Greasing your flex shaft ?.

[rchippie]

For bearing struts it also dispells water after a run and keeps the bearings lubed.

When greasing after a run it does the same thing....pushes the water out. I prefer to remove mine and do it right when running bushings. Bearings need a little different treatment.

So would you recomend drilling the hole or not ?.

[Jeff Wohlt]

You can if you want but most struts do not have it.

[BHChieftain]

Doesnt matter whose strut you are talking about the hole in the strut is for release of the lubrication material to exit as heat builds. Over pressureization here is the factor. Since lubricant expansion is the issue the purpose is solely to facilitate possible issues related to adequate lubrication and bearing movement as temperature increases.

In simple terms you dont want the bearings/races to push outward with increasing temps due to heating of lubrication materials and therefore increasing friction on the rotating components. The hole allows the pressure to escape. Very basic engineering.


John

Hi,
If you watch the video on the link below, you'll see the proboat strut design in question. The strut normally stays attached to the flexshaft when you remove it from the boat to lube-- and the only way to get lube into the strut portion is thru the hole. Otherwise, you'd need to remove the prop to remove the shaft from the strut.

If your flexshaft/strut design allows the shaft to be easily removed from the strut, I don't think you need any holes-- excess lube would just expand out of gap between the strut and the flexshaft.

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Articles/Article.aspx?ArticleID=2001

-Chief

[bwells]

I like that video. For tools you will need " a set of channel locks, a set of vice grips" which will be sure to screw up the coupler over time. How about the correct size wrenches?

[AlanN]

A better place to put a grease fitting is on the stuffing tube closer to the motor. The hole in the strut will just force the oil or grease out of the drive line.