Mirage Drive Popping Out

It is interesting to read all of the threads on this issue over the last 3 years. Although more common in AI's, it has also been reported in Outbacks and Revos with the left side being more common. Although drum issues caused some of the problems most were not. Although roadrunners fix addresses the symptom, it does not fix the problem which is what Matt says that the drum is in contact with the locking mechanism and the movement and friction walks the cam open. The underlying cause is the there is a small difference in height between the right and left CNG. The CNG which is higher fully locks and stops the downward movement of the drive. The lower CNG locks but the drum is sitting too high. The only way to solve the problem is to raise the CNG with washers or shim. Filing plastic as mentioned earlier will only fix the problem if the drive hitting the hull is what is stopping the downward movement. On my adventure, the drive sits about 1/4" above the shelf when engaged as I suspect in most cases. The root cause is that CNG has a very low tolerance for vertical mounting differences. Rotomolded kayaks can be quite variable and so every once in a while, this happens. AI are probably more susceptible because of the torsional stress on the hull and the left side being affected more probably is a by product of the rotomolding process. Just my opinion of course and will test the fix this weekend.

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the input Matt & GB2, I understand all that you are explaining.
On my 2011 Revo 13, I have checked out the fit of the mirage drive, it has a nice fit, with a slight fore & aft rock to it. I have removed the plastic covers on the C&G to ensure that it is fully engaged.
I haven't taken notice of the height of the C&G units, but I have discounted this before because this problem has just recently become a problem.
The previous 12 months no problems at all.
It seems like a wear issue, but visually all seems good.
I will be measuring the main shaft length soon to see if it has moved, but once again, the C&G units are fully closing.
Cheers,
Montedane.

Make sure your C&Gs are operating smoothly (flipping back and forth freely, not hanging up), lube with penetrating oil if necessary. Check your drumshaft to see that it is centered.

Raising the left CNG with one washer and grinding the bottom of the CNG well where the drum sits by 1mm corrected the problem. As it turns out my left CNG only had a 1mm clearance compared to the right which has 2-3mm so the left has to be mounted with a high degree of accuracy to lock properly. I suspect this is the reason the left CNG is more prone to releasing. If this a production issue, replacing the CNG will not correct the problem which is what my dealer suggested.

I have been experienced the Mirage drives popping out when in use. After several attempts to fix it I finally found one that works. Upon inspecting the drum pin on the margin drive out of the kayak I noticed that when I manipulated the pedals the drum pin would roll maybe 10 to 15 degrees away from me. This rolling is what causes it to pop out of the clips. The solution was to disassemble the Mirage Drive enough to be able to drive the drum pin out to where the splines can be seen. At that point I applied a generous amount of epoxy glue J-B Weld. Being careful when I drove it back in ,to center the drum pin. Make sure to wipe off the excess epoxy after you have centered the drum pin. Finally got the boat back on the water yesterday had about a 23 mile an hour wind had no issues with the pedals and enjoy the sail.

Daniel, you probably don't need to know now, but for anyone looking, yes the Click-n-Go part can be bought individually (port/stbd). In addition, there are now after-market solutions available, for being Lightning Kayaks. I show how I retrofitted a 2008 Revo and replaced the older style cam locking system here: https://youtu.be/tcQ0OWopN0g



-Roy

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Thank you,
Roy Niswanger

I have a 2013 Outback with the original drive (maintained and updated regularly) and last night on a charter the left side kept popping out, how do I solve this problem and quick as it directly affects my business?....