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  #1   IP: 67.80.82.30
Old 06-14-2017, 09:56 PM
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stuffing box drips

while working on installing new exhaust system I was noticing the stuffing box
dripping ..

it may be as high as 30 drops a minute ? I think that alot of water .
does anyone have any thoughts ?
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Old 06-15-2017, 12:43 AM
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when was it packed or adjusted last?

Is it easy to access?

Yes 30 is too much. a few is ok. Mine does not drip and runs cool.

The best thing is to see if it just needs a bit of tightening. but most likely you would want to repack it. There are different types of packing available. I like the PTFE stuff. Usually you can fit three rings of packing in the nut part. Space the joints 120 degrees apart.

Also check the shaft for scoring that would make a good seal difficult. If that seems to be the case you can change the length of the packing hose.

Make sure the clamps on the hose are serviceable.
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Old 06-15-2017, 01:52 AM
JOHN COOKSON JOHN COOKSON is offline
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The correct drip rate depends on who you talk to. I like 4 drops per minute. 30 drops per minute is to high as RC said. Try tightening the packing nut one flat.
In general if you can't get the drip rate you want and have the packing as cool as the surrounding water you need to repack.

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Old 06-15-2017, 08:22 AM
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From the forum's Standards category:
http://www.moyermarine.com/forums/sh...56&postcount=1

The more the stuffing box is tightened, the more friction is applied to the shaft that can result in shaft scoring. Further, that friction adds drag to the driveline, enough to stall the engine particularly at low RPM. There comes a time the packing needs replacement, it doesn't last forever.
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Old 06-15-2017, 08:41 AM
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For reference, 30 drops per minute equates to a bit more than a half-gallon per day.

Bill
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Old 06-15-2017, 09:07 AM
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packing gland

i was told from the PO that the shaft and cutless bearing were done
5 years ago .

what tools does one need to tighten the packing gland .

it looks like it takes a pipe wrench or two .
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Old 06-15-2017, 10:57 AM
JOHN COOKSON JOHN COOKSON is offline
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Yes. One wrench to hold and one to twist.
Hint: Before you try to loosen the lock nut and the packing nut hit the whole shebang with with a liberal dose of PBblaster for two or three days. If you put a rag under the area it will keep the PB blaster from running down into the bilge.

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Old 06-15-2017, 05:56 PM
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Assuming the jam nut is tight against the stuffing box please remember the dripping isn't because it fell out of adjustment. The flax wears and doesn't last forever.
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Old 06-15-2017, 06:33 PM
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drip rate

I can only assume that this drip will get worse as the season goes on ?
When the shaft is spinning does it swell thereby slowing the drip ?
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Old 06-15-2017, 06:42 PM
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As the flax wears the drip rate increases. At some point continued tightening to manage the drip will harm the shaft and produce shaft drag and heat in use. The expansion from heat could reduce drip but I wouldn't consider it a strategy.

Sooner or later the flax will need replacement. Depending on access, it can be done in the water. It's unnerving the first time but after you're done you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.
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Old 06-15-2017, 07:48 PM
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everything depends on the current state of his packing. give it a try. nothing to loose. i just did mine, but mine was more than 30, it was a "Holy Sh** i should tighten that up. loosened the jam nut, one flat turn and no leak even when running. ran it at the dock in gear for a good half hour and infared temp gun said 60 degrees good to go. it maybe something that simple
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Old 06-15-2017, 08:06 PM
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drip rate

okay so tightening is in the cards ..Just e mailed PO as to when it was tightened last , if it was a while ago I may have a full turn /

I do not think i have the nerve to repack in the water , so I have to hit the wrenches, stat tuned folks ....
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Old 06-15-2017, 08:42 PM
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it is no big deal to repack in the water. You remove the nut and water flows in. If it worries you, you just pack something in there between the shaft and the box.

Then you will know exactly what is in there! You will get a look at the shaft where the packing runs.

The most important think is to keep water out of the boat!!!
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Old 06-15-2017, 11:11 PM
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gob, you can do it with two pipe wrenches...and sometimes one pipe wrench and one large set of lock jaw pliers...or spanner wrenches which look like big adjustable wrenches but are straight on..no kink.
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Old 06-16-2017, 06:40 AM
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I prefer an adjustable stuffing box wrench and a monkey wrench. The serrations in the jaws of a pipe wrench and pliers of any sort will damage the soft bronze stuffing box.
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Old 06-16-2017, 09:30 AM
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For me, the drip rate is in direct proportion to difficulty of tightening the stuffing box. the more difficult it is to get in there, the higher the drip rate I am willing to accept.
It is brutally hard for me to get at that area on my boat, therefore I accept 30 drips per minute. It was 30 two years ago and is 30 today. Helps keep the bilge fresh!
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Old 06-16-2017, 10:26 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alcodiesel View Post
It is brutally hard for me to get at that area on my boat, therefore I accept 30 drips per minute. It was 30 two years ago and is 30 today. Helps keep the bilge fresh!
Also with 30 drips per minute you are assured the packing will never overheat. It will always run cool.

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Old 06-16-2017, 12:57 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by romantic comedy View Post
it is no big deal to repack in the water. You remove the nut and water flows in. If it worries you, you just pack something in there between the shaft and the box...
I did mine in the water last year about this time.
I wanted to have the luxury of lots of time to deal with getting the old packing out and stuffing the new in correctly.
So, to stop the flow of water coming in, once the nut was loosened all the way I wrapped some RESCUE TAPE around the box and it stopped the flow completely.
That allowed me plenty of time to get it right without dealing with the water flowing in.
Once I had the packing replaced, I just unwrapped the tape and screwed the nut back on.
Less than a half-gallon total in the boat.

Remember when you do the first adjustment to leave it way loose for the first few hours of running to get the flax nice and lubed with water.
Then gentle tightenings over the next few hours of running until you get it where you want.
Mine drips 3-5 per minute while running and ZERO drips at rest.

I also use the same two wrenches that Neil pictured.
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Old 06-16-2017, 10:54 PM
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I inherited one of those wrenches that Neil has pictured. The cheap chrome one. POS, tossed it overboard.

You will break fingers with that wrench.

(not really, just put it in the garbage, but yes I did)
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Old 06-17-2017, 08:56 AM
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drips

the PO says the wrenches needed are on the boat which i have found..

Off I go to crawl around in the belly of the beast ..
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Old 06-17-2017, 09:39 AM
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I just repacked the stuffing box on my boat yesterday. Of course, my boat is on the hard, so water intrusion wasn't my concern, but even if it were in the water, a few wraps of rescue tape like Jerry said will solve that while you repack. If tightening the nut doesn't help and it's actually time to repack the flax, it's really no big deal to do it in the water. You'll save a lot of time and swear words if you have a set of sharp dental style picks to get the old flax out of the nut. I also cut a piece of 1" PVC pipe in half long ways to hand clamp around the shaft to press the new flax into the nut.
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Old 06-17-2017, 09:49 AM
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Quote:
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...I also cut a piece of 1" PVC pipe in half long ways to hand clamp around the shaft to press the new flax into the nut.
Tom-
I did that too.
It really made pressing each flax piece into the nut a LOT easier.
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Old 06-17-2017, 12:32 PM
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confused and curious

Feeling dense, but wondering where one would wrap the rescue tape when restuffing the stuffing box?

Thanks!
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Old 06-17-2017, 01:27 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marty Levenson View Post
Feeling dense, but wondering where one would wrap the rescue tape when restuffing the stuffing box?

Thanks!
The flax packing lives in the nut of the stuffing box. The prop shaft exits the flange and the flax presses against the flange when the nut is tightened. Just a few wraps around the shaft where it exits the flange will keep most, if not all, of the water on the outside!
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Old 06-18-2017, 12:03 PM
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great tutorial

Besides the one Neil mentioned, I used this as reference when i re-stuffed mine. good luck

http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/stuffing_box
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