Mirage Drive Clicking

For this year's Watertribe NCC I switched my AI Drive and I took one from my TI. The original AI drive is getting whably because the hole through the two drive drums is getting oblong. The TI drives are hardly used.

After the first ten miles of pedaling the right pedal started to make a clicking sound when I did a full stroke. It felt like it was slightly hanging on something at the extreme ends of the stroke. I had to shorten the stroke and reduce the amount of pressure that I was applying for it to stop.

I removed the drive, inspected but could not find anything. It does not happen swinging the drive in air. This problem has me bumfuzzled.

Any ideas? I would like to use this drive on my Rappahannock River trip in a week since I need to install new drums on the AI drive...

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Paul
DogsLife
2011 Adventure Island


http://dogslifeadventures.blogspot.com/

I have the same thing going on with one of my drives but really can't pinpoint where the click is coming from. But it works just fine.

On an earlier Outback with the same noise, I put a piece of tape on the underside of the forward drive mount tang and it became as quiet as it could be. No click, no anything. So I'm thinking it may be a slight mis-fit in the Mirage Drive well.

By the way, congratulations on your outstanding finish in the watertribe event.

I would lube the chain and see what happens.

I have oiled everything prior to the race. I never go in without checking over all my gear and looking for failure points.

The click is more than a click. You can feel the right side pedal hanging on something. At first I thought that it was in the cross tie cable because it was slightly loose. Nothing pops up that is obvious. It might be a shifting cable where the screw threads are slipping through the attachment point. Eventually it might "wear in". But as a engineer it bothers me that there is something there that I do not understand....

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Paul
DogsLife
2011 Adventure Island


http://dogslifeadventures.blogspot.com/

Probably the chain and sprocket. Roadrunner is the expert here. Hopefully he'll shed some light for us.

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Hobie Island Sailing since 2006

I'm going to throw something out here, just in case. Please do not take it as any reflection nor assumption as to your careful inspection of the problem. Most likely, what I'm about to say has nothing to do with it, but this happened to me once and it may help somebody else out.

My Pro Angler Mirage Drive unit began making a clicking/snapping sound on one side about a year after I bought it. Couldn't figure it out. When I operated the drive by hand, in the well, the sound disappeared. Came to find out it the sole of the croc shoe I had on my right foot catching the pedal arm adjustment clip on the backstroke. It would hang and then release with a "snap" although I couldn't feel it in my foot.

Again, this is almost certainly not your problem, but I mention it just in case.

So I thought that by adjusting the cable tensions I fixed the clicking problem.

I was wrong. During my last weekend's Rappahannock Trip I decided to take the same drive to make sure that everything was working properly. A few miles after getting on the water it started clicking again. 10 miles down the river the drive did not feel correct. I tried pulling out the drive but could not.

I reached under the boat and could feel about 4 inches of metal shaft sticking out the back of the drive at the hull level. With all the gear I could not roll the boat. Luckily we came up to a large downed tree trunk laying at the edge of the river. I pulled the nose of the boat up on to the trunk like a giant car jack and tied the bow off to keep the boat from slipping back into the water.

I was able to get under the boat and drive the pin in to remove the drive from the well. What happened if the Allen screw that hold the main support shaft for both fins had loosened up allowing the shaft to slide back. I carry various drive parts and some tools to repair a drive on the water. Allen Wrench needs to be added to my inventory.

Lucky for me the person I was with had a spare drive.

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Paul
DogsLife
2011 Adventure Island


http://dogslifeadventures.blogspot.com/

Did this rid the unit of the clicking noise?

I've had that happen. Also check the idler pulley shaft which can loosen as well. Be careful not to overtighten the allen screws as the plastic thread housing can crack.
I seem to recall Roadrunner has previously reported clicking can be due to the larger central sprocket lug catching on the chain.

I have just finishing overhauling my drive (V2) for the same reason, it was clicking on the right side (pushing the right foot forward). Didn't click out of water. Stripped everything down and found two teeth on the sprocket were worn down for some reason and must have been allowing the chain to slip slightly when force was applied. New sprocket installed and it's like brand new! The teeth in question was the middle locating tooth and one next to it.

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I to have that clicking sound and have pulled the drive apart several times looking for the cause.

It dosen't do it when the drive is out of the boat as the drive needs to be under pressure I reckon. The sound may come from a worn drum shaft?
A recent strip down of the drive revealed considerable wear on the shaft on one the same area on both sides of the shaft. I knocked the shaft out and rotated it 180deg and replaced it. No doubt there is wear to the V2 drum also but I was surprised to see the wear on the SS shaft by the plastic drum. What is the plastic the drums are made of? The clicking noise has gone for now so fingers crossed.

Maybe a sacraficial sleeve should be introduced to the bearing areas of the drive? I have ordered a new shaft.

I have had issues with the sprocket shaft sliding also and have cracked spine in the area Stringy warns of by over tightening the grub screw. I glued it together with super glue but still have issues there - new spine I guess.

I have broken a crank and worry about the other one - so I guess I'll have to carry a spare crank.

It may not apply to Dog's complaint, but when a drive is out of adjustment (stroke too long) or a shaft is bent the fins can contact the hull, (sometimes just one side), the clew and locking rings can actually contact the hull (near the drive well) and cause a clear clicking or tapping sound, usually along with the "slap" of the fin.



It can actually create fairly deep gouges in the hull over time. Though the real danger would be stressing the drive sprockets or cracking the hull from excess torquing.

I find it best to keep the drive stroke adjusted so that it can not touch the hull at all.

Nohuhu
Thanks for the response - "the click" happens when cranks pass the vertical and are max distance from the hull. I have experienced hull slap and that's not it.
I 'm putting it down to wear n tear and could well be incorrect adjustment. There is a bit of looseness in a few areas of the drive - 500 hrs use what do you expect?

Try holding the drive out in front of you with a hand on each crank. Whilst going through the full stepping motion (using your arms), look carefully to see if the chain is catching on a sprocket tooth. If it is, try tightening the nut at one end of the chain just a little. If no improvement then back it off and tighten the other end.
I think the drums are injection molded nylon?

Yes, Fiber reinforced injection molded Nylon.

Wear to stainless parts will accelerate with silt in water. We had a guy pedaling down the Mississippi. Wow... the silt there was like sandpaper.

We used to use a bearing part when the drums were aluminum. The nylon to stainless is like a bearing and a better fit.

Maybe use a waterproof bearing grease where you see the wear.

Tech Tip - MirageDrive Maintenence/Lubrication #1 of 3 (by roadrunner)

http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=12577&start=0

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)