packing will not live

motion30 · Jul 25, 2011

I have a 34' marine trader** I have had a constant problem with the packing . this boat has a 50some inch stern tube* I have had the shaft resurfaced The alinement check several times but only get maybe 6months life out of the packing* I have tried all types and find the gortex to be the best* I am thinking the stuffing box is getting hot* There is no water feed to this box* What setup is everybidy using* I do not have the free shaft length to go dripless or I would

FF · Jul 25, 2011

Duramax gets hot? WOW!!!!

You are not using a proper tightening method.

motion30 · Jul 25, 2011

I start with the packing driping and run a while then snug just till drips stops ??

motion30 · Jul 25, 2011

To the guys who have similar boats and set ups Does your old style stuffing box have a water feed line?

awpptdt · Jul 25, 2011

* On my 40 Marine Trader there is a water supply line running from the engine heat exchangers sea water side to the stuffing box. You should run one from yours to lube and cool the stuffing box. Not know as fact, but I have heard that on some boats the forward movement pulls the water out of the shaft tube letting the stuffing box run dry.

motion30 · Jul 25, 2011

Carl

*it seems no matter how I adjust it it will not live* I had the marina do it and it was no better** I adjust it till it*just drips a little and 8hrs later it is running like a hose.* I think I may need a water line* just dont understand why* To install the water fitting I believe I should pull the boat and remove the shaft* Has anybody installed this fitting?

Jay N · Jul 25, 2011

motion30 wrote:
*it seems no matter how I adjust it it will not live* I had the marina do it and it was no better** I adjust it till it*just drips a little and 8hrs later it is running like a hose.* I think I may need a water line* just dont understand why* To install the water fitting I believe I should pull the boat and remove the shaft* Has anybody installed this fitting?

Installing a water supply to the stuffing box will probably not fix the lack of seal provided by the packing.* Some boats with old style packing glands require fairly constant adjustment to keep the proper balance between heat and water release.* Some of the new packing materials will permit a drier bilge, but you need to watch them carefully for too much heat.

How many rings are installed?* Are they stacked or continuous?* With the number of rings installed, how much adjustment room is left on the packing nut?* Is there a grease fitting on the stuffing box?

Andy G · Jul 26, 2011

"I start with the packing driping and run a while then snug just till drips stops ??"

In my old CHB 34, I had a similar issue with the shaft gland.

My problem turned out that when I bought the boat, the electrical bonding was in very poor condition, and this contributed to the shaft being pitted where it runs through the packing box, so I was not getting a true bond with the packing.,

When the packing was tightened it was fine for a while, but within a month the water was coming in at a steady drizzel. It even continued to drip when the shaft was not turning, although only at an intermittent rate(once every 5-6 seconds). I'm not sure if this may be your problem but it is worth checking so you can cross it off the list.

Once I had replaced the shaft ,I needed to ensure that the water driped from my packing gland at the rate of about one drip every 4-5 seconds, while the shaft was turning, otherwise the packing would get to hot and fail. There was no water feed line on this type of set up . The boat was circa 1980.

PS I hope this doesn't help, because that means you won't need to replace the shaft!

FF · Jul 26, 2011

Have you tried Duramax?

No water cooling required.

motion30 · Jul 26, 2011

Jay N wrote:motion30 wrote:
*it seems no matter how I adjust it it will not live* I had the marina do it and it was no better** I adjust it till it*just drips a little and 8hrs later it is running like a hose.* I think I may need a water line* just dont understand why* To install the water fitting I believe I should pull the boat and remove the shaft* Has anybody installed this fitting?

Installing a water supply to the stuffing box will probably not fix the lack of seal provided by the packing.* Some boats with old style packing glands require fairly constant adjustment to keep the proper balance between heat and water release.* Some of the new packing materials will permit a drier bilge, but you need to watch them carefully for too much heat.

How many rings are installed?* Are they stacked or continuous?* With the number of rings installed, how much adjustment room is left on the packing nut?* Is there a grease fitting on the stuffing box?

* I think I used 5 rings and they are stacked* and no grease fitting* and yes I need constant adjustment

motion30 · Jul 26, 2011

shrimp wrote:
"I start with the packing driping and run a while then snug just till drips stops ??"

In my old CHB 34, I had a similar issue with the shaft gland.

My problem turned out that when I bought the boat, the electrical bonding was in very poor condition, and this contributed to the shaft being pitted where it runs through the packing box, so I was not getting a true bond with the packing.,

When the packing was tightened it was fine for a while, but within a month the water was coming in at a steady drizzel. It even continued to drip when the shaft was not turning, although only at an intermittent rate(once every 5-6 seconds). I'm not sure if this may be your problem but it is worth checking so you can cross it off the list.

Once I had replaced the shaft ,I needed to ensure that the water driped from my packing gland at the rate of about one drip every 4-5 seconds, while the shaft was turning, otherwise the packing would get to hot and fail. There was no water feed line on this type of set up . The boat was circa 1980.

PS I hope this doesn't help, because that means you won't need to replace the shaft!

** When I bought the boat the shaft was pittited** I removed it and had it repaired my metal spray* The repair look good still**** and I am using the gortex packing

packing will not live

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