Adjusting the Shaft Packing

[jmo]

Hi,

I have a 2006 SN limited with the Excalibur’s motor, the boat has 400 hours. The boat lives on a lift when not in use.

Does anyone have instructions for repacking the through-hull fitting for the driveshaft, mine leaks more than it should, I have tightened it up but I am leery of over-tightening it, but I think I need to repack with new flax. Never been done on the boat.

I haven’t done anything about given it’s just a nuisance collecting more water in the bilge than it should.

Could it be that it just doesn’t sit in the water long enough to swell up and reduce to a slower drip rate?

Also - if you k ow what diameter/size flax is correct, that would be super helpful.

Thanks


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2006 SN 196 Limited Excalibur
2001 Super Sport Limited GT40

[James]

My 2006 216 uses 1/4 gore tex GFO. Yours is likely the same. Have the boat out of the water, remove the SS wire, remove the nut, carefully pull the old packing out using a small pick or screw driver. There will likely be 4- 5 turns. You can use the old pieces to cut the new to the correct length. Stagger the cut ends 180 degrees. Replace the nut snuggly, not tight. Replace the wire. Water test to have a couple of drips per minutes. Tighten as necessary. Recheck after your first few times out. No drips and a hot stuffing box is not good. I leave a small plastic Tupperware dish under my stuffing box to catch the drips and keep my bilge dry

[charlesml3]

How much is it leaking?

[jmo]

It’s constant drip, once a second when not moving, under power it increases to a thin, but steady stream.

It’s not a huge amount of water but enough to have the bilge activate after an afternoon on the water.


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2006 SN 196 Limited Excalibur
2001 Super Sport Limited GT40

[James]

That is too much water. You could try to tighten the gland nut first and see what happens. The instructions to do it properly is in your owners manual in section 8 starting on page 6.

[mpost]

6 to 8 drips a minute is plenty of lubrication and cooling and doesn't put much in the bilge. Try tightening a little at a time until you get 6 drips per minute while sitting. Then see what it does while running. I've used this method on my 84 for 10 years and my 98 for the last 3 and never had much of a difference from sitting and running.

[bturner]

I used this packing on the last one I did and the stuff worked great.....

https://www.skidim.com/prodinfo.asp?number=GFO14X24

The box would weep (not drip) and stayed cool.

Here's a great article on stuffing boxes, how they work and how to cut the new packing.....

https://marinehowto.com/re-packing-a...-stuffing-box/

The thing that was difficult for me was getting a wrench that would fit properly. Was fortunate enough that the BIL owns a water jet cutting/machine shop and made me a set of wrenches like these.....

https://www.skidim.com/prodinfo.asp?number=WRENCH

Made the job easy and I didn't have to pay the crazy price for the wrench.

[charlesml3]

Well honestly I'd just leave it alone. That's not much water and it's GOOD thing to have your bilge pump activate every now and then. It lets you know it's working.

You can certainly get in there and adjust it, but as my grandfather said: "The juice isn't worth the squeeze."

-Charles

[jmo]

Thanks everyone for the comments & suggestions. In years prior I tightened it up by a 1/4 of a full rotation, I’ll try taking the rest of the way to tighten one full revolution. I have the stubby wrenches already for tightening.


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2006 SN 196 Limited Excalibur
2001 Super Sport Limited GT40

[mpost]

I would take it a quarter turn at a time until you get to that 6 drops per minute sitting still.

[jmo]

Makes sense to do that, but the issue is if I am 1/2 a rotation from its otiginal position the holes for the safety wire are on opposite sides...


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2006 SN 196 Limited Excalibur
2001 Super Sport Limited GT40

[James]

The position of the holes does not matter. Just thread the wire through both and twist the ends together. In the event the locking nut comes loose and backs off the safety wire is designed to prevent the gland nut from backing off too causing a significant inflow of water.