So the fat tubular shaft from the transmission to the V-drive is very rusty. My diesel mechanic advised against me removing the rust and coating the shaft to prevent a return. Said it would ruin the balance. OK, maybe so. Wouldn't unchecked rust ruin the balance, too? It seems smooth running now, but failure under way could have some bad consequences.
What say you, Pearsonites--clean it up or not? If you say that replacement the only option, any tips on that process? ???
Thanks!
No personal experience with it other than cleaning and painting myself without issue once.
That shaft is a very spendy piece of gear. You can sand blast and not worry much about balance issues. Or you can just send it to an automotive shaft shop for clean, paint and balance if you are worried about it.
Thanks for the input!
It would have to be very rusty on one side (sat for years and never spun) to go out of balance. Remember, as steel rusts it fluffs up. The rust is much thicker than the material that it converted. Humm... let it rot and come apart at speed whipping through the boat until it stops or seal it up and keep it nice. PAINT IT!
Dale
It seemed obvious to me, too, Dale. The mechanic did fine with the engine but seems to be out of his lane on drive shafts! This'll be a good winter project. Thanks!