# Drive Belt For Autohelm 4000



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Does anyone know where we can get a drive belt for an autohelm 4000?

Thanks


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## Mikelivingstone (Apr 16, 2008)

Depends where u r based, usually belt kit is available from Autohelm/ raymarine dealers, kit also includes the tool required to open the unit for belt removal.
Mike


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## wdtracey (May 16, 2007)

*ST 4000 belt*

do a search on sailnet it was posted first under Irwin and then under gear and maintenance.


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## kvaavik (Nov 7, 2007)

Becky,

I went through an exhaustive search a few months ago with no luck. Raymarine is of absolutely no help, they claim to have no more belts and the solution is to buy a new autopilot. The best alternative I could find was to have a belt fashioned from polyurethane with a Kevlar core (the original belt is poly w/steel core). There are a number of companies that will make these custom belts. Good luck, and a pox on Raymarine!

If you do find a place to order or make a belt, you have to know the specifics about the belt. Mine, off an Autohelm 4000, was an AT9-765. "AT" indicates the shape of the tooth profile, "9" indicates 9mm wide, and "765" indicates a circumference of 765 mm. Good luck, I hope you find one.


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## JSL3 (Jun 6, 2007)

I was looking for the service manual the other day for the autohelm 4000 and I downloaded it. The part number is "D169" if that helps. I did a quick search on that part number and couldn't come up with anything other than what kvaavik said about Raymarine's solution being upgrade. A search for "autohelm 4000 parts" did turn up this site tho for a custom belt company Polytech Design Inc - Timing Belts & Pulleys. I couldn't find the part there, but you may try to call them??
Good luck.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

From another thread on the same subject:



wdtracey said:


> As anybody who has tried to replace the drive belt knows, Ratheon no longer sells the replacement belt. A belt is available from the supplier below at about $16.00. It has steel cords and is a neoprene
> 
> Poly Tech Design
> 26 West First St
> ...


BTW, google is your friend...


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## rwberman (Nov 30, 2002)

*Where can I get a used wheeldrive unit?*

My Autohelm ST4000 drive unit seems to have failed. I can't get the belt tension adjusted well enough to hold the clutch in the engaged position. Anybody know someone who wants to sell a working unit without the electronics?

Respite


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Rwberman-

Really shouldn't hijack a thread... you'll get better results posting your own thread. Would also suggest you read the post in my signature.


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## beej67 (Apr 2, 2008)

Might not be as much of a hijack as you think, Dog.



rwberman said:


> My Autohelm ST4000 drive unit seems to have failed. I can't get the belt tension adjusted well enough to hold the clutch in the engaged position. Anybody know someone who wants to sell a working unit without the electronics?
> 
> Respite


Berman, try replacing the belt first. The old Raytheon belts tended to stretch, a *lot*, and the Poly Tech belt listed above is shade smaller in diameter than the old Raytheon belts, so they have better holding tension. (I just bought a few)

Also, if the handle won't stay engaged, but your existing unit still works fine as long as the handle is held in place, then just tie a piece of shock cord around the drive and use that to hold the handle down. I know of quite a few people who've done that with their ST4000s, as did I for a couple years before I bought new belts as per above. Yeah, it's kinda ghetto, but what works, works.

If you haven't ever replaced a belt before, it's pretty easy. The front and back halves of the unit snap together, so you can snap them apart (gently) with a long screwdriver. You'll need to remove some screws on a housing to get at the belt, but it's a piece of cake.


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## JSL3 (Jun 6, 2007)

beej67 said:


> Also, if the handle won't stay engaged, but your existing unit still works fine as long as the handle is held in place, then just tie a piece of shock cord around the drive and use that to hold the handle down. I know of quite a few people who've done that with their ST4000s, as did I for a couple years before I bought new belts as per above. Yeah, it's kinda ghetto, but what works, works.


I did a similar thing to solve this problem on my Autohelm 4000. The clutch lever wouldn't stay in the engaged position so I inserted a wide diameter rubber band between the clutch lever and the back of the drive unit. The little bit of friction that the rubber band introduced solved the problem. Agreed, it is a little ghetto, but it works so far.
Good luck.<O</O


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## chtaylor (Feb 19, 2007)

They are available on Ebay. Do a search in boat parts for Autohelm.

Charles Taylor


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## Groven (Sep 15, 2008)

I have an ST 4000 that had gotten "grabby". Sporadically it wouldn't allow the wheel to turn, even though the clutch always remained fully disengaged. This is no fun when you are getting ready to make the turn into your slip. Turns out the steel inside the belts rusts, causing bubbles under the belt, which then grab at the housing. 

One of my old spare belts was labeled Synchroflex AT5/750. Ebay was indeed my friend. Found an exact match from Polytech's Polybelt eBay store - as I see has been mentioned in previous posts. Their AT5-750 was a perfect fit. At $12.99 + S&H, a way better deal than the old Ray/Autohelm replacement kit, which was over $50.

Also, at one point years back one of the internal wheels broke off at its stand base. Drilling and throughbolting made it as good (better?) than new.


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## autopilotos (Dec 6, 2008)

Hello,
First check if the belt is slipping ,if it is you can adjust the belt on the rear of the unit ,there is a small round plastic cover symetric to the clutch lever,under the cover is the adjustment screw ,you need an adjustment tool with 2 pins to loose the nut and an allen wrench to adjust the center,then lock the nut to keep the adjustment.Do not tension the belt to much as it will not completely disengage. The belt tension have influence on retaining the clutch lever disengaged.

Jean


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## neophytecruiser (Oct 2, 2009)

I've tracked down, what I believe to be the same drive belts Raymarine use in their ST4000 autopilots. They're metric belts and are made from urathane. Due to a bone-head act by myself (see: Sailing the Dream for the details), I've had to upgrade to the SPX-5 autopilot. As a consequence, I have three spare belts (I've already sold two) for the ST4000 Plus unit. If you're interested in purchasing one of these spares, contact me and I'll provide details. By the way, they're far less expensive than the mark-up made by Raymarine (at $52 a piece!).


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## dergon (Jun 19, 2007)

wdtracy said:


> From another thread on the same subject:
> 
> As anybody who has tried to replace the drive belt knows, Ratheon no longer sells the replacement belt. A belt is available from the supplier below at about $16.00. It has steel cords and is a neoprene
> 
> ...


Just ordered this today.

Hope it works to get a few more years out of our Autohelm 4000!


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## neophytecruiser (Oct 2, 2009)

*Replacement Belts for Autohelm 4000*

For those of you with the older Autohelm 4000 in need of replacement belts, I found the identical belt for far cheaper than what was charged for the, now discontinued, replacement belts.

The belt that is identical to the original is a metric belt of urethane composition. The part number is JAS T5/750-10 metric timing belt. You should be able to find these at any industrial belt supplier. They cost about 90% less than the belts that were marketed by Autohelm. If you have difficulties finding these, contact me and I will supply the contact information for a supplier in California.


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