EKOS C-1 wire drive install

[forescott]

I just installed a wire drive setup from Jeff Wholt, and thought I would document the installation. First I removed the old flex shafts and motors. I am using collets instead of couplers so you need to open up the center hole in the motor mounts. I used a battery powered dremmel tool to open up the holes. The second pic shows how to remove and install the motor screws by pushing a piece of silicone tubing over the screw and spinning it by hand.(this works really well)

[forescott]

Next I installed the couplers onto the motor shafts. One thing I found out is you cannot use any washers on your motor mount screws. There is barely enough room for the collet between the two motor mount screws.

[forescott]

Here is a pic of the wire drive compared to the stock cable

[forescott]

This is my first experience with wire drive and as you can see the wire is much smaller in diameter than the flex cable, so there is a lot of slop in the stock stuffing tube. It just so happens that the stock antennae straw fits snugly into the stock stuffing tube, and the wire fits snugly into the antennae tube! What luck!!

[forescott]

I'm not sure if using a teflon tube is correct for a wire drive system. I'm pretty sure you're wire is supposed to fit directly into the brass tubing, but I'm a little limited with the stock stuffing tube.

[forescott]

Here is a pic with it all together. I used plenty of speed grease in between the antennae and stuffing tube, and between the stuffing tube and brass/aluminum tube as well.

[forescott]

One thing that is a real pain is tightening the coupler. As you can see by the pic, its really tough to get a wrench on the main body of the collet with the motor screws in the way. Its possible,but a real bear!

[forescott]

Have'nt got it out on the water yet for a test but I'll be sure to post some results later.

[Jeff Wohlt]

Good job, one thing is that wire can tolerate a little more room in the stuffing tube. I have seen some run only a short piece thru the hull with open wire...They do not whip around like a cable.

So you probably could have stayed with the stock stuffing tube and be just fine.

Damn...got to be a better way on the couplers...that is a bear. The coupler doe not have to go all the way on to the shaft...maybe half is fine.

[forescott]

Good job, one thing is that wire can tolerate a little more room in the stuffing tube. I have seen some run only a short piece thru the hull with open wire...They do not whip around like a cable.

So you probably could have stayed with the stock stuffing tube and be just fine.

Damn...got to be a better way on the couplers...that is a bear. The coupler doe not have to go all the way on to the shaft...maybe half is fine.

Wasnt sure about the stuffing tube. Thought I'd better be safe than sorry. Actually the coupler is already about 2/3 the way up the shaft. Had to pull the coupler away from the motor to be able to get a wrench on it to tighten. The ekos motor mount is pretty thick.

[Team Jericho]

Great work and ideas! I am just about to order shaft drives from Jeff so this really is helpful :) But I am not sure if I want to go with the flex couplers...

PS: Can you please send me the link for those outlets you have to use the cooling on the motor mounts? I think you mentioned it on another forum thread but just can't find it again.. I really want to use this motor mount cooling on my EKOS and would like to order the right size outlets from OSE.

Thanks again!

[Team Jericho]

And your idea about using hose to help grasp the mounting screws on motor installs..ingenious!

[forescott]

Great work and ideas! I am just about to order shaft drives from Jeff so this really is helpful :) But I am not sure if I want to go with the flex couplers...

PS: Can you please send me the link for those outlets you have to use the cooling on the motor mounts? I think you mentioned it on another forum thread but just can't find it again.. I really want to use this motor mount cooling on my EKOS and would like to order the right size outlets from OSE.

Thanks again!

They are 4mm. I have straight fittings from e-bay, but ose sells the 90 degree ones that work just as well. http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/pro...prod=etti-a030

[forescott]

The collets work really well too. I have them both.

[forescott]

And your idea about using hose to help grasp the mounting screws on motor installs..ingenious!

I cant take credit for that one. Another ose forum members idea. Does work excellent though!

[Team Jericho]

Thanks. I have 3 of those outlets already from OSE and need only one more.

[scubasteve95]

i just installed jeffs wire drives and there great,
only problem i,m having is the water is coming in alot faster with the
wire insted of the cable...any ideas or help would be super
ps
i told you guy those collets were tough...nice ..but ....what a pain
switched to jeffs set screw collets...much nicer and easy...
i did tap out the set screws to get 1 size larger...my man thumbs keep
friggen up the tiny allen heads.

[forescott]

i just installed jeffs wire drives and there great,
only problem i,m having is the water is coming in alot faster with the
wire insted of the cable...any ideas or help would be super

Same with mine. I lube the wire with tons of grease but still getting water up the stuffing tubes. Havent figured out a fix yet.

[Jeff Wohlt]

Smaller teflon tubing will fix that. Let me see if I can find some to fit the tubes.
I have also glued a piece of shrink on the stuffing tube and insert wire then shrink the tubing around the wire...but I do not see you being able to do that.

[Simon.O.]

Let me see if this comes out well in a typed format.

I run a lot of wires, in fact I only run wires and that is one each for 8 hulls, with the exception of the big cat that has two.
I use .062 wire shafts and have stuff tubes from 1/8" up to 3/16"

On a couple of the hulls I have had water enter via the stuff tube.
Here is how I fix it.
Reduce the stuff tube dia at one end by using a short length of smaller dia tube soldered into the stuff tube. I have done this at the motor end on some hulls and at the outside end on other hulls.
If this is not enough then in goes the heavy oil.
If that fails then on goes a small bit of heat shrink.

Just a few ideas

[Team Jericho]

I am waiting for Jeff's piano wire shafts to arrive too :) I read on the forum of one guy who used antenna tube inside the drive shaft tube. This is co-incidentally the perfect fit apparently! But I am not sure about the pastic of antenna tube? Is it also teflon or does it really matter? Can the antenna tubing take the high rpm of the shafts?

[Jeff Wohlt]

It will handle it. Anything to fit inside is great. Lube well. Also, I put the stub in a drill and sand the wire with 320 and 400 and then I polish with flitz and it is smooth.

[forescott]

I am waiting for Jeff's piano wire shafts to arrive too :) I read on the forum of one guy who used antenna tube inside the drive shaft tube. This is co-incidentally the perfect fit apparently! But I am not sure about the pastic of antenna tube? Is it also teflon or does it really matter? Can the antenna tubing take the high rpm of the shafts?

That was me. But I'm still getting a little water inside.

[scubasteve95]

That was me. But I'm still getting a little water inside.

forescott,
got some good info from you in the past so maybe i can help...
searched 4 different forums and got this.
take a small piece of fuel tube and fit it over the stuffing tube
and over the wire drive just enough to fit smooth about 1/16" to 1/8"
over wire (you may need a small o-ring or cut a small piece of the fuel tube and put it over the the piece on the wire side to make a good water tight fit)then fill the tube with grease..problem fixed and you
will still reap the benifit of the less friction wire drive...
no extra stuffing just teflon tube the ekos came with...hope this helps

[scubasteve95]

here are some pics of the fix..
cut tube to size,use a small pair of needle nose and
just slide it over stuffing tube,insert wire almost into coupler
then slide small o-ring or cut tube onto wire
insert wire into coupler and then with two small picks or screw drivers
work o-ring over tube...done

[forescott]

Have you tested this ?? I've heard this many times but never tried it. Did it work for you?

[scubasteve95]

well ... yes and no..
right side sealed up tight as can be..no water at all...perfect as planed
left side..not so much,still leaks and i cant get it to stop...
i'm still on it ..stiffer tube or o-ring will do the trick i hope...

[forescott]

Hmmm... I might give it a try. I'm just getting a tiny amount of water after about 10-min. And it doesnt splatter all over the components, so I can live with that.

[Jeff Wohlt]

As I told Steve, Watch anything larger than the stinger OD. Like the washer or prop hub as this will push water in. Wires will not suck up water like a cable but make sure it is all sealed at the hull. Also, you do not need to allow much gap for the wire at the drive dog....just a mm is plenty.

I use shrink and stretch the stuffint tube end out with hemostates and ca them on the stuffing tube then install waire and use a lighter to shrink it around the wire...problem is with these is there is so little stuffing tube. Probably if it were me I would remove the stuffing tube support and make a new one and move it back so I had more stuffing tube exposed to work with. Actually I would probably install new stuffing tubes to take good teflon we stock and get rid of that close crap.

[scubasteve95]

stinger on left side sits lower then stinger on right side
just a mm but enough to leave a very small gap,gunna seal it up and try
on monday