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AUSTRALIAN SAILING (^) + YACHTING
APRIL-MAY 2015 MYSAILING.COM.AU
PRACTICAL
LOOKING FOR TROUBLE
- A typical plain union between prop shaft and
gearbox couplings is shown here. The first act
of re-aligning an engine with its prop shaft is
to pull the couplings apart and note how much
displacement occurs. - When fore-and-aft alignment appears to be
correct, the mating of the coupling surfaces can be
ascertained with a feeler gauge.
3. The Achilles Heel of all engines, belts advertise
imminent demise by their own dust. Cracks are
the next stage and these readily hide within the
pulley grooves.
4. The simple act of fully opening a small outboard’s
air vent can be the difference between regular
stopping and continuous running.
5. This cross-section of a typical winch’s foot
switch shows how the spindle, when pushed
down, causes the contact disc to bridge the two
terminals beneath it. Prolonged contact can cause
the plastic body beneath one of the terminals to
soften enough that electrical contact is lost. To
prevent this happening, try not to overheat the
switch by intermittent switching.
“Head gasket leaks advertise tHeir presence in a number of ways.”
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