An update to my stiff driveshaft issue - it magically got easy to turn after a week on the hard. I'm wondering if the cutlass was swelling in the water and has now dried out enough to loosen up
I've decided to replace both bearings so I know what my baseline is going forward. I mentioned it earlier, but they look to be original with 900 hours on them, so its probably time. I ordered the strutpro tool and two new bearings, so I'll start with that.
When looking at my starboard side the shaft going into the log is not as centered as the port side, and I am seeing what I believe to be a slight bend in the strut (the prop blade is .75" closer to the side of the prop tunnel versus the port side) BUT, I'm admittedly looking for a problem so I'll try not to obsess over it until I get the new bearing in and have a chance to look at the wear pattern on the old one
I've decided to replace both bearings so I know what my baseline is going forward. I mentioned it earlier, but they look to be original with 900 hours on them, so its probably time. I ordered the strutpro tool and two new bearings, so I'll start with that.
When looking at my starboard side the shaft going into the log is not as centered as the port side, and I am seeing what I believe to be a slight bend in the strut (the prop blade is .75" closer to the side of the prop tunnel versus the port side) BUT, I'm admittedly looking for a problem so I'll try not to obsess over it until I get the new bearing in and have a chance to look at the wear pattern on the old one