Caught that funny drivetrain sound, here's a sound clip...

[thtrog]

I took it to Tobler. Yes, they are still a Tige dealer and PCM certified shop. PCM's warranty manager said they've had good experiences with them, which is encouraging. So far Tobler's service coordinator has been very helpful and supportive. I'll keep everyone posted on how the situation evolves and how Tobler and PCM handle it.

I don't know if there is another PCM shop in the area now that the Mastercraft dealer is closing. If Axis uses PCM, the Hagadone marina on Cd'A would likely be certified as they are an Axis dealer.

Good luck with getting your problem resolved. BTW, Axis uses Indmar engines and are great boats for the money.

[IDBoating]

The centurion, moomba, mastercraft dealer is closing?

Yes, the one near Liberty Lake on I-90. Their last day is supposed to be October 29th. I talked with their management and the overhead is just too high compared with the number of boats they have been selling since that first summer.

They still have some wetsuits, PFD's, a couple of REALLY HUGE surfboards, etc. for at least 40% off if you're interested.

[IDBoating]

Good luck with getting your problem resolved.

Thanks, I'll keep everyone updated!

[What she said]

I could not listen to the audio, but my platform makes some wierd noises when weighted. Just a thought when you hear it have someone stand on the platform to see it the noise goes away, or changes.

[IDBoating]

I could not listen to the audio, but my platform makes some wierd noises when weighted. Just a thought when you hear it have someone stand on the platform to see it the noise goes away, or changes.

As noted earlier in this thread, the noise problem has been definitely confirmed to be the stuffing box (or, as on my boat, the PSS carbon/stainless ring system). There is a resonance most likely caused by the ring interface going dry. Tige doesn't use the recommended version that supplies water to the rings. When mine is making the noise in the audio clip, the slightest touch on the rubber bellows or carbon ring silences it completely. This is not related to the transmission problem.

I was able to confirm mine is going dry, exactly as PSS said it would, by pressing back the carbon ring (compressing the bellows). A big PSSSSSSSSSSSSST of air came out, finally followed by water once the air pocket had bled out. In other words, the water is being drawn out of the propshaft pocket under the hull and allowing the stuffing box to go dry. This is why the PSS manufacturer recommends that planing hulls (those that can go over 12 knots) use the normal "forced water" version.

I'm still considering my options on how to resolve this stuffing box problem.

[dom w. forte]

I understand what PSS is saying but , I have a 2004 with 1100hrs and never done anything to the system, also Ive only had one customer fail and that was from backing off of a beach and packing it with dirt, so I dont know why yours would be any different.

[IDBoating]

I understand what PSS is saying but , I have a 2004 with 1100hrs and never done anything to the system, also Ive only had one customer fail and that was from backing off of a beach and packing it with dirt, so I dont know why yours would be any different.

Me either. But they said there was probably a pocket of air under there and, sure enough, when I checked by pushing back the bellows as instructed, there was.

[IDBoating]

Quick update: Just spoke with the service coordinator at the local PCM shop. He has an email from PCM's warranty manager that says my new transmission will ship today. That's great news!

I believe those transmissions weigh about 70 pounds, so hopefully they can ship it UPS or FedEx freight (as opposed to whole engines which must travel via truck freight). That would put it here by the middle to end of next week. The local shop says once it's here they can turn it around in one day.

So far, so good. More when I hear it.

[IDBoating]

It's been a week since the transmission supposedly shipped. Not worried yet since it could take that long to get it across the country. No word yet from the local dealer, and I don't want to be a pest (yet!). I'll give it to the end of the week and if I haven't heard from them, I'll call to get an update.

Starting to get cooler here too, so I'm hoping to get it back soon for winterization. I really hate winterizing when it's cold.

[IDBoating]

I spoke with another person at PSS, the makers of the dripless shaft seals used by Tige instead of traditional stuffing boxes. They offered to give me a discount on a replacement carbon ring that has the vent nipple as shown here:



The idea behind this nipple is two fold: It vents air out of the shaft-hull area, and if that's not enough you can use it to force water into that area. In both cases the point is to keep water in and around the shaft seal.

This is the version that PSS recommends for boats that exceed 12 knots or go on plane. While Tige has their blessing not to use it, I am experiencing the exact symptoms related to water evacuation.

Since my boat is getting a warranty transmission swap, the dealer is already having to disconnect the propshaft. It's the perfect time to upgrade my shaft seal and eliminate this air problem. The only part that needs to be changed is the carbon ring with the nipple; everything else is identical in both versions so no other parts are involved.

The carbon ring is supposed to arrive tomorrow. The dealer says to drop it off and they'll install it when they replace the transmission.

[duffymahoney]

Look at the OJ seal. They are amazing.

[dom w. forte]

Look at the OJ seal. They are amazing.

We have seen bad results with that design, contrary to there claim the double lip seal wears down the shaft and new seals wont correct the problem, we have converted that design to the pss style to save the custormers money on shaft replacement, everyone we have done has been MC .

[IDBoating]

We visited the shop yesterday. The transmission has arrived and they have started to remove things. The tech was pulling back the propshaft while we stood there talking to him.

He complimented us on the ballast system, which was kind of him.

Looks like we might get the 24Ve back early next week - just in time for our first subfreezing temps. Might have to move fast on winterization. Yet normally I'd want to do an on-water test after something this extensive.

Opinions? Should I push it and put her in the water now? Or tuck her away and check in the Spring?

[Ewok]

The freezing temps are just overnight, and if you keep her in the water overnight you'll be ok, the water is warmer than the air and it will keep the water in the engine from freezing. Just don't use the lift, keep it in the water. When you pull her out drain the water from the engine to be safe until you complete the winterization.

[IDBoating]

Good news, and questionable news...

Got the 24Ve back today, complete with new transmission (to hopefully solve the shifting problem) and a new carbon ring with the water port (to hopefully solve the shaft seal noise problem).

The good news: The transmission is a newer model, serial number 2014####, so that's nice.

The questionable news: It's a different gear ratio. I now have a 1:1 ratio. My original transmission was 1.23:1.

I don't know if PCM switched ratios on purpose, or if it was an oversight, but it sure was unexpected. I checked the plate on the transmission while I was going over things in their boatyard, and was so surprised I took off my glasses and got right down onto the plate to confirm. Sure enough, it's 1:1.

The dealer didn't notice it and they were surprised when I walked back into the shop and mentioned it. I asked to see my original transmission so I could confirm it was 1.23:1, but they had already shipped it back to PCM.

The boat previously went 40 MPH at WOT of 5200 RPM. 5200 is PCM's max recommended for this engine, so I was more-or-less perfectly propped with the original transmission when I switched to the Acme 1235.

Normally I'd expect the effect of this ratio change to be to increase my prop RPM for a given engine RPM, with loss of low-end torque. Is that what is likely to happen here? That's not a tradeoff I'd have chosen. I need lots of grunt when I'm ultra-ballasted. I don't care about going faster than 40 MPH, but I do care about low-end torque.

I'm going to call PCM in the morning to see what they have to say about it, but I'm interested to hear everyone's comments here as well.

Thanks!