V-Drive to Driveshaft coupling bolts fell out under power...disaster ensues
Just a heads up to anyone with a new boat, make sure you are periodically checking your bolts that attach the drive shaft to the V-drive or transmission. Mine must have been loose and some already fallen out as I was under power when the final one let go. All I know was I powering up onto plane and the most awful metal on metal grinding noise occurred. I dove the boat and found the prop mangled and slightly hung up on the rudder. After being towed in and getting it on the trailer I tried to pull the prop off to see if I could salvage my trip by bending and hammering it back, at this point I thought maybe I had hit something, but what I still didn't know. However the prop wouldn't come off because it was too close to the rudder. Its then that I went up and looked into the engine compartment I found all four bolts laying on the bottom of the boat and the drive shaft separated two inches from the v-drive. Now you know what the grinding was, my prop having slid back into the rudder.
Obviously these bolts must have worked themselves out over time, most likely they weren't even tight from the factory since this is only the second season on my boat and here in WA the seasons are short. It's an out of sight part on the boat so any quick visual inspections I have given the boat whenever I change the oil have missed this, my dealer hadn't caught it either. Apparently you need to put a wrench to crucial items such as this to avoid this. However I feel like if I bought a brand new car I wouldn't expect the drive shaft to fall off this quickly and that the bolts would be torqued properly from the start. Especially on a $65k car.
Last edited by klewis; 08-25-2009 at 04:33 PM.
08 Launch 22SSV
Orting, WA