Having major trouble getting out prop shaft out

[Polecat]

1968 Renegade, atomic 4 engine vee drive reduction gear. This is the Renegade that does not have a shaft strut.
The shaft coupling looks just like a normal inline drive A4 only it is under the V drive where you can't really see or get to it. I've removed everything - all wood/hoses/electrical as the engine is to be pulled for repair - checkout - painted cat yellow anyway. (saw a picture of that once & liked it). The shaft must come out to replace the cutless bearing.
By tapping the rust off and rotating the shaft coupling I was able to find a single steel set screw. Cleaned it out &Twisted off the 3/16 allen twice & couldn't get it to budge. Drilled out the set screw, and the stainless shaft still wont budge. Figured the shaft might rotate out of the coupling so put a 24" pipe wrench on the coupling and braced it against the bilge - put the old prop back on and tried to get the shaft to rotate -- no joy. I've filed on the coupling and sanded with crocus cloth and don't see anything that would secure the shaft to the coupling. A direct drive a4 in a catalina we owned had two square headed bolts that turned into dimples in the prop shaft can't see anything like that here. I decided to remove bolts between the coupling halves & finish removing the engine but they look to have been rounded off with a crescent wrench.
Woe is me --- any Ideas before I sawsall the shaft ? I don't want to bang on the shaft coupling to much and damage the v drive.
Feel better now that I've vented is there some secret I'm missing?
jim

[okawbow]

If you can get the flange bolts off, and can slide the coupling back far enough, you might try putting a slug or large nut, slightly smaller than the shaft diameter, at the end of the shaft. You can then install new bolts, and tighten them slowly until the nut pushes the shaft a little ways in the coupling. This will only work if the motor side coupling is solid on the shaft. If you heat the coupling quickly while tightening the bolts, it may help. If that doesn't work, saw the shaft off. Don't risk ruining your trans.

[Quetzalsailor]

See my great long story in 'Systems, etc.': PYI or pack. Such a tale of woe...and final victory!

In your case, with ruined flange bolts, you might use the cut-off wheels I describe. Controllable enough to not destroy anything as you cut the nut and the bolt flush with the flange.

Good luck,

Doug

[Oscar]

Heat-PB Blaster-Heat-PB Blaster-Heat-PB Blaster-Heat-PB Blaster-Heat-PB Blaster-Heat-PB Blaster-Heat-PB Blaster-Heat-PB Blaster-Heat-PB Blaster-Heat-PB Blaster-tap it tap it....repeat as necessary. Took me 6 hours once....in a 110º engine room.... Rust is a powerful welding agent. Or cut it and get it over with, buy a new $haft.

[Figment]

sawzall. life is short.

You probably bent or otherwise unbalanced it a bit with the pipe wrench episode anyway.

[Zach]

Oil it, and smack it with a hammer so it rings continuously for a few minutes while it is under tension. That is half of why an impact wrench works to break things loose, vibration.

I've had some success with 3 jaw gear pullers... One bolt to tighten rather than three, lets you know when its squeeked forward a titch (International standard of measure... barely noticeable, but the bolt slacked off. Grin.)

After one titch, tink, or pop... go from a standard size wrench to a doubled up wrench and or breaker bar. Either of those two before the squeek, and you bend the puller or mangle something... after it squeeks, you can put as much force as you want (within reason) and it'll come off with some sweat equity.

No squeak? Add heat and point it at the shaft not the coupling. Counter intuitive... but you want the object with the least mass/cross section to swell up as much as possible while the other stays put. By the time you get the flange of the coupling hot enough for it to swell, the shaft is hot too. Wait for it to cool down, gear puller or socket in the coupling and go back at it.

Zach - Master of disaster signing off...

[Polecat]

Thanks for the ideas - the engine is out & hanging in the shop. Couldn't get anything to budge on the shaft - so decided to concentrate on getting the engine out. Two wet towels to catch the sparks under the coupling - a big fan to thin out the fumes - two fire extinguishers and a die grinder/cut off blade got the heads off two bolts after a sharpened punch and driving a 12 mm wrench onto one bolt worked out. Now that the engine is out I can clean up the combustibles & use heat/CRC/gear puller to break free the shaft coupling - I hope. Figment is probably right - wouldn't doubt the shaft is bent - it did take a lot of torture over 3 days...the Renegade with the v drive has a surprisingly long shaft, didn't measure it but it has to be over 5'. I'm going with the PSS shaft seal - new cutless bearing & perfect pitch extendo prop. I sure was getting discouraged after 2 days - Thanks again
jim

[Shoalcove]

Be careful with PB Blaster around any seals on your tranny. It will eat them up for dinner and you'll get the bill. This I learned...
David