1977 FSB-32 Steering chain adjustments

[proudfox]

I seem to have quite a bit of play and tolerance in my steering wheel, the chain from the fly bridge is quite sloppy.

Is there any problem with adjusting the turnbuckle to remove just the excess chain slop, and still not adjust it so as to place any strain on the bearings.

Any thoughts from other Trojan boat owners would be appreciated.

Thank you

[rossjo]

I had play in the gear box (inside the lower helm). I pulled it apart and shimmed the bevel gear out a bit (about 0.060" as I recall), repacked it with grease and all works great now!

[Big D]

Didn't know chains were used from the upper to lower helm. Are you sure it's a chain from the fly bridge and not a solid stainless shaft going to lower helm?

[larryeddington]

mine has what looks like a piece of conduit that takes the turning motion to below lowere decks, however it does have a chain at the upper helm that drives a sproket on aformentioned conduit.

[Big D]

Ok, so mine is a little different and what I thought would have been carried over into the fiberglass line for a while after. It does not have a chain at the upper helm. My fly bridge helm utilizes a solid pipe and a couple of u-joints to hook up to the SS shaft that goes to the gear box down in the lower helm. From there, it drives a chain in the engine compartment that turns a pipe going to a steering box by the rudders. There is a turnbuckle on the chain that can be used to take up slack.

[rossjo]

Big D & LarryE,

Good points, yours is the same as mine (ours?).

Yes, you can take up the slack in the chain length, but I also had slop in the gears meshing in the lower gear box, which required shimming due to wear (partially due to loss of grease).

[plansea]

My 74 F36 is the same as Big D's. It is adjustable. Larry

[larryeddington]

I have not addressed adjusting mine as yet but will need to, the shimming information was enlightenment. I assumed that the chaing could be tightened. In my cse it looks as if one would need to loosen the pillow block bearing bolts and attempt to move them to gain tension. But as I have not done that yet remains to be seen.

I do know one thing that where the drive "pipe" from FB to lower goes through a woden chase and all the wiring is also routed and chafs against the drive "pipe" I am going to split a length of PVC s checule 20 and slip over the steering transmission pipe and fix it to not turn. Thus chaffing and possible shorts will be prevented.

[proudfox]

Yes For Sure, from the FB wheel there is a a shaft, the shaft runs vertically down into the cabin behind the lower station instrument console,
where it terminates into a gear box.

Coming out of the box is a small shaft, with a sprocket and chain, short
horizonal chain that connects to a sprocket on the shaft from the lower station wheel, which has a long vertical chain.

The Vertical chain slop is easily removed, by simply adjusting the turnbuckle
to just barely remove the excess slack in chain, while not getting it tight,
(this will cause a bearing/shaft failure)


But the issue I asked about is a way to remove the excess slack in the short horizontal chain that affects the play in the wheel on the fly bridge.

Thanks

[prowlersfish]

FSB-32 FSB ?

[larryeddington]

The only bearing I have looked at is the sproket bearing on the fly bridge if the others are like it I would have no concern about overstressing it by tightening the chain, lubicration being adequat that is.