I know you're better than that, Wilbur.

Don't prove me wrong :{))

On Sunday, September 9, 2012 6:03:10 PM UTC-4, Wilbur Hubbard wrote:
"Flying Pig" wrote in message news:k2iqko$1dh$1@dont-

[trim]





So, reading the followups, I see I wasn't adequately complete in my

descriptions...



This is a 4" coupling and transmission flange.



1) I left the bolts loose.



Got it!

Apparently not, because then you say...




2) I rotated the entire assembly 90° at a time, pulling the coupler to the

tranny flange as tightly as possible after each rotation, inserting (failing

at the end) the feeler gauge around the entire face (which, since the tranny

plate is a butterfly, amounted to really only about 215° or so out of

360°).



Got it! But how dumb is it to tighten down the bolts all the way and then

attempt to insert a feeler gauge? Duh. There is enough power in a tightened

down set of bolts to draw together flanges that ARE NOT PARALLEL. Can't you

see this simple reality, Skippy?

Thus.

The nuts, in the entire alignment process, were never even on, let alone tightened, on the bolts. However, I exert a fair amount of pressure in pulling the shaft/coupling to the tranny, and it's solidly mated (well, not so much the tranny plate wouldn't move easily on each of the 4 instances I checked for each position, as well).

Thus, the bolts were mere place holders for the tranny plate to not move as I rotated the unit (tranny and coupling, together) for each round of gauging.

In fact, the bolts are STILL in without nuts, because I'll not only let it settle, I'll do the installation of the packing gland, adjusting slightly for the shaft's own weight, confirming that the bronze doesn't touch the shaft anywhere before putting on the packing nut, before checking the alignment, yet again. This time, if I get no opening in my 4 measurements, I'll not bother with rotating the tranny plate and doing it 4 times over.

However, it may well have shifted sufficiently, including my allowance for the shaft weight being supported in the approximate center by the packing gland, by that time that I'll have to do it all again. In which case, see the preceding, which will be enhanced by all the contortions to do the fiddly adjustments. However, I was VERY pleased to see that all is sufficiently loose that it's no longer a wrestling match to make my adjustments...

L8R, y'all

Skip, off-center and off-line discussion from Wilbur redacted, as my coupling has a nipple centering it on the tranny for off-center, and the rest should be obvious to everyone else :{))