Volvo shaft seal real life

[rotrax]

I had trouble sourcing the first one I fitted.

Shaft ID OK but stern tube too small. I made a sleeve from an Aluminium scaffold tube and epoxied it in place.

Easy to go bigger by doing what I did but tricky to make it smaller......................

 

[MJWB]

Wondering about mine. No idea how old it is. Boat is 31. Rubber is hard and difficult to squeeze, jolly hard to access too. Have been thinking of changing as a prudent step but not so sure after reading the posts.

 

[Malish]

Rather than squeezing, consider lifting from below to achieve the same outcome.. much easier, worked for me.

Has anyone found that the lip seals harden over time? I've always tended to replace on 5-6 years to avoid scoring the shaft, which would be an engine out job to replace (I appreciate that adjusting the seal position is an option).

 

[Plum]

Rather than squeezing, consider lifting from below to achieve the same outcome.. much easier, worked for me.

Has anyone found that the lip seals harden over time? I've always tended to replace on 5-6 years to avoid scoring the shaft, which would be an engine out job to replace (I appreciate that adjusting the seal position is an option).

I replaced my VP shaft seal at 16 years and 940 hours, only for peace of mind not because it was dripping. The lips felt very flexible and no less flexible than the new VP one. That was 6 years and 500 hours ago and have no intention of replacing it for many years.

Agree, no point in trying the squeeze the seal to burp it, just push the nose sideways (or up or down) to burp, takes very little effort.

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