bottom job a few years ago and it would squeak when you put it in gear. We took it back to the dealer, who we trust, and they looked it over and couldn't figure out anything that was the matter. Eventually, it just went away. Alignment was spot on. New shaft and prop was the only thing changed.

[J]

RE: Squeeky Prop

A little loob and she spins nice now....nice & even....without any binding....thnks....
I just hope that she does OK, ie...no vibrations, when I pop her in the lake in a couple weeks.

[Rick]

RE: Squeeky Prop

Te lube would just be for the dry rotation. the bushing is actually water lubricated while in the water. Don't use a petroleum based grease as it will eat the nylon. WD 40 is OK as it will wash out the first time in the water.

[SkiTower]

RE: Squeeky Prop

If you're worried about a bent shaft, place a ruler or something between the hull and prop and rotate the prop. The prop should stay the same distance away from the hull.

[lffish133]

RE: Squeeky Prop

You should be able to spin the prop by hand with out too much effort, it should squeek because it is the water that lubricates it, the best way to see if the shaft is bent is just to run it in the water and feel for vibrations, the water has to be pretty smooth for this method. I check my prop regularly with hand turns to make sure everything is still aligned well, too many people think you should not be able to spin the prop by hand which is simply not true, it adds vibration to the boat and wears out your bushing faster.