Rudder Packing

[Forkliftt]

I am out of adjustment on my rudder packings. Any ideas about what size packing this could be?

 

[RickB]

Forkliftt wrote:

I am out of adjustment on my rudder packings. Any ideas about what size packing this could be?

About 1/7000th the width of your driveway and I don't think anyone here knows how wide your driveway is either.

About the same width as the space between the stock and the tube. Or, about the same width as the thickness of the gland follower, or if all else fails pull out one of the old rings and measure it. Removing it will be good practice.

*

 

[koliver]

Open it up and check out the size. Before you do, buy a pack or a couple of different sizes. It isn't expensive.
I had a dribble in my shaft packing, so I bought a couple of sizes, guessing based on the external dimensions of the collar. When I had it open, it was much larger than the largest size I had, so I tighened it up and went back to the store. I also had a dribble from a rudder gland, and since it was the same externally as the shaft, I thought I had the right packing. Wrong. It was much smaller than the smallest I had seen. I pulled some of the larger packing apart and wrapped that around the post, did it up and the dribble stopped. Every time I check it, there is still no leak, now at least 4 years on.
So try it. Let us know what you find.

 

[FF]

Some will be3 bronze , usually with a greese fitting.

Some are simply packing.

If you remove the big nut , use a set of drill bits to measure the size of the packing.

Tefflon is cheap and probably OK there but the modern Duramax was our choice , no adjustment since the first settiling in day.

 

[Forkliftt]

Thanks for the info everyone. I will get a few sizes with the hope of doing this in one shot as suggested. I suspect you could get away with a ripped beach towel on a rudder packing with such limited movement.