Operator`s manual
Take plenty of time in making this alignment and
do
not be
satisfied with anything
less than perfect results.
The alignment is correct when the shaft can
be
easily
slipped backward and forward into the counterbore, and
when a feeler gauge indicates that the flanges come
together at
all points. The alignment between the propeller
shaft coupling and the engine's coupling can contain an
error
no
greater than one thousandth
of
an
inch per inch of
the coupling diameter. For example, if your propeller shaft
coupling
is
three inches in diameter, the maximum error
that can be allowed in the
alignment is three thousandths
of an inch (.003).
In
making the final check for alignment, the
engine's half
coupling should be held in one
position and the
alignment with the propeller
coupling
tested with the propeller coupling in
each
of
four positions
(A),
while rotated
90'
be-
tween each
pOSition.
This test will also check
whether the propeller's
half-coupling is in exact
alignment on
its shaft. Then, keeping the
propeller coupling in one position, the align-
ment
should be checked
by
rotating
the
engine's
half-coupling
in
90'
increments,
checking dimension
A while in each
90'
posi-
tion until the half-coupling has been rotated full
circle.
The engine's alignment should be rechecked
after the boat has been
in
service for one
to
three weeks and, if necessary, perform the
alignment again. Usually it will be found that
the engine
is
no
longer in alignment. This does
not mean that the work has been done im-
properly at first; rather,
it
means that the boat
has taken some time
to
take its final shape and
that
the
engine's bed and stringers have
probably absorbed some moisture.
It may
even be necessary
to
realign the coupling hal-
ves
again at a later time.
25
.B93
FEELER
GAGE
PROPELLER
SHAFT
Westerbeke Diesel Engines