E42 Cutlass Bearing
Date: February 15, 2002
From: Gary Janaczek
I am in urgent need of info on the original cutlass bearing used in a 1990 42 Endeavour. The yard has replaced two bearings in the last 18 months and there is once again play in the shaft thru-haul area. The drip rate is in spec. The shaft mics out at 1 1/4" outside and at the shaft. Is it possible that this particular bearing manufacturer has a glich in their manufacturing process. The yard has told me that the problem can only be the bearing or the shaft. Since this is the same yard that did the last two replacements I'm unsure that their analysis is valid. Any help is appreciated.
Date: February 16, 2002
From: Paul C. Uhl
Gary,
I'm not an expert in this area but you might want to call any cutlass manufacturer and see what they say. It's my understanding however, that poor shaft alignment and/or excessive vibration can cause the cutlass to wear prematurely. At least that was what I was told when we replaced our 5 years ago. The problem we had was that our motor mounts were worn allowing the engine to sit lower changing the shaft alignment and also transfer more engine vibration to the shaft and ultimately the cutlass. We replaced the motor mounts and the bearing. So far so good.
Date: February 17, 2002
From: Ed Mahoney
Gary,
I guess, my first question is what does the worn out bearing look like. If everything is aligned properly, and it were a manufacturing defect, I would expect that the wear would be even except for a few minor pit marks were the manufacturing problem occurred.
If the bearing is wearing at an angle, or oblong, I would think the problem is elsewhere. Maybe the strut bearing is bad., or the Strut is out of alignment. Just my Thoughts.
Date: June 16, 2002
From: Fred H Lowe
I would like some information on removing the cutlass bearing from a 1988 E-42. I know the shaft size is 1.25 .What is the size of the cutlass bearing? There are 4 bolts on a plate covering the bearing .How do you remove the old bearing? Thanks
Date: June 17, 2002
From: Michael Gendel
Fred
Don't touch the bolts holding the shaft log. Drop the rudder. Take a pic of the rudder bearing table under the bunk so you can see exactly how the collars, quadrant, cables, etc go back together. Dig about a 1 foot hole under it. Its heavy, unless you are really young. So two folks or some shoring to help ease it down. Remove the shaft having disconnected it from the tranny coupling and having delt w/ the stuffing box. Take a metal cutting blade, a long one, in a reciprocating sawzall. You need it long to be able to cut the forward part of the as easily and evenly as the exposed end. At the say 1 oclock position, CAREFULLY make a cut through the cutlass only. Do not cut the stainless steel shaft log. Then another at the 11 oclock. I like to use a short handled 4 lb maul and various pry devices like screw driver, narrow chesle, long nose pliers, etc to work out the key piece you just cut. As the cutlass is a soft metal you need only cut say 95% of the way through, just stop a hair before all the way to protect the shaft log.
Now do the same at the bottom. Once these keys are out use the screw drivers, plier, etc to roll the big pieces to the center and eventually they will pull out. You should be able to do this in 1-3 hours. Cut patiently. If you need to lube the new bearing, use KY Jelly, its water soluable. Great for putting hoses on barbs, too. Every one should have a small tube. ;+) The bearings are standard usually 5" length. Just give the shaft D. FYI the log is a 2 " stainless tube w/ 1/8 wall as I recall. But you can measure the bearing before you destroy it if you want the OD & wall thickness.
You can search the internet for "cutlass bearing" AND "marine". I like VIVISIMO meta search engine. Its cool. You'll get more, well-organized info than you need. Where are located? Cheeers and good luck.
Date: February 4, 2020
From: Gary Holmes
You don’t have to drop the rudder. Once the prop is off, take out the four bolts holding the shaft log. Disconnect the clamps on the dripless and loosen the bellows so they don’t stick to the shaft. Put a big-assed pipe wrench on the shaft log, just behind where the four bolts were, and turn with all you’ve got. Keep working the shaft log back and forth then ease it back and out.
Once you’ve replaced the cutlass, and cleaned everything up real well, put some 4200 around the last three inches of the log and slide it back in. Put some sealant on the threads of the four bolts, put the dripless back together, and viola, you’re good to go.
