# ST1032 impeller shaft end play



## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

I was just putting my ST1032 back together from getting a stuck rake unstuck when I noticed the impeller shaft going into the (cast iron) gearbox has about 1/4" of end play.

The bearings aren't loose - I tried tightening the adjuster on the back of the gearbox and the bearings started to bind up. And there's no sideways play, just endwise. Is that normal?

Model # is 924084 if it matters, I estimate its manufacture date sometime in the early 1990s.


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## Jackmels (Feb 18, 2013)

It should be Fine. (Don't Sweat the Petty Stuff, and Don't Pet the Sweaty Stuff.)


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

That's good! Because removing the cover on that gearbox is not fun, and the first time I removed it I couldn't find a way to do so without destroying it.

I wish they'd used a cover with a little "lip", like the ones used on trailer wheel bearings! Popping those off and back on again is kid's stuff.


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## Shaw351 (Nov 15, 2016)

End play or auger shaft rotating inside of gearbox hub ??

Those nice cast iron gearboxs have a flaw... they use a 7/8” long woodruff key to transmit power from the gearbox hub to the auger shaft. Over time the key wears a slot into the shaft and allows “ play ” on the augers.


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## Shaw351 (Nov 15, 2016)

I've re-read the post......

Under the front large freeze plug looking cap is a small bolt that needs to be tightened, think it's a 5/16 -18. It holds the impeller input shaft into the gearbox bearing assembly. If that's what is loose. It's #16 in the pixx.











Also......
It's #19 in the pixx I was speaking of in earlier post.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

ELaw said:


> I was just putting my ST1032 back together from getting a stuck rake unstuck when I noticed the impeller shaft going into the (cast iron) gearbox has about 1/4" of end play.
> 
> The bearings aren't loose - I tried tightening the adjuster on the back of the gearbox and the bearings started to bind up. And there's no sideways play, just endwise. Is that normal?
> 
> Model # is 924084 if it matters, I estimate its manufacture date sometime in the early 1990s.


My 2015 Platinum 30 SHO has a different cast iron gearbox but it has the same 1/4" or so end play. That is the impeller shaft is able to move into and out of the gearbox by 1/4". This is from new and is still the same after 5 years and a lot of use. I believe the 2 gears are all steel and replaced as a set.

My gearbox appears to have a simplified number of parts compared to the diagram that @Shaw351 showed in post # 5 and it does not seem to have the adjusting feature.


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

Shaw351 said:


> Under the front large freeze plug looking cap is a small bolt that needs to be tightened, think it's a 5/16 -18. It holds the impeller input shaft into the gearbox bearing assembly. If that's what is loose. It's #16 in the pixx.


Yeah, that's the one I'm worried about. If for no other reason than if the bolt comes out completely, I imagine it could trash the gears.

I guess I'm going to have to deal with R&R'ing that cover... yay. :sad2:


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## JayzAuto1 (Jul 25, 2016)

I can't remember where I read this, but it was on the J/D version of that gear box..... They advise to replace that cover after opening it up..... Wether it gets destroyed trying to remove ( probably) or to prevent future leaks (Definitely), but for around $10, I'd save the grief and replace it

GLuck, J


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

Yeah I already ordered a new cover!

I'm really not looking forward to the job though... last time I had a super-tough time getting that cover installed.


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

Hey just to follow up on this... I took the gearbox apart over the weekend and the bolt that goes in the end of the impeller shaft (#16 in Shaw351's diagram above) was several turns loose, and some of the threads were chewed up.

Apparently when I fixed up the machine a couple of years ago I omitted the lockwasher that goes with that bolt, and possibly installed a bolt that was too short. Now it has a longer bolt with a lockwasher plus I put loctite on the bolt threads! With that bolt installed and tight, there's zero end play in the shaft.

And the cover was indeed a nightmare - I actually wasn't able to get it to go on. But poking around the garage I realized last time I did this I'd ordered a couple of trailer wheel bearing caps of the same size - that have the little "lip" around where they press into the housing. Using a properly-sized length of pipe to press on the lip, I installed one of those quite easily.


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## melson (Feb 9, 2015)

Thanks for the update ELaw. It's nice to know how problems get resolved.


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