I am still trying to figure out my boat. I bought an older inboard last fall and have run into several issues. In-boards are completely new to me, and I am now trying to figure out if I have any drive shaft/strut issues.
This is an 89 Supra Mariah with a reverse rotation PCM 351. I already had to replace the rudder, and there was evidence that the boat had been grounded. This is part of the reason why I am nervous about the driveshaft and strut. I should also add that the boat was leaking more water out the shaft than it should, and it might have some vibration, although I am new to inboards so I don't know what is normal.
So I crawled under the boat and took a closer look at the shaft and strut. The first thing I noticed is that the shaft does not appear to be centered in the strut. There is a larger gap on the bottom left, and a larger gap on the top right. I don't have any idea if this is normal. If it is not normal, how can I tell if it is just a bad bushing, or if the strut and or shaft might be bent.
The second thing I noticed is that the shaft is not centered where it comes out of the boat. Does that look normal?
One more thing--- it might be my imagination, but I think where the shaft come out of the boat looks different then it did before. Like there might be something missing where the shaft comes out of the boat-that was there before. I have only taken this boat to the lake twice, so this might be my imagination. I don't have any “before" pictures here. Does it look like I am missing something?
So, how can I tell if there is a problem with my shaft and/or strut? How can I tell if the stut or shaft is bent?
Jared
This is an 89 Supra Mariah with a reverse rotation PCM 351. I already had to replace the rudder, and there was evidence that the boat had been grounded. This is part of the reason why I am nervous about the driveshaft and strut. I should also add that the boat was leaking more water out the shaft than it should, and it might have some vibration, although I am new to inboards so I don't know what is normal.
So I crawled under the boat and took a closer look at the shaft and strut. The first thing I noticed is that the shaft does not appear to be centered in the strut. There is a larger gap on the bottom left, and a larger gap on the top right. I don't have any idea if this is normal. If it is not normal, how can I tell if it is just a bad bushing, or if the strut and or shaft might be bent.
The second thing I noticed is that the shaft is not centered where it comes out of the boat. Does that look normal?
One more thing--- it might be my imagination, but I think where the shaft come out of the boat looks different then it did before. Like there might be something missing where the shaft comes out of the boat-that was there before. I have only taken this boat to the lake twice, so this might be my imagination. I don't have any “before" pictures here. Does it look like I am missing something?
So, how can I tell if there is a problem with my shaft and/or strut? How can I tell if the stut or shaft is bent?
Jared