2003 SAN 210 Shaft Seal Leaking

[crghou]

Good to know and keep an eye on. Probably a good thing to check regardless as these boats get older.

[crghou]

How much should it be dripping? This is what it is after tightening it a little. FYI removing the back seat makes all the difference in the world.

[charlesml3]

How much should it be dripping?

That might be slightly more than you want it to drip, but honestly I'd just leave that as it is. Slowing down the drip isn't really going to buy you much. At the rate that's going in your video, it wouldn't be a gallon of water over an entire day.

-Charles

[crghou]

Kind of what I figured as well. It was dripping a lot more than that before. Would not be too hard to adjust a little more since it is all taken apart. I only turned it maybe 1/2 turn from where it had started.

[Quinner]

1-2 drips per minute is what your manual would say.

[Tom_H]

I'd snug it up a little more - it's supposed to be 1-2 drips per minute with the boat in gear. It'll drip a little more when spinning.

[charlesml3]

Gang,

Please understand what year-model we're discussing here. This is an 03 SAN and the shaft seal is SUPPOSED to drip. We're arguing over 1-2 drips per minute vs. 10-20 or so. The difference here is negligible. If it's a bit loose the bilge pump will come on once or twice a day and pump it out. BFD.

Here's what is not negligible:

- If it's too tight the shaft and stuffing box will heat up and damage itself.

My previous boat was a 1999 Air Nautique and it ran it for 17 years with it dripping about as much as the OP's video. The mechanic at WLM adjusted it that way after the initial 25-hour period and I never touched it again.

-Charles

[Tom_H]

I'm fully aware what's being discussed here. Also if you look at his 12 second video that drips out over 30 times in neutral, that actually will result in a bit of water coming in, given that will turn to a stream once the shaft is spinning. Is it going to be a huge amount of water? Of course not, but in my experience, my bilge stays a **** of a lot cleaner when it's mostly dry.

If he wants to leave it as it, that's his call - I was just relating what I'd do. I have a 94 that I adjust in the spring of every year to the specified 1-2 drips per minute (in gear), and the boat's sitting on its original shaft with no heat damage.

[homer12]

All good points here. Consider your personal preference in how dry of a bilge you care about but I'd definitely say you need to observe it in gear before being satisfied.


Sent from my iPhone using PLT Nautique

[crghou]

It drips about the same rate maybe a little more in gear I have a video of that as well. Thanks for the advise I might snug it down a tad bit more since it is all apart. Either way it is a lot better off than it was before.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zYD0_rEK3AI

[T_Bone17]

Resurrecting an older thread cause it is similar enough to my questions, to not start it's own.

I have replaced my drive shaft packing on my 2000 SAN with the goretex stuff.

After my initial install first outing in the boat I adjusted it in the water to get about a drip every 3-5 seconds. Which seems about as close as I can get it. If I go barely any tighter (the smallest amount I can turn it, maybe 1/16 of a turn or less) I get almost no drips, or 1-2 every minute and a half or two, and the nut gets hot while in gear.

1. How hot should it get/not get?
It was fairly quickly getting hot enough to the point where I could hold my hand on it, but not for more than 5 seconds.


As previously stated in this thread, a bit more water is a lot better than burnt up packing and possible shaft. So I may just leave it, with a little more water coming through than I would like with new packing. Unless for some reason it can get much hotter than I am imagining it can get.

2. Is it normal for such a small increment of a turn to make such a drastic difference?

[charlesml3]

It shouldn't be getting hot at all. If it's getting hot, it's too tight.

-Charles

[T_Bone17]

It shouldn't be getting hot at all. If it's getting hot, it's too tight.

-Charles

Thanks for the direction.

After further investigation, something seems out of alignment, or bent. Not a lot but enough to make the packing not seal right.

I've got the drive shaft out. Waiting for it to be inspected by a shop to see if it is bent at all, and if so if it is repairable.

Going to have a look at the strut while that is there to see if that seems off at all.

Best way to check to see if the strut is bent? Just see if the shaft looks centered on the log? How much adjustment can you get by just repositioning the strut? Or if it is bent at all dose it need replacing?