Rudder Bearing - Replacement & Re-Assembly

[Saffa]

Hi Me again asking questions.

 

My rudder rattles like crazy when the boat is in gear. There is a grease nipple at the back which I have filled with no luck. Looking closely there is alot of play on it. Now Im guessing there a bearing below there somewhere. I normally just get the spanners out and dismantle things but in the past I never quite get thing back together properly and they are never the same again and being such a crucial part I need to get this right

 

How do I go about changing the bearing? Is this a standard fitting I can order a refurb kit for?

 

Any advise would be much appreciated.

 

Thank you

[The Bagdad Boatman (waits)]

Simply unbolt the tiller and give it a tap with a hammer. this should allow you to separate it from the rudder. Unbolt the 4 bolts holding the bearing and any grub screws. There is a part number on the bearing body, from memory it is an Italian suppler. look it up on google and order.

[Sea Dog]

Simply unbolt ........

 

Ah, that simple phrase which conjures up memories of so many 'Haynes Manual' inspired epic sessions!

[craftycarper]

Hi Me again asking questions.

 

My rudder rattles like crazy when the boat is in gear. There is a grease nipple at the back which I have filled with no luck. Looking closely there is alot of play on it. Now Im guessing there a bearing below there somewhere. I normally just get the spanners out and dismantle things but in the past I never quite get thing back together properly and they are never the same again and being such a crucial part I need to get this right

 

How do I go about changing the bearing? Is this a standard fitting I can order a refurb kit for?

 

Any advise would be much appreciated.

 

Thank you

 

. Have you tried looking on YouTube, it,s always reassuring to watch someone else do it first, I have re built several things by following YouTube vids

[Saffa]

. Have you tried looking on YouTube, it,s always reassuring to watch someone else do it first, I have re built several things by following YouTube vids

 

 

Is there a specific name for that type of fitting? You tube is brilliant for instructional videos. My search for this does not turn up much.

[Guest User]

Rudder stock bearing .... http://www.midlandchandlers.co.uk/Catalogue/ProductList/rudder-bearings?catalogueLevelItemID=d51c3fbd-f381-44af-8a9a-bd05ec39bd1c

 

LCx

[Saffa]

Thank you , Next Saturdays job!!

[adrianh]

This looks like a standard industrial 4 bolt bearing, ref MST I think.

The bearing cartridge can be turned 90 degrees in the housing and removed/replaced, although it does not cost much more to buy a new unit and the bearing is likely to have worn loose in the housing.

Sizes can be metric or imperial so measure carefully!

Although widely used on boats they are not designed for wet applications and need to be greased regularly with a water resistant grease - ie stern tube type and not general purpose lithium based grease (hydroscopic) - if you want them to last.

Don't go for the cheap Chinese equivalent as they are usually quite poor quality.

If you want something that will last buy the fully stainless steel (Expensive ) or plastic bodied/stainless bearing ( slightly cheaper but adequate) type used in the food industry.

Getting the 2 grubscrews that hold the bearing to the shaft will be your biggest problem - use a thin cutting disc in a grinder to remove them,

Just seen the midlands chandlery item, at this price this will be the Chinese Spec bearing

[Heffalump]

 

Ah, that simple phrase which conjures up memories of so many 'Haynes Manual Book of Lies" inspired epic sessions!

 

Fixed that for you!

 

Reminds me of this:

 

http://www.mez.co.uk/haynes.html

[ditchcrawler]

And clean ALL the paint and crud off the top of the shaft before trying to draw the bearing off. When I did mine I lifted the shaft and bearing an inch, don't lift it out of the cup. I then packed under the bearing housing and belted the top of the shaft with a big hammer and a lump of hard wood until the shaft went down an inch, I then repacked it and repeated. Lubricate the shaft above the bearing as well.

[Saffa]

.

Getting the 2 grubscrews that hold the bearing to the shaft will be your biggest problem - use a thin cutting disc in a grinder to remove them,

 

 

Are those the two that are in the picture or will I come across them when I take it apart.

 

I tried the two in the picture today. 1 is loose the other is tight. I only had a metric set of Allen Keys and it seems its Imperial as they did not quiet fit.

[J R ALSOP]

Fit a splash washer this time or you will be replacing it again in a couple of years time. And grease it regularly.

[bigste]

A bearing like that is standard industrial equipment. Any bearing stockiest like Bearing Services Ltd will have them at a fraction of a chandlers price. Ask them for something more water resistant.

[bizzard]

Sink plungers can make good splash washers. Pick one that's a tightish fit in the rudder stock tube. They can be trimmed to fit with stout scissors. Pull out the handle, the hole can be enlarged to fit your stock with a red hot poker 'lovely pong'. Fit cupped downwards beneath the top bearing to ward off invasive water.

[Saffa]

Thanks again for all the info. Am I likely to need a bearing puller? I will have to borrow from work as I do not carry one on the boat

[larkshall]

Sink plungers can make good splash washers. Pick one that's a tightish fit in the rudder stock tube. They can be trimmed to fit with stout scissors. Pull out the handle, the hole can be enlarged to fit your stock with a red hot poker 'lovely pong'. Fit cupped downwards beneath the top bearing to ward off invasive water.

Like this one, good idea.

[lexicon]

can anyone advise how the rubber bearing may be arranged in this?

[bizzard]

Thanks again for all the info. Am I likely to need a bearing puller? I will have to borrow from work as I do not carry one on the boat

Might be useful. What's likely to happen is that if the balls have rusted away and by yanking the old bearing unit up by knocking the stock down as Ditchcrawler mentioned or use of a puller is likely to leave the inner race track behind still stuck on the stock. For speed If stuck I usually give a quick blast of Oxy-acetylene flame to one small spot on the side of the track to expand it for removal. A sharp blow with a hammer or sharp cold chisel can sometimes cause them to crack open. A homemade U plate slipped under the track and then whack the stock with a heavy hammer on a lump of hard wood should get it on the move.

[Tony Brooks]

can anyone advise how the rubber bearing may be arranged in this?

 

 

????????? or was that a joke.

 

Looks like the fuel tank breather to me so no rubber washer but maybe some sealer or PTFE around the thread of the brass bit.

[musicman]

I did this job about ten years ago - identical bearing. And yes, I did need a puller and a very heavy lump hammer! The tiller collar was tapered on mine and no amount of hitting/shocking it would shift it. I shall be eternally grateful to another boater who moored near us who had far more patience and tenacity than I had. We eventually had to cut the old bearing off the rudder with an angle grinder.

 

Removal - difficult. Fitting a new one was simples by comparison.

 

Philip

[bizzard]

 

 

????????? or was that a joke.

 

Looks like the fuel tank breather to me so no rubber washer but maybe some sealer or PTFE around the thread of the brass bit.

Yes Tony, and also those tank breathers that are screwed into the top of a hollow stern mooring dolly look exstremely dodgy and vulnerable to me.

Edited August 3, 2015 by bizzard

[ditchcrawler]

can anyone advise how the rubber bearing may be arranged in this?

I think it was a sensible question, the swan neck is behind the tank vent and there is no sign of a bearing but it may not have one, I think bearings are quite a new idea and the old ones just sat in a hole sort of thing.

[lexicon]

I think it was a sensible question, the swan neck is behind the tank vent and there is no sign of a bearing but it may not have one, I think bearings are quite a new idea and the old ones just sat in a hole sort of thing.

Would I be a massive job to fit one ?

[bizzard]

Would I be a massive job to fit one ?

If there's sideways wobble at the stock where it pokes out of the tube a suitable bearing can be made from a small sheet of brass shim, available from engineers stores, it comes in various thousandths of an inch thicknesses. Remove the tiller, cut with tin snips a wide strip, determine the circumference by curling it around the stock and snipping off. With a bit of hardwood push it down between stock and tube leaving about a centimeter sticking out which you beat into a little lip or flange with a little hammer to stop if falling right through, a bit of glue under it will stop it turning with the stock. To prevent it from riding up a jubilee clip fixed just above it will stop it. Grease it well and a nice finishing touch is to pop a car drive shaft rubber boot-gaiter over it before re-fitting the tiller. If you select the right size shim your Wobble will be gone. Of course you could probably find a thin brass or bronze bush to do it, or ideally a porous Oilite bush or have one machined up at a light engineers shop, But the shimmy one is cheapest and you should have plenty left to make more if they wear out.

I did the shim thing about 12 years ago to mine and Its not worn at all. I do squirt some heavy oil onto it once a year though.

 

 

This is how I did mine. Where did this come from I've already said that.

Edited August 3, 2015 by bizzard

[jonathanA]

I found I needed a heavy duty hydraulic bearing puller to remove the old bit stuck on the rudder stock after I'd drilled out the grub screws. Angle grinder would have been the o.ther option. There are some good instructions on tony brooks pages. Getting the swan neck off can be 'entertaining' too