Shaft seal leak!!!

[Eli27]

Anyone have or have had this type of seal assembly? Mine is leaking from the forward front collar right where the shaft goes in. I'm in the water and need to make a 75 mile trip to the marina where I'm getting pulled out in the next few days.

While running my bilge pump comes on every 20min. I have a couple of sump pumps just in case but what I was wondering is can I make an adjustment to slow it down some for now or should I just leave it alone and replace it over the winter?

I can accept every hr or so the bilge pump coming on but 20min is a bit sketchy for me.

 

[READY]

That looks to me like a dripless packing based upon the small hose that delivers water to cool it. I had one on my prior boat. They are not supposed to drip at all, unlike a typical shaft packing. I am not an expert but don't think it is really adjustable. They have seals and there is a recommended service interval to inspect/change them. Maybe a pro can weigh in with alternatives.

 

[mvweebles]

Personally, since you're headed to the yard and bilge pump easily keeps up, I'd be tempted to just do nothing......assuming the packing gland nuts do not get too hot (I've seen them steam water). If it's too hot to touch, you'll want to try repacking and perhaps dressing the shaft with emery paper to remove ridges.

To adjust, back off the locking nut and tighten the packing nut.

If the oversized hose clamp on the aft end and the corroded flange are any indications, this stuffing box has been limping along for quite some time. Probably time to remove the shaft and replace the entire stuffing box assembly.

Good luck.

Peter

 

[READY]

Peter,
On the drawing is the label for the packing nut and lock nut reversed?

 

[Endeavor GB 32]

+1 on what Peter said. That is an old-fashioned packing gland and not a dripless shaft seal. Yes it does appear to have a water supply to either provide cooling water to the cutless bearings or provide oxygenated water to the stern tube to prevent crevice corrosion, or both. Simply tightening the packing nut would "probably" correct the leakage rate, since you're going to the yard anyhow, re-packing might be a good idea. Good luck!
Regards,
Scott

 

[Eli27]

Personally, since you're headed to the yard and bilge pump easily keeps up, I'd be tempted to just do nothing......assuming the packing gland nuts do not get too hot (I've seen them steam water). If it's too hot to touch, you'll want to try repacking and perhaps dressing the shaft with emery paper to remove ridges.

To adjust, back off the locking nut and tighten the packing nut.

If the oversized hose clamp on the aft end and the corroded flange are any indications, this stuffing box has been limping along for quite some time. Probably time to remove the shaft and replace the entire stuffing box assembly.

Good luck.

Peter View attachment 143346

Yeah, she's getting it all this winter! Everything under the water line is getting redone. All new thru hulls prop and shaft service, and now we will throw a stuffing box in there for good measure.

 

[tiltrider1]

Yeah, she's getting it all this winter! Everything under the water line is getting redone. All new thru hulls prop and shaft service, and now we will throw a stuffing box in there for good measure.

That’s good. Your bellows and clamps look tired. I would clean up the stuffing box and repack it as well.

 

[Comodave]

I would definitely replace the entire shaft log. It looks very corroded. As to the trip if you have been running it like this then it will likely make the trip. I would certainly keep a close eye on it though.

 

[Eli27]

I would definitely replace the entire shaft log. It looks very corroded. As to the trip if you have been running it like this then it will likely make the trip. I would certainly keep a close eye on it though.

Any idea how much a shaft log would cost?

 

[Comodave]

It depends on the shaft size. I would guess somewhere around $300 to $500.

 

[C lectric]

You have enough comments about the stuffing box already but I will confirm that what you have is a very old standard type stuffing box. There is nothing wrong with them but it does take a bit of learning to pack them for no leaking, it an be done. I have this type although the stuffing box on mine is arranged in a more standard setup.

Your is exactly backwards to my setup.

That small hose looks like it is arranged to fill the big black hose with water to lubricate so to keep the actual stuffing at the other end fed with water for lubrication.

All that water/wetness around the hose and the ends tell me you have had excess water fed.
A warning that all that water will spray and travel which will rust steel. iron
components within many feet.

Control the water spray at the stuffing box with a cover cut and wrapped around the shaft exit so the ID of the cover collects the spray. With a narrow slit facing down the water will collect on the ID of the cover to drip out at the bottom. I did this years ago with a badly beat up, ratty, old fender. It has been doing good service for the last 30 year. I simply used an old worm gear clamp simply snugged into place keeping the nut driver in a wee bracket close by so I don't have to deal with digging through tool boxes. I have also heard of the use of a POP bottle to do the same and the lid hole opened enough to avoid shaft contact..

You and the metals nearby do not want to deal with the water spray..

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. E. Adjust as per Mr. MV (post #3) if you so desire. I'd be tempted to leave it as well while keeping very close watch.



When you're at the refurbishing stage, a good clean up and removal of ALL corrosion will give you a much better idea of the condition of the shaft log and associated brackets and flanges and whether anything is due for replacement.


Personally I would keep the "old style" stuffing box due to their ease of maintenance and dependability. Again, I do not like the dripless style of stuffing box/shaft seal.


Edit: What Mr. C said (below).

 

[Comodave]

If you use a modern packing like Duramax the old style stuffing boxes can be adjusted so they don’t leak and don’t overheat.

 

[Eli27]

If you use a modern packing like Duramax the old style stuffing boxes can be adjusted so they don’t leak and don’t overheat.

If I can get my hands on the packing is it something that can be done in the water? I've never done this exact thing before but I've been a mechanic for 25yrs. And I do have a real good sump pump. It's a 110v.

 

[Eli27]

Also how do you size packing? I understand the installation part of it but there seems to be different sizes of packing.

Again thanks to all that have read and chimed in.

 

[Delta Riverat]

You want to unscrew the packing nut and use a gauge (like a drill bit) to slide between the shaft and the gland.

 

[Rearmount]

If I were you, I would not touch this until the boat is out of the water. That hose and hose clamps need to go. Also, something does not look right to me on the nut/lock nut side. There should be a lip to stop the hose from going onto the threads, so is this the right size hose? There is a special tool to remove the packing. It looks like a corkscrew on a flexible T handle. You could remove one old piece and add a new piece of new packing but it has to be cut right. The problem I see is touching this and disturbing it in the water and it starts to leak or worse, like splitting the hose while twisting the nut off and now you have real problems. The hose on there is not regular hose. It's purposed for that task only and it does not have to be that long. Get the yard to do it and show you how to cut and install the packing.There is a proper way to do it. Use T bolt clamps also. Not those cheap ones like on there.

 

[sean9c]

Weebles description is correct. The packing nut is the one at the end (closest to the engine) the lock nut is the one just behind it.
Based on the picture and the condition of that whole mess the question should be asked where is the water coming from? If it's dripping from the front of the packing gland it's likely just the packing and giving it a tighten may help. If the water is not coming from the front of the packing gland it's another problem and I'd figure it out before going anywhere.
The packing gland itself doesn't look bad. I'd just take it all apart and wire brush it. The hose and clamps are a disaster and should be replaced with the appropriate hose and AWB hose clamps. The nastiest piece looks to be the one coming out of the deadwood, that the other end of the hose is attached to. It really needs to be looked at.

 

[Comodave]

I think I would leave it alone until you haul the boat out. Then rebuild or replace the stuffing box. I like AWAB or ABA T bolt clamps for this application. They are all 316 S/S and don’t have any welds to rust out and the edges of the clamp don’t cut into the hose. I get mine at Seattle Marine.

 

[Endeavor GB 32]

See new packing gland here: https://www.fisheriessupply.com/buck-algonquin-nut-style-packing-box-and-hose-right-hand/00pb100fg
Packing: https://www.fisheriessupply.com/duramax-marine-duramax-ultra-x/nx0375-01
Puller: https://www.fisheriessupply.com/western-pacific-trading-packing-extractor-tool/10160


Good luck!
Regards,
Scott

 

[Jerry formally Epoxy Lady]

Leave it be

This looks nasty, nasty ! Normally the lock nut could be backed off and the packing nut tightened a flat or so= normal M & R adjustment. I fear the hose to shaft log, or the log to vessel mountings might be the leak? If that hose opens up, you're looking at major uncontrollable flooding ! Leave it be and head for the yard.

 

[rgano]

That poor transmission! If the rear seal isn't corroded through, it soon will be. Anything you touch down there in an effort to fix the leak will probably break creating more problems. You idea about extra pumps while limping to the yard is a good one. Keep your life jacket handy and have an escort.

 

[boatnbump]

There's a lot more going on there than just a shaft seal. What about the seal for the log and the bolts

 

[grandbanksbayfield]

Shaft Log

Buck Algonquin is the best shaft log. Looks like it might be hard to repack that because you have very little work room at the very back end. I have a traditional shaft log and packing gland in m GB 32 and it works great. That hose could be coming from the area where your cooling water is injected into the system somewhere between the exhaust manifold and the muffler/mixer. Your whole system is decrepit, dangerous and should be replaced. I had time honored flax/wax packing in my system and decided to change to the new carbon fiber graphite stuff. It might be great, but has rounded corners and takes about 50 percent more packing than the old style stuff did. And very expensive.

 

[Bmarler]

That poor transmission! If the rear seal isn't corroded through, it soon will be. Anything you touch down there in an effort to fix the leak will probably break creating more problems. You idea about extra pumps while limping to the yard is a good one. Keep your life jacket handy and have an escort.

We can’t see the transmission. It’s off to the left in the picture.
I wouldn’t get too worried about the trip home, I’ve seen much worse.
Definitely needs attention, but it’s not a drop everything emergency.

 

[mvweebles]

Expense isn't the stuffing box - it's the labor to get to it plus all the other stuff you'll find along the way. The shaft has to be drawn back to give clearance to remove the stuffing gland. Might mean the rudder has to be dropped. Excellent time to do the cutless bearing. As long as the shaft is out, might need to have it dressed by a machine shop.

I'd budget a few grand by the time all the stuff is done. Will last over 10-15 years, but my guess is it's time to do some maintenance on the prop shaft and adjacent items.

Good luck with whatever you decide. And definitely keep an eye on it. Check for heat underway. Warm (even pretty warm) is okay. Scalding hot is a problem

Peter