Hello all, This issue has been brought up numerous times, but bears repeating. Had it not been for a number of the folk here on the board, I would not have known to check the idler plate. Here's a couple photos of ours:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kraaoftygwm02ie/Idler%20Plate%20%231.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/pd3el5231il4g1k/Idler%20Plate%20%232.jpg?dl=0 As you can see, there wasn't much holding it together! After a couple attempts to see if I could get the part made locally, I sent it to Edson. They are re-using the idler pulleys, and the replacement was $341 including shipping, $150 of which was labor. The plate is aluminum, and I still need to see what I will do to address the fact that the aluminum plate is thicker than the original mild steel plate. I think I can grind down the fiberglass in the cockpit rather than putting in a spacer, but I'll figure that out when the plate arrives. For those of you who have 37/40+ boats or other boats where the idler wheels are NOT mounted below deck, I highly recommend you inspect the plate closely!. Our radial drive wheel and idlers are accessible via a removable panel in the cockpit sole rather than by crawling down into a locker (or some such). This results in the plate being exposed to water and, especially in salt water conditions, to extreme corrosion. Even for those of you with idler plates below deck, I would recommend a close inspection. The top side of the plate may be corroding without you realizing it, and the unit's failure could be catastrophic, as it would very likely occur at a time when you need your steering most. Hoping you find this helpful, and thanks to those of you on the board who warned me about the issue! Bruce Whitmore (847) 404-5092 (mobile) bwhitm...@sbcglobal.net
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