motor collet worn out???

[DBJr]

Just got a quick question

Do flex shaft collets wear out from normal use, loosening, tightening, etc???

3 times now I have had the flex shaft on my Proboat Blackjack 24 come loose and luckily the shaft just slid out a few inches instead of coming out of the boat completely.

I was even more lucky this occurred at the very start of the run with the boat in shallow water.

I'm thinking the grippers on the collet might be worn out but I'm not entirely sure.

[kfxguy]

Well the main problem that people don't think about is when you grease the shaft, you must clean it of the residue grease as it starts to come out the stuffing tube and going into the collet. You get grease or oil in the collet you just compromised your grip. So at all costs, keep the flex clean and dry going into the collet. Once it slips it's usually done for.

[DBJr]

Thanks

That makes sense. I'll go ahead and replace the collet and make sure the flex is clean before tightening.

After having it slip 3 times, I would no longer trust it anyway.

[ray schrauwen]

Try using some anti-seize on the inside threads of the nut portion so it can be tightened all the way. I don't worry about a little grease and I've not had a cable slip in over 5 years.
Some times you get bummer collets from the China bin so, in my more powerful boats I use H&M collets or anything better than some of the Chinese ones.

[zooma]

Also check to see if the cable is worn down from spinning in the collet