Keep track of your shims...

harringtondav

Commander
Joined
May 26, 2018
Messages
2,438
...and write down your last shim pack measurements. I pulled my drive shaft assy this afternoon in pursuit of a puddle of lube in my DS bellows...after a new seal last spring. The out drive was in the garage, so I dropped the DS into a plastic bag to keep the lube from dripping on the wife's nice floors on the way to my shop indoors. I set it on the bench and started to pitch the greasy bag into the bin. Oops, a shim in the bag.

Back to the cold garage to make sure more weren't on the floor, or stuck in the upper hsg. Shims like to stick in their counterbores, or drop on the floor. That's why I keep a log of my last shim job. All present an accounted for this time.

IMG_20190118_203601437.jpg
 

achris

More fish than mountain goat
Joined
May 19, 2004
Messages
27,468
Worse is forgetting to put the shims back in the bore before tightening the cover up.
 

dingbat

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 20, 2001
Messages
15,417
Not a fan of reusing shims. Refuse to do so unless it’s a quick “field” repair.

My old school machinist mentality showing thru
 

harringtondav

Commander
Joined
May 26, 2018
Messages
2,438
Not a fan of reusing shims. Refuse to do so unless it’s a quick “field” repair.

My old school machinist mentality showing thru

I salute you, machinist. Dying breed that kept me alive as a mfg. engineer. Especially those who built gages to the XXX tolerance.

I always recheck with my shim tools after disturbing a gear set. I've got the remnants of at least two Merc shim kits, and always struggle finding the exact combo. Never enough of those thin shims. I also recheck/adjust the yoke shaft preload before reassembly.
 
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