Stringer Tilt Issue

[KRH1326]

Hi Guys,

It's been a little while, but I'm back.

I have developed a problem with my tilt. I tried to raise the drive at my mooring, and could hear the motor spinning, but the drive did not budge. I jumped down on the swim platform and hefted up on the drive by hand. I expected great resistance, as to overcome the clutch pack, but no, it litterally flew up in my hand.

I originally suspected the hammer blow coupling, but if the drive moves freely, would that indicate the clutchpack?

 

[NW Redneck]

Re: Stringer Tilt Issue

Welcome back, Kott......uh.....KRH.

Sounds like either the clutch is slipping or possibly broken worm gear. I would pop the clutch cover and have a look inside. Did this happen suddenly, or has it been a slowly worsening problem?

 

[Starboardputz]

Re: Stringer Tilt Issue

I am having the same problem with my 77 stringer, found nothing but water in the clutch. I am cleaning it and waiting for new gaskets and o ring. What locks the drive either up or down, I think I'm missing something here, is it that ball gear?

 

[fabrimacator21]

Re: Stringer Tilt Issue

well, on mine it's the motor that locks it... so depending on the setup it could be a stripped gear or slipping clutch.

The ball gears have nothing to do with tilt up or down other then sending power to the prop.

 

[KRH1326]

Re: Stringer Tilt Issue

On mine, nothing really holds the outdrive up. Is is just once the drive gear runs up the quadrant, the out drive is up. There isn't any kind of latches or anything like that. When I am transporting, I tie the drive up to avoid the accidental slippage/droppage.

This was a sudden, out of the blue occurrance.

I was hoping that it is the hammerblow coupling, new spring and go, but fear that it is the clutchpack, as there is ZERO resistance raising and lowering by hand. If I lift it up and let go, it will slam down immediately.

I am trying to reason it out, and I bet if the worm gear or shaft were broken, I would at least be able to feel the clutchpack resistance. I know "open it up and look", I have to find a transporter and hit the tide right to get it out and above sea level, so I can open it.

I am hoping for this weekend, but not holding my breath.

 

[KRH1326]

Re: Stringer Tilt Issue

Starboardputz-

Just asking for some more detail with your prob, to help diagnose mine....

Was you hammerblow coupling intact? Was your shaft, pin and worm gear intact? When you had discovered your problem, was the outdrive incredibally easy to move up and down by hand?

Thanks

 

[fabrimacator21]

Re: Stringer Tilt Issue

On mine, nothing really holds the outdrive up.

I am trying to reason it out, and I bet if the worm gear or shaft were broken, I would at least be able to feel the clutchpack resistance. .

.

Well a worm gear is efectivley a stop as long as it's not wallowed out... add in the resistance of the motor on the worm gear and it's pretty much locked.

 

[Starboardputz]

Re: Stringer Tilt Issue

I haven't checked the hammer blow coupler or worm gear yet it's been a hundred degrees here waiting for it to cool off a bit, i will post to let you know when I do.

 

[Starboardputz]

Re: Stringer Tilt Issue

I forgot to mention, I took the clutch apart and cleaned it soaked it in oil and put it back in place and now I can tell the gears are catching where before like yours it had no resistance so I am hopeing it was the clutch, and up solinoid.

 

[KRH1326]

Re: Stringer Tilt Issue

I have been lucky and found a donor boat, and for $500, I got the same exact year and model replacements for mine. 351W engine, intermediate housing, out drive and 3 new props to boot.

I pulled the shaft, worm gear and clutch pack out of my donor, cleaned them up, and they are soaking right now.

It looks like I will be able to pull my boat Saturday night. Sunday, I should know for sure what went. I will have a spare whatever it is on hand.

Reguardless, when I put the clutch pack together, I WILL be taking chefallen's advice from past posts, and will PACK it full with grease, as opposed to 30w oil.

Good Luck with yours...

 

[NW Redneck]

Re: Stringer Tilt Issue

I am having the same problem with my 77 stringer, found nothing but water in the clutch. I am cleaning it and waiting for new gaskets and o ring. What locks the drive either up or down, I think I'm missing something here, is it that ball gear?

What 'locks' the drive up or down is the friction of the plates in the clutch pack. If there's no friction, then the drive not go up, or fall down if pulled up. It's meant to have enough friction to support the weight of the drive but allow it to slip and tilt up if the drive strikes an object while underway or conversely hold the drive down while reversing.

Tip: double the gaskets under the cover plate to prevent over-tightening the cover which will bind the clutch pack and not let the drive tilt.

KRH: If the worm gear shaft snapped or the teeth on the worm gear or clutch pack stripped then the drive will tilt with little or no resistance.
Nice score on the spares! Good luck and let us know what you find.

 

[Starboardputz]

Re: Stringer Tilt Issue

Thank you NWredneck, I cleaned and had to lightly sand the clutch plates to create more friction, the drive stands up like a champ, now all I need is the new tilt motor and back in buisness.

 

[fabrimacator21]

Re: Stringer Tilt Issue

What 'locks' the drive up or down is the friction of the plates in the clutch pack. If there's no friction, then the drive not go up, or fall down if pulled up. It's meant to have enough friction to support the weight of the drive but allow it to slip and tilt up if the drive strikes an object while underway or conversely hold the drive down while reversing.

Where are the clutches? In the I/O?

 

[KRH1326]

Re: Stringer Tilt Issue

OK Fellas,
Here's the scoop......

I was able to pull a predawn raid, and was able to pull my boat and get her home this morning.
If this fix goes well, I can actually catch tonights tide and put her back in.

As soon as the stearn cleared sealevel, I immediately saw the worm gear actually hanging half way out of the end of the clutch housing shaft. I couldn't believe it stayed there while I motored across the harbor. Though I did lose the end cap. Thank goodness for my spare score.

My model in the boat, doesn't have any kind of extra retaining mechanism, other than the internal ring clip that goes in after the plug. The spare engine/housing/drive that I bought, same year and model, does have a triangular plate that bolts on over the cap. There is not enough meat on mine to drill and tap something similar.

I just did some online research and have seen some pictures of an arm that can bolt on that reaches around, and end stops the plug. As soon as the hardware store opens up, I will fab up such a critter out of some stainless stock. I love being a welder by trade.

PS- Fab21
The clutches are in a small approx. 5"x5" x 2-3" square housing outside of the transome, on the port side of the drive. The drive should have a large gear toothed, curved arm (tilt quadrant) that engages a small drive wheel. That small drive wheel protrudes out of the back of the clutch housing.

 

[KRH1326]

Re: Stringer Tilt Issue

CRITICAL SUCCESS!!!
The outdrive, she go up and down.

Thank you for all the support and advice.

I will spend today tweaking and fixing small things that I have meant to do, until tonights tide.

Then we will see... MwuhHaHaHa!

 

[fabrimacator21]

Re: Stringer Tilt Issue

Hmm... My I/O goes up and down ok but it does chatter on the way down... If I stop it about halfway it'll continue going down for a second then stop. Shouldn't it stop right when I let off the swicth? Could the "chattering" be the clutches? I've already pulled apart the motor and cleaned it out.

 

[26fthawaiian]

Re: Stringer Tilt Issue

I do recall our sea ray which had the omc outdrive, when you let off the switch it would still go down a lil before it stopped, it wasnt a instant stop like one would think

 

[KRH1326]

Re: Stringer Tilt Issue

Fab21-
Do you trailer your boat? If you do, that would be easy to diagnose.
I am no OMC pro, but I am a competant mechanic. If the tilt motor turns smooth, there are only so many things inbetween the motor and the tilt quadrant. Was your hammerblow coupling intact? Good shape? Shaft and worm gear OK? Pins still in wormgear?

If you have your drive down, can you grab it and force it up? It may take some poundage but you should be able to. Does it feel smooth or choppy?

Is the cap at the end of the worm gear in place, look what happened to me.
If that is loose or gone, I bet the worm gear would chatter or fall out.

 

[KRH1326]

Re: Stringer Tilt Issue

26ft-
My outdrive is real heavy I guess. It flies down and will slam into place. I am learning how to bump it. That may have been the demise of my end cap.
I don't think it dead stops when I bump it, it does have an awfull lot of momentum.

 

[fabrimacator21]

Re: Stringer Tilt Issue

I don't know what to pull apart in order to look at all that. I do know that our old boat that had the same I/O didn't chatter like mine does on the way down. It's smooth until you let off the switch then it sort of clicks and chatters until it stops. If I slam it all the way down it'll get stuck so I've been bumping it for 2 years and it doesn't get stuck down anymore. And no, it won't move when the switch is off. My brother drug the skeg 20 yards up a ramp and it didn't move. Won't move going down even with me jumping on it.

I'll get some pics of it tomorrow...