Stringer 400 end clearance.

[JIM MCCARTHY]

I have a 1985 Stringer 400 outdrive which I am in the process of resealing. I had the pinion gear in the lower unit out in the process, and in putting it back in, I noticed about .030" end play. That just doesn't seem right to me although I didn't really check for endplay before diassembling it. The book is of no help in this regard, and I don't have the guage to measure the pinion gear. I replaced it with the original shims which were useable and did not loose or otherwise misplace any of them.

My question is, is it normal to have this much endplay? I would think there should be little if any play in this shaft and it looks to me as though it can drop down enough to drag on the clutch dog. It occurs to me that perhaps the reverse gear might be designed to lift it clear of the clutch dog, but I don't really believe that. Can anyone tell me if this is normal , or do I have a problem? If I have a problem, I could use some advice on how to fix it.

 

[chiefalen]

Re: Stringer 400 end clearance.

I read this post maybe 5-6 times, thinking about the solution.

The nut is tight on the pinion gear ?

How many shims are installed NOW ?

Are they all the same thickness ?

 

[Faztbullet]

Re: Stringer 400 end clearance.

This is normal as the gears are cut a special way that pulls them together when running. This is why you have thrust bearing and shims to hold it at correct height when running as the drive shaft is pushed upwards when operating.

 

[JIM MCCARTHY]

Re: Stringer 400 end clearance.

In reply to Cheifalen, the nut is torqued on to the required 60lbs. I didn't really count or measure the shims as there was no need to do so. They were the same shims that came out of the unit, but as I recall there was only one that I would guess was about .020".

The more I think about it though, I think Faztbullet may be correct. The shims that are used in this unit serve to lower the height of the shaft and pinion gear. There are no provisions that I noticed to raise the height of the shaft. In operation, the spiral cut of the pinion gear would tend to raise the shaft and cause it to ride on the thrust bearing. Seems like some pretty sloppy engineering to me, but maybe that's the way it is supposed to work. Any further comments would be appreciated before I button this thing up.

 

[chiefalen]

Re: Stringer 400 end clearance.

You already had the solution thought of, and rejected removing one shim to take up the slack ?

I believe i had 3 is why i asked, and as you i decided to leave them all in as well.

Good luck !

 

[JIM MCCARTHY]

Re: Stringer 400 end clearance.

I'm not at all convinced I have the solution, but removing a shim would not solve the problem. That would simply allow the pinion gear to ride higher in the gearcase by the thickness of the shim but it wouldn't keep it from dropping back down. I am operating on the assumption that whoever shimmed the shaft originally knew what he was doing and that it is properly shimmed to begin with. If the shaft and pinion gear rise by .030" in operation, then the clearances look ok, and the gears run smoothly. It just seems like a lot of slop to me. Maybe I don't have a problem at all, but I just don't know for sure.