Stuffing box, will it get worse?

[Gixer]

So I went back in the water earlier this year and straight away my newly packed stern gland started leaking. I tightened it as much as I was happy to do and it still leaks. I think my shaft is worn causing the packing not to fit properly.
anyhoo, I’ve bought a P.S.S. Seal and will fit it soon, trouble is the weather is so good at the moment that I don‘t want to come out of the water to mess with the gland.
Question is, do you think the gland will get get worse if I keep running the engine?
Part of me thinks it might get better as the packing wears…
It’s about quarter of a bucket a week at the moment so nothing too much to worry about.

 

[Caer Urfa]

Try pumping more grease into it, sometimes you 'think' its full when you can add more

 

[alahol2]

I would expect to check and adjust a newly packed gland regularly in the first few weeks. One advantage of a packed gland is that it rarely fails catastrophically.

 

[Gixer]

Thanks guys.

I've had fueling problems so haven't been able to run the boat properly since going in. I'll put some mileage on and see what happens. i guess I'm concerned that it will suddenly get a lot worse.

I will put more grease in, I have put loads in but guess it cant make it any worse.

 

[JVL]

Grease it , run it tighten it, check it! If your shaft is worn then a pss will leak

John

 

[dansaskip]

I always thought that a stuffing gland was supposed to "leak" at the rate of a slow drip, otherwise it is adjusted too tight and will cause wear of the shaft?
A quarter of a bucket a week it not a lot and nothing to worry about.
And as alahol2 has said a new stuffed stuffing gland needs fairly regular adjustment until the stuffing has bedded in.

 

[Moodysailor]

Add another wrap of packing, grease it and go enjoy - but keep a careful eye on it, and check your bilge pump works ?
As above, 1 drip every 7-8 seconds whilst in operation is perfectly normal

 

[Gixer]

The drip rate is about every 3 seconds when stationary, I'll check it this weekend when the shaft is turning, I just don't want to make it a lot worse by using it but also don't want to miss the weather.

 

[Tranona]

The grease is not there to lubricate the packing, but to stop water leaking in when the shaft is stationary. Most of the grease gets washed out the back, which is why you need to keep topping up. If the packing is leaking when stationary then the first thing to do is tighten the nut until the shaft starts to get stiff and back off a bit. Check for overheating when running and adjust. Of course if the shaft is worn you may not be able to get it right.

Provided you can deal with the water getting in, you won't do any further damage by running and it won't suddenly fail. The PSS does not run on the shaft so having some wear at the current sealing point does not matter.

 

[Gixer]

The grease is not there to lubricate the packing, but to stop water leaking in when the shaft is stationary. Most of the grease gets washed out the back, which is why you need to keep topping up. If the packing is leaking when stationary then the first thing to do is tighten the nut until the shaft starts to get stiff and back off a bit. Check for overheating when running and adjust. Of course if the shaft is worn you may not be able to get it right.

I've done this a few times now and it doesn't seem to make a difference although I'm going to run the engine for a but longer and see if it 'beds in'. I'm pretty sure the shaft is worn.

Provided you can deal with the water getting in, you won't do any further damage by running and it won't suddenly fail. The PSS does not run on the shaft so having some wear at the current sealing point does not matter.

I have auto and manual bilge pumps so not to worried. I did think a PSS seal would work and is probably the cheapest option rather than the pain of buying/fitting a new shaft.

As long as I'm not going to do any further damage I'm happy to carry on, try and enjoy the weather and swap it out when the mood takes me

 

[Bilgediver]

So I went back in the water earlier this year and straight away my newly packed stern gland started leaking. I tightened it as much as I was happy to do and it still leaks. I think my shaft is worn causing the packing not to fit properly.

Not usually a problem. Did you try and squeeze in oversized packing. Not a good idea in some of these stern glands as they do not have that many turns of the correct packing size and some take packing as small as 3/16" . If you have a greaser fitted then a few turns of this should staunch the flow.

It doesn't help that some marinas do not seem to stock the smaller sized packings.

 

[Refueler]

I have the packing gland and mine drips about 4 - 6 secs and I'm fine with that. I give it about 3 turns on the greaser before a trip ... and 3 turns again after a trip.

Tighten it hard ... I do not agree ... that can lead to shaft wear even if slacked off. The trick is to tighten but still have shaft turning easily ... packing should have gone in with grease ... once tightened - use greaser to get some more in ... maybe 3 - 4 turns.
I would then expect packing to bed in and leak to increase. Then you nip up the gland a bit more maybe a turn or turn and a half .. pump in more grease.
This could mean repeat till you get all bedded in nicely. It depends on how well and aligned the packing has gone in.
Overtightening is the biggest cause of shaft ovality / damage.

One aspect that I have noted on an odd boat I've re-packed ... whoever packed it failed to offset the joints properly .... but that's only a comment.
Its not normally recc'd to just add another ring of packing as the original problem is still not solved ...

OK ...

Packing is there to :

a) Provide a reasonable seal but not 100% sealed.
b) To provide a lubricated centering to shaft before the bearing.
c) Easily serviced gland.

Water is there to :

a) Cool the packing and shaft

Grease is there to :

a) Provide the final touch to assist in sealing the gland to just that drip
b) Additional lubrication adding to the packings

Others may not agree ... fair enough.

 

[Gixer]

Did you try and squeeze in oversized packing. Not a good idea in some of these stern glands as they do not have that many turns of the correct packing size and some take packing as small as 3/16" . If you have a greaser fitted then a few turns of this should staunch the flow.

It doesn't help that some marinas do not seem to stock the smaller sized packings.

I have the correct size packing and it did cross my mind to fit larger but this felt like a bodge. My greaser is the screw cap type, I'll put some more in and see what happens.

Refueler - thanks for the detailed response.

 

[Bilgediver]

Packing is there to :

a) Provide a reasonable seal but not 100% sealed.
b) To provide a lubricated centering to shaft before the bearing.
c) Easily serviced gland.

Water is there to :

a) Cool the packing and shaft

Grease is there to :

a) Provide the final touch to assist in sealing the gland to just that drip
b) Additional lubrication adding to the packings

Others may not agree ... fair enough.

Yep. lots of grease and a slow steady drip and it will outlast 3 or four dripless seals. To stop the drips just needs an extra squirt through the grease nipple which is at the hatch in the cabin. They soon start again once the engine is running.

 

[Refueler]

I have the correct size packing and it did cross my mind to fit larger but this felt like a bodge. My greaser is the screw cap type, I'll put some more in and see what happens.

Refueler - thanks for the detailed response.

Tip to fill the Greaser ... if its the tube with screw in handle type :

same as the old grease gun idea ... screw in handle all way - then put end of tube into grease (hard to find the old tins with the plate in today !) ... once in grease - then unscrew handle sucking the grease in ...
Beats all that mess trying to spoon it in .. plus you have little or no air in the grease.

 

[Gixer]

This is very similar to mine. (thanks Mr Cox). the large cap unscrews you fill it full of grease and then screw back down.
Refueler - I don't think your method will work with this arrangement?

 

[Tranona]

Yep. lots of grease and a slow steady drip and it will outlast 3 or four dripless seals.

Do you have any real evidence to support this statement - or is it another "everyone knows" type of thing?

 

[Refueler]

This is very similar to mine. (thanks Mr Cox). the large cap unscrews you fill it full of grease and then screw back down.
Refueler - I don't think your method will work with this arrangement?

View attachment 119223

Agreed ... my post was more for others who have the remote tube greaser ...

 

[Refueler]

Do you have any real evidence to support this statement - or is it another "everyone knows" type of thing?

Given that I am not only one who has a ~50yr old packed gland ... I would think that is evidence in itself ?

I repacked my gland about 20yrs ago as a precautionary measure - after engine replaced ... just in case seal was disturbed ...
Since then ... just periodic refill of the greaser. The old packing that came out was actually in VG condition ...

 

[Refueler]

This is very similar to mine. (thanks Mr Cox). the large cap unscrews you fill it full of grease and then screw back down.
Refueler - I don't think your method will work with this arrangement?

View attachment 119223

Just a thought ... I've usually seen those on easy to access shafts .. workboats etc.

I don't know if still available - but there used to be a conversion kit to remove that cup and threaded insert - to replace with the remote type as I have .. far more practical