Success

[forcenine]

Dear All who may have read of my woes with leaks and wiring, etc issues:

My late model engine is now working, at least at idle. No observed leaks, temperature staying around 180, had some trouble setting idle but finally got a decent rpm with combination of distributor turning and idle adjustment screw.

The problem now (there's always something) is the packing gland has welded itself to the shaft and no amount of lubricant or wrenches can break it free! So I can't test under load.

I know it's not an engine question, but as I understand it, there is no way I can put it in gear to drive to the haul out where I will fix the gland. Is there?

Lisa (Forcenine) owner of Cat 27, 1979 "KNOT HIS"

[baileyem]

packing gland

Lisa

If you loosen the packing gland you can probably run the engine long enough to gert to the haul-out dock. Even if you have t loosen it to the point where there is a steady flow of water coming past the packing. I am assuming that you don't have a long haul to get to the haul-out dock. Your bilge pump should handle anything that comes in.
I don't think that your shaft can weld itself to the packing. It certainly can be too tight, and may resist turning, but if you loosen the packing nut the shaft should turn.

Good luck, Mike

[bayway27]

Lisa:

You'll need two large channel locks to loosen the packing gland. One to hold the housing the other to loosen the nut. The packing material, itself unless one has modified to the dripless packing, is a flax material and I concur with Mike that it isn't welded on but may look burnt and hard. I agree also that you should be able to loosen the gland to the point of water entering but just a small amount of flow should be sufficient.

[forcenine]

No it's the union itself Guys

The fixture which contains the packing is what is so corroded that it has cauterized to the shaft. Channel locks are not working. The shaft is, in essence, welded to the shaft. Not the packing material.

[jhwelch]

If you have nothing to lose can you
1) Swing a hammer enough to give the packing nut (not the lock nut, which
is usually farther aft and much smaller) whacks to turn it? That's what
a mechanic did to free up my packing nut when it was stuck and there
wasn't enough space to use a wrench.

2) Use vice grips on this same nut to grab it really hard? That's how I
adjust mine -- I open up the vice grips almost all the way and unscrew
the packing nut enough so I can then turn the lock nut -- this sounds
backwards but it's the only way I can free up my assembly since access
is so poor.

-jonathan