Stern gland adjustment ... how do you do yours ?

[Guest]

My gland nuts are in a very narrow tight slot down in the bilge. Extremely difficult to tighten / slack - no spanner I have tried or found can get in and turn .. even narrow pipe grips.

So how do you tighten / undo yours ?

I use a blunt cold chisel and hammer ... against one flat's corner ... but not happy with this - as after a time - I will damage the nuts ...

I've tried Oil Filter grips (the rubber band in a locking handle job ) - nope ... tried grinding down metal grips ... by time I approached narrow enough - strength was gone in the jaws.

Over to you lot !! ??

 

[Bilgediver]

My question would be ...are YOU SURE???????? if the nuts are in such a small slot then how do you achieve enough space to slacken off the gland to repack???????????????????


The gland needs to back off and come free at least the thichness of the packing ????

You could make a plate spanner for this job as the nuts should not be that tight.

 

[savageseadog]

Ask Will Young

 

[neil_s]

I might have a bit more space, because I have a couple of specially relieved and shortened open end spanners to do the job. If you can't do something similar, you might have to make up a special tool, a bit like a plumber's basin wrench (for doing up the taps from underneath the basin).

Cheers! Neil

 

[Lizzie_B]

I have similar problem Nige.
In the end I got a two special stern glad spanners from West Marine (never found them anywhere else). Need two as one to hold the lock nut still while the other is used to move the gland nut.
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/sto...mp;classNum=286

 

[Guest]

narrow slot is to sides ... no room to "operate" spanner side to side ... plenty of room fore - aft.

The shaft is in a central keel well ...

 

[jerryat]

I'd change to a Volvo seal during the winter and never have the problem again! Incredibly cheap for a Volvo product too!!

 

[Guest]

Looked at all sorts while boat was in UK ... but she's now in Latvia and prices delivered are crazy !!

 

[tugboat]

Could you use a socket, universal coupling and extension, and ratchet? If there is a lot of stud showing, there are deep sockets available. There must be a way cos they had to fit it in the first place! A pic would help us come up with crazy solutions.

 

[Guest]

This is not the old type with bolt either side on a bearing plate ... this is the single large nuts that go over the shaft ... so no way to put a socket etc. has to be an open end spnanner or grip.

 

[alan006]

How about using the old fashioned chain tool used for changing oil filters. If you can feed the chain round then this should grip it.
Is there room for that?

 

[Billjratt]

The tool I made looked like an open-ended spanner bent at right angles so prop-shaft was in line with the handle,( 2ft long) which was in turn gripped in a shifting spanner. Tune for "warm" when running and no/few drips at rest. Tool also useful for seacocks in awkward places.

 

[[3889]]

A couple of stillson wrenches, 1 borrowed.

 

[Guest]

Chain grip ... yes - just bl***y fiddly getting all round ... as the amount of spadce at sides is so small - it's ridiculous !! (like changing a headlamp bulb on a modern car !!)

As you'd expect I don't need to make this ultra tight ... just enough to nip up the packing.
Doing it with the hammer and drift works - but is an animal way to do it and eventually will ruin the nuts form. Plus it's awkward keeping the drift in place literally hanging upside down into the bilges !!

 

[ms1]

hard to see how this is possible as you seem to be saying even if you get the spanner on then you cant move it to undo / tighten. Sounds like you need to have someone make you some kind of spanner but without much handle ... then you use a hammer and chisel on your spanner and avoid damaging your nut faces.
Little piece of chain wrapped around tightened up with a nut and bolt then whack the chain? (bit of bike chain witha nut and bolt to tighten it??)
Use hammer & broad & blunt ended punch on the nut ?? - will make a dent but less likely to graunch it up like a chisel might do.

 

[Pye_End]

Used to have a similar nut with difficult access. made a sort of spanner with a bit of ply. Didn't need much purchase - even trying to turn it an inch or two out from the nut was sufficient.

Got hacked off with it all after a while and fitted a modern seal!

Is it the cost of carriage that makes a PSS/Volvo etc seal expensive? If so maybe delivered to a UK address and a forumite forwarding it on may be cheaper? Happy to oblige if it helps.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Snap-on do a "Crowfoot" wrench that nay do the job for you

Other sizes are available and they use a normal 1/2' sq drive ratchet

web page

 

[thalassa]

If I understand the situation well, it is similar to the arrangement in my old boat. The nut had a ribbed flange. In the end, I used an oil filter spanner, the type with an open rubber band and a clamp. You fold it round the shaft and nut, and relocate the band in the spanner. It would do/undo even with only a cm of movement each time.

 

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
a "Crowfoot"

[/ QUOTE ] A "crow's foot" is what I was going to suggest. Maybe not a twelve point one, a six point or even a simple parallel jaw one might do. Also probably more convenient if on a permanent "handle" rather than a detachable socket set extension.

Easy enough to make witha bit of thick steel plate and a length of square section. A few hours sweat with a hack saw and a few moments with a brazing torch and it should be possible to produce the purpose made tool.

I've still got the one my father made to reach some inaccessible nut!