C22 rudder post lube

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windnutlarry
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Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 4:33 pm
Location: Green Bay, WI

C22 rudder post lube

Post by windnutlarry »

I dropped the post today to replace the lower mushroom bearing, and found a thick coat of petrified lube on it. It took carb cleaner and a 3M pad to get it off, and I was wondering if anyone else puts grease in there. I'm not a big fan of putting grease in a place where it can't be refreshed or replaced, and I can't see that it does much good anyway.
Rivercruiser
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Post by Rivercruiser »

:?: Do you think it might have been for corrosion protection :?:
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Hunter 29.5
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Matt & Star
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Location: Ontario Canada

Post by Matt & Star »

I was wondering the same thing when I took the rudder off my C22 as well- should there be some kind of lube or not? The socket on mine was dry as a bone with no residue whatsoever from any kind of lube. There was no paint in the socket either, just bare glass with circular scratches on both the hull and worn out bearing.
I think any kind of greasy lube is bound to attract and hold grit- not a good thing. I was thinking of maybe a wax-based lube like "White Lightning", which is designed to shed any buildup of crud. (Although it is used mainly for bicycle chain lubrication, I think this type would be what I would choose if I were to lube it when it comes time to reassemble.)
The more it think about it, though, having even small currents of water moving around the area would flush out that cavity if unimpeded by any lube, especially with the back and forth motion of the rudder post. Groundings in silty muck notwithstanding. Maybe less is more?

Just one man's opinion...

BTW, (windnutlarry), not to stray too far off topic, but do you happen to have a pic of the inside of your hull where the rudder passes through? I'd like to compare it to what I have in mine to see how bad off mine is. It looks like mine has been damaged and repaired in the past (I have a posting showing pics in the forum- one of my few posts, so it should be easy to find. I'll look for a link in the mean time) .

Cheers,
Matt
1980 Chrysler 22, "Free Ride", on the hard gettin' pretty.
windnutlarry
Posts: 50
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 4:33 pm
Location: Green Bay, WI

C22 rudder post lube

Post by windnutlarry »

I was considering a coat of white lithium grease, which I've found to be very stable in other applications. My upper bearing, with the flange inside the cockpit is very tight, while the lower mushroom bearing was so brittle it just fell apart. Go figure. I have the sliding galley on the starboard side and some PO-installed bulkheads on the port side, so access to the hull interior is difficult at best. I know I need to inspect it, but it's a challenge. Rudder repair seems to be a lively topic on the forum, so I wouldn't be surprised if yours has been re-done at some point. By the way, I'm replacing those miserable Phillips-head screws on the retaining ring with stainless 1/4-20x1" Allen-head cap screws.
Rivercruiser
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Post by Rivercruiser »

By the way, I'm replacing those miserable Phillips-head screws on the retaining ring with stainless 1/4-20x1" Allen-head cap screws.


thats what I did after having to use Vise-Grips to remove the originals. :wink:
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Hunter 29.5
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