Mirage drive - part of spine assembly is out of alignment

My Mirage drive on my 2017 Revo 13 has been squeaking for a while. The squeaking started soon after I had my standard fins swapped out for turbo fins.

I noticed the rear chain seemed loose, so I tightened it, but it continued to squeak. I took a closer look, and the part of the spine that moves with the rear fin (operated by the rear chain) now looks misaligned. Tightening the chain seems to have pulled it out of alignment with the rest of the spine.

Unfortunately, I am far from my dealer now. I'm a snowbird who bought my kayak during the winter in AZ, but I'm in Bellingham WA now and won't be back in AZ until November.

What might be wrong, and can I fix it myself? Many thanks in advance!



P.S. - I'm new here, can anyone help me with how to post a photo?

Hi Karen and welcome to the forum. Squeaks usually need oil. I prefer a light oil in a spray can like BreakFree. Here's a reference pic. for the following info::


Terminology:
1. Sprocket assembly
2. Spine
3. Idler pulley
4. Drum

Lube points:
A. Roller bearings and sprocket shaft for sprocket assemblies
B. Drum shaft and roller bearings (outside shown, but I prefer to lube the inside)
C. Idler shaft and roller bearings

Circles:
Idler adjusting nut (bottom)
Front chain/cable nut (right)
Rear chain/cable nut (left)

Lubing tips -- I like to lube anything that moves, but pay particular attention to the roller bearings around the three shafts mentioned. After lubing, exercise the parts to spread the lube, then wipe off any excess.

Chain/cable adjustments -- If you pinch the cables together firmly you should get some flexing I look for about 1/8" idler cable and front chain, and about 3/16 rear chain. Tighten in the order mentioned as one adjustment may affect another.

Notice there are adjustment nuts on both ends of the cables. If you just tighten one nut, you pull the fin to that side. Better to see if the fins are leaning, then adjust the appropriate side; if centered, tighten or loosen both sides equally.

for starters, you may have just over tightened the one chain. If so, loosen it and check the fin straightness.

This ought to get you back in operation without squeaks!

photo of my spine assembly:

and a close-up of the misaligned part:

Links to the photos I tried without success to insert (they're on OneDrive):

https://1drv.ms/u/s!Aipj9CZDtQMQgQ3H_pO9LjMrMEK6
https://1drv.ms/u/s!Aipj9CZDtQMQgQz_JGvH15o5cw8n

Thanks, Roadrunner, for the more-accurate description of how tight the chains should be (1/8" and 3/16" play) and where all the lubrication points are! Once I have my drive back to "normal", it will help me greatly!

But the current misalignment seems pretty severe to me, and re-loosening the chain seems likely to result in very sloppy operation of this fin.

Based on your pictures, it looks like you have significantly over tightened the rear sprocket cable, cinching up the rear portion. The number of threads showing on your adjustment nut appears to be excessive. Loosen the chain and rotate the fins a few times to see if the sprocket realigns properly. If not, you may have a crossed roller bearing. Then adjust to about 3/16 "squeeze". Obviously you want a little chain flex.

The cables only need to be tightened to prevent slop in the fin movement. Excessive tightening accelerates wear and adds unnecessary friction.

Belated update:

I am doing fine and enjoying my 2017 Revolution 13 after swapping my damaged MD180 drive for a new nonreversible drive.

As a structural engineer, seeing how the MD180 is put together made me rethink its suitability for someone like me, who really doesn't need the reverse gear but uses the drive heavily (my Revo13 is my every-other-day exerciser, alternating with a traditional sea kayak so as not to give myself golfer's elbow again). The first negative is the plastic bearings. The older drives have metal bearings. The second problem is that the chains are not lined up with the fins but act on the spine at different points along its length. This introduces stresses on the spine that don't exist in the older drives.

My dealer informed me that The Hobie Company denied me warranty service for my drive, claiming that my having overtightened the chains voided the warranty. I am not happy with that, for the following reasons:

(1) There was clearly something wrong with the drive BEFORE I overtightened the chains. It had been squeaking loudly all summer, ever since I started using the Turbo fins - well before I tried tightening the chains. And when I finally took it apart (thank you, "Cornish Kayak Angler," for your great YouTube showing how to disassemble the MD180 Mirage drive), there was no discernible lubrication in there at all.

(2) My owners manual said the chains should be tight. Didn't say exactly how tight, but I would NOT characterize the 1/8" and 3/16" of play recommended by Roadrunner in his very helpful post https://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic. ... 9602#29602 as "tight." In fact, 3/16" allows the chain to contact the plastic when you press on it.

But life is short, and my nonreversible drive is performing like a champ , so overall I'm a happy camper/kayaker.