[TG] [TG11] noisy wheel pilot

[nealm]

are there any lubrication points on the wheel drive. Mine is making squeaking noise when engaged. Looking at the inner working I might expect the some sort of lub could be applied on the adjustment cam or the engagement cam, if so what kind (silicone grease, lanolin, white grease). I am sure that you don;t want any lube on the inner surface of the belt.

Neal Musto

[Tom - Raymarine - Moderator]

Hello Neal,

The wheeldrives aren't designed to have any lubrication within the drive ring. The gearbox, within the motor tube, is greased at the factory and isn't expected to need to be re-greased within the life of the gearbox. The only thing that you should put inside the drive ring is fresh water to remove any salt build-up. For example, the wheeldrive's workshop service manual says, in bold: CAUTION: Do NOT use mineral-based solvents (e.g. WD40) to lubricate or clean the wheel drive as they will damage the material. The wheel drive is designed to run without lubrication.

Regards,
Tom

[nealm]

so tell me then how it is that the older pilot that this replaced never made such noise and other pilots on friends boat make NO such noise. It has only been flushed with fresh water.

[Tom - Raymarine - Moderator]

Hello Neal,

That's not something I can answer without having heard the noise yours is making. Squeaking could cover a multitude of sins from a very slight noise which would be pretty normal depending on the use the drive has had, or a severe noise indicating an internal problem. If yours is making a severe noise and you feel that there's something wrong with it then that's not something we necessarily will be able to resolve online, and it might be a good idea to get it checked by one of our technical service dealers (tick 'Certified Installation' at https://www.raymarine.eu/buy/find-a-dealer.html) or one of our own service workshops.

Regards,
Tom