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 Post subject: squeaky fins
PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2014 9:35 am 
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Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2014 9:02 am
Posts: 30
I've got a Hobie Adventure (no Island) that I use mostly for fishing, mostly in saltwater. I've had the boat since last July and use it regularly (average more than 2x per week in summer here in California, and about 1x per 2 weeks in winter). My typical day on the water is about 5 hours, with almost constant pedaling, usually at a fairly slow cadence (I like to troll).

I often get a squeaking noise when pedaling. It's most common when starting out, and it usually goes away after a while, for no apparent reason. However, on rare occasion, it will start out quiet, then the squeak begins. Here's a brief video that I shot using a GoPro with the waterproof case on (so it was actually a lot louder than it sounds here):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4BNzZIoFMw

I always rinse the fins after use, and I regularly lubricate the mechanism, using silicone spray as recommended by Hobie. It sounds to me like it's plastic rubbing on plastic, and it doesn't seem to do any harm. But it drives me batty when I'm out fishing and there is complete silence except for that steady squeak, squeak, squeak, ...

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

Mark


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 Post subject: Re: squeaky fins
PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2014 10:19 am 
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Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2008 4:34 pm
Posts: 236
Location: Hobie Cat: Oceanside, CA
Mark - I would check that your chains/cable aren't too tight. There should be some play when you squeeze either side of the chains together. If they are too tight, maybe they are causing some friction. Be sure the drums are lubed well on the shaft that goes from left to right. We use marine grease in there during assembly. Perhaps its dry and once water works its way in there it lubes it a little and stops squeaking? Same goes for the sprocket shaft.

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 Post subject: Re: squeaky fins
PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2014 11:21 am 
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Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2014 9:02 am
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Bcastile wrote:
Mark - I would check that your chains/cable aren't too tight. There should be some play when you squeeze either side of the chains together. If they are too tight, maybe they are causing some friction. Be sure the drums are lubed well on the shaft that goes from left to right. We use marine grease in there during assembly. Perhaps its dry and once water works its way in there it lubes it a little and stops squeaking? Same goes for the sprocket shaft.


Thanks for the suggestions. However, I have tried quite a few adjustments to the chain/cables, since that seemed to me like the most likely source of the noise. But so far, that hasn't resolved the problem. Also, I can't seem to duplicate the issue unless I'm on the water, which makes it more difficult to discern exactly where the noise is coming from.

Anyways, I'm thinking it's probably time to take the drive completely apart to clean/re-lube/readjust. If there is anything that I should be on the lookout for when doing so, let me know.


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 Post subject: Re: squeaky fins
PostPosted: Thu Mar 13, 2014 8:43 am 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
Posts: 15027
Location: Oceanside, California
Review drive lubrication FAQ by roadrunner. Great information!

MirageDrive FAQ page: http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=60

Lubrication 1 of 3: http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=12577

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Hobie Cat USA
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 Post subject: Re: squeaky fins
PostPosted: Fri Mar 14, 2014 10:34 am 
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Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2014 9:02 am
Posts: 30
mmiller wrote:
Review drive lubrication FAQ by roadrunner. Great information!

MirageDrive FAQ page: http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=60

Lubrication 1 of 3: http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=12577


I took it all apart, cleaned and carefully lubricated everything, and it's now all reassembled. I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but will post again once I do.

I also came across a discussion where squeaks had been resolved by tightening the large bolts that hold the crank arms in place. On my mirage drive, one side appears to be slightly loose, to the point that it slips (ever so slightly) back and forth. However, I'm a bit reluctant to tighten it, since I'm concerned that I might strip the threads, which seem to only be in plastic (i.e., it appears that no metal nut is embedded in the plastic to receive the bolt). So, I'm wondering if it's OK to slightly tighten this nut. Any advice would be appreciated.


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 Post subject: Re: squeaky fins
PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 10:27 am 
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Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2014 9:02 am
Posts: 30
I resolved this problem a while back. In case anybody has a similar issue in the future, the problem was with the idler pulley. I have to loosen the cable to the point where it almost falls off the pulley---any more tension and it will squeak.

Also, when lubricating the pedals (I use silicone lube), if spray gets anywhere near the pulley, it'll start squeaking again, even with the loose cable. To fix the squeak, I remove the pulley, clean it out, and grease the pulley axle before re-assembly (which is actually pretty easy, thanks to the looseness of the cable).

The bottom line is that I can eliminate that annoying squeak. But to my mind, this process seems a lot more finicky than it should be.


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