I am in the middle of changing out the water pump on a Yamaha F-225 and can't get the woodruff key out. I have read the posts about using the Dremel and may give that a try next. I have also seen recommnedations of using a chisel to drive it out. My question is how hard can you hit the key with a hammer and screw driver or chisel without worrying about doing collateral damage. Can you give it a good whack or do you need to just tap llightly?
Woodruff Key
- Thread starter Gulfstream G
- Start date
I hit it with an Air Hammer and it popped right out. You may want to try to heat it up a bit too.
I had the same thing happen the first time I changed the WP on my 150's. I used a Dremmel and a very small thin grinding disk. I cut the key down the middle being careful not to hit the shaft. As for heat -- That a heat tempered shaft already. TOO MUCH HEAT and you'll ruin in. I used a diamond shaped punch to collapse the side of the key once I got enough of the center ground out and the it popped right out when I struck it from one end. It seems that the key will "mushroom" in the slot and that causes the problem. That was my experince with it anyway.
They are pressed in very tight. I had to get a cold chisel and hammer the living daylights out of the top corner before it started to move.
Get a good metal cutting chisel and a flat punch.
Make sure you lay something soft down so you don't mare the L/U finish.
File down the sides of the new key so it will fit easier.
Good luck
Get a good metal cutting chisel and a flat punch.
Make sure you lay something soft down so you don't mare the L/U finish.
File down the sides of the new key so it will fit easier.
Good luck
i had to cut at least 10 out this year!!
they use 2 different metals, galvanic corrosion
use PB blaster and a metal punch and hammer
i not cut a relief cut in the center and punch her out
they use 2 different metals, galvanic corrosion
use PB blaster and a metal punch and hammer
i not cut a relief cut in the center and punch her out
In a matter of a few minutes with saw cutting the key down the middle with the dremel, don't cut shaft, sqeeze key with vice grips after cut and it will crush itself and come right out. Dremel cuts nice groove readily.
No heat, no banging.
The key fit varies due to manufacturing tolerances, no particular problem. One of my motors came out with one shot, the other had to cut. No corrosion at all.
Greased groove and banged new one in.
If you are re-using wear plate be sure dremel doesn't nick plate, tape over with duct tape two layers.
You can have the entire water pump job done in the time it takes to fart around with the key, new key goes in anyway, don't bother saving it.
No heat, no banging.
The key fit varies due to manufacturing tolerances, no particular problem. One of my motors came out with one shot, the other had to cut. No corrosion at all.
Greased groove and banged new one in.
If you are re-using wear plate be sure dremel doesn't nick plate, tape over with duct tape two layers.
You can have the entire water pump job done in the time it takes to fart around with the key, new key goes in anyway, don't bother saving it.
Thanks Bob. I guess I will try the Dremmel. Heat and Hammer & Awl have not worked. I am worried about accidentally cutting the drive shaft but I'll just try to be extra careful.....The rest of the job has gone like clockwork. The key has been a huge pain in the A_ _!
If you don't have a dremel tool, you will wonder why you waited so long.
No chance of cutting anything but key, it is a fine tool for detail work but the small cutoff wheels work fine, slow though. I use it to cut 1/2 inch bolts, but takes while. So if you hit shaft, no major damage can occur.
Just watch the wheel as it goes into key, so you don't extend off end(s) of key.
The key is wide relative to the cutoff wheel slot it will make. Just stay in middle, I stand up lower unit so the cut is vertical. The wheel is shaped like the key, you don't have to cut all the way thru, half the dept is good enough.
Then grab the key with vice grips tight, and hit vice grips down, it will come out. Squeezing it collapses the sides so it is freer to move in slot.
This is a classic DIY technique, professionals have professional tools and laught at this stuff, but it will work, cannot fail.
I always buy the delux pump kit so the wear plate becomes new anyway, wear plate is right below key.
Good luck.
No chance of cutting anything but key, it is a fine tool for detail work but the small cutoff wheels work fine, slow though. I use it to cut 1/2 inch bolts, but takes while. So if you hit shaft, no major damage can occur.
Just watch the wheel as it goes into key, so you don't extend off end(s) of key.
The key is wide relative to the cutoff wheel slot it will make. Just stay in middle, I stand up lower unit so the cut is vertical. The wheel is shaped like the key, you don't have to cut all the way thru, half the dept is good enough.
Then grab the key with vice grips tight, and hit vice grips down, it will come out. Squeezing it collapses the sides so it is freer to move in slot.
This is a classic DIY technique, professionals have professional tools and laught at this stuff, but it will work, cannot fail.
I always buy the delux pump kit so the wear plate becomes new anyway, wear plate is right below key.
Good luck.
Someone said use marine never seize in the slot so the next time it doesn't stick. I can't imaging that stuff staying in there for 2-seasons.
It's not sticking, it can actually be that tight of a fit.
The new one went in, had to hit it several times to land it.
On the other motor, it was not that tight but tight. Hitting the key down moved it and a few more times it came out w/o cutting.
The new one went in, had to hit it several times to land it.
On the other motor, it was not that tight but tight. Hitting the key down moved it and a few more times it came out w/o cutting.
Ok Freddy, we're talking boats and you go right to the gutter... You're hanging around to many sailboat forums...
After trying everything else, I finally resorted to the dremel to get the key out and it worked. Unfortunately I did put a slight groove in the edge of the key slot on the drive shaft with the cutting disk, which was the reason I didn't want to use the dremel in the first place, but hopefully that won't cause any problem.
I always use grease, not anti-sieze on my marine parts. I had issues with anti-sieze being either inneffective or seemingly almost fusing the parts together. Granted it wasn't a special maring anti-sieze. I have used grease ever since with great success. The little nick shouldn't affect anything...george