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velvet drive problems

1252 Views 4 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  90nova
Just purchased a scarab III with 420's and velvet drive transmissions.First time with this setup.The problem I am having is that the port tranny seems to be stuck in gear.It shifts at the linkage arm from forward to reverse and never goes into neutral.If I turn the prop it will turn the motor.The starboard tranny never seems to go into gear.It also shifts fine at the linkage but the prop spins freely. Neither motor runs right now,so I can't test it in the water.Just wanted some insight on how these work.Try the search,but I am not sure if these work like auto tranny's or direct drive.
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My limited knowledge of velvet drive is they are more like an automatic transmission than mechanical. That being said, I suspect you could have fried clutches that are welded together in the one that wont come out of gear and until you get the engines running, I don't think you can test or diagnose the one that is in neutral, as you say now. You need pressure in the system to apply the clutches and that requires the engine to be running.

I would get both engines running before I say either tranny has any kind of problem.

You're location is North Point, as in Edgemere or Dundalk, Maryland?
Thanks for the info.I am waiting on new exhaust manifolds to test the motors out and will check it then.I am over off of north point blvd in bear creek.Pretty close to you ghart.
The motors need to be running for them to actullay be in gear- Hydralic pressure clamps the plates in their respective direction. If it is in gear when motor is off the clutches are probably seized together. The transmissions are very easy to rebuild. I have found that www.marinepartsexpress.com has online parts catalogs and good prices.
Just wanted to follow up with an update.Just pulled the motor and tranny assembly.Found the transmission full of water from the cooler being froze and busted leaking water into tranny. Found a rebuilt unit on ebay and will be installing instead of trying to repair the old one.Thanks again for all the replies!
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