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Velvet Drive Issue - Shaft turns in Neutral

jayj123

New member
I have a 10-17-008 Velet Drive 71C 1.91:1 (LH) that was installed last year, bought remanufactured. Replaced cooler and hoses also. Everything seemed fine with it until I had the transmission replaced on the other engine this year. I compared temps (with IR gun) earlier this year when the new xmsn overheated due to oil leak. The temp on last years xmsn was ~160 (this was after an 8 hour run). The last time I checked the fluid, noticed it was a little low and topped off. After another 8 hours run, the temp was ~190 and now I notice the shaft is slowing rotating in the forward direction while in Neutral. I'm hoping the temp issue is due to leaking fluid, as I had to add more fluid again and think I have found the source of that leak.

What is the issue with the rotation in neutral? I have tried moving the shifter slowly toward forward and reverse, but the rotation never stops until either gear is engaged.

I've read rich_p's thread and am now really scared because I know I can't do all those R&R's and sure can't afford to pay someone for them!
 
Slippage in neutral is usually due to warped forward clutch plates, due to overheating. Usually caused by low fluid, causing clutch slipping while underway. It's a bench job, that took a full day for a novice like myself. As you noted, maybe the hardest single task is getting the 130lb transmission out of the boat and up on the bench.
 
Ditto on the clutch plates being warped.

The old BW manual suggests another cause could be clogged exhaust port on the control valve. The fix for this is to remove it, clean it, and then reinstall it. Much easier than pulling the entire gear. That said, all the 'shaft spins fwd while in neutral' cases I've seen were due to warped plates.
 
Will slippage in neutral affect the xmsn while underway? My plan is to get the boat back to home port for winter workover. It's about a 200 mile trip but I don't want to cause more xmsn damage. Two in two years is enough for me.
 
Having a slight slow turn in neutral should not be an issue. It is most likely a warped plate as mentioned above and as long as you have the overheat situation under control I would not worry about it for at least a few years. While underway the clutch plates are held tight and should not slip so you should be fine.
Through all my R&R's it was the reduction gear (bell shaped thing bolted to the back of the trans) that was giving me problems, not the actual transmission.
 
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