I am with Joe that I consider my boat broken if the autopilot is not working. With that in mind, I wanted to pass on a tidbit I learned about my wheelpilot (EV-100 Raymarine). It worked flawlessly for 4 years and then last year started having the clutch handle release frequently. I rebuilt it last winter (cleaned inside, new drive belt) and it was better for a short time and then started doing the same thing. I found many people online with the same complaint (most use a bungie cord to hold it in place) and finally buried deep in a Raymarine forum post, I found a Raymarine tech suggesting lubricating the drive pulleys where the rubber belts went over them. I had never heard of this before, but tried it and it immediately fixed the problem. Not 100%, but much much better. It seems that when the drive belt rotates the wheel, it is running over the two smaller guide wheels with rubber belts on top on either side of the motor. One of those is associated with the clutch mechanism. If those guides and belts do not rotate freely, it puts tension on the clutch lever causing it to release. So you use waterproof grease on the inside of the black belt (between it and the white plastic guide) to make sure they rotate freely. I can post a diagram if it helps. Dave
S/V Aries 1990 C&C 34+ New London, CT
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