Just wondered about the packing nut drip situation on my oday 322, my question is, should it drip while the shaft isnt turning ? I watched mine today and it is dripping approx once every 50 seconds while the motor is off, i just done a few things on the boat while it was out of the water and had the guy at the yard refit the packing and nut, i never checked it while running but noticed some like grey paste type of stuff on the hull under the packing nut, is this normal maybe with being newly packed? The motor has probably been ran for approx 2 hours at low speed since it was done, there was about 1/2" of water in the bilge yesterday but i was cleaning around the toilet with water so i suppose water can run from around the toilet base to the bilge so maybe it was from there? Anybody have any input on this?
Packing nut drips ??
- Thread starter wilf
- Start date
The packing nut should not drip when the shaft is not turning. When the shaft is turning, a few drips keeps the shaft lubricated and cool.
You may want to pull out the packing and whatever else is in the packing nut, and repack with new packing. I pulled mine apart since I have the whole stuffing box out, and there was a lot of old crud in there.
Greg
You may want to pull out the packing and whatever else is in the packing nut, and repack with new packing. I pulled mine apart since I have the whole stuffing box out, and there was a lot of old crud in there.
Greg
Give the new packing a chance to work before you rip it out. Tighten the nut 1/2 of a flat (and no more) and then lock it. Run for a few hours and monitor the drip rate. A drop or two/min. if you must. No dripping while stopped. Also monitor the temperature of the nut. Body temp. or little more at best. Repeat if necessary but only 1/2 flat at a time.
If carefully packed, you can get away without any leakage when running but for now, plan on a very slight leak.
Wilf... A big 
on what Ralph said. He nailed it.
If just packed by the yard guy likely he tightened the unit to hand tight. This is normal. Then you run it and adjust it as Ralph said to the proper tension. Note: you make the adjustments when the shaft is still... NOT ROTATING...
We are here if you have more questions.
John
on what Ralph said. He nailed it. If just packed by the yard guy likely he tightened the unit to hand tight. This is normal. Then you run it and adjust it as Ralph said to the proper tension. Note: you make the adjustments when the shaft is still... NOT ROTATING...
We are here if you have more questions.
John
The jam nut and packing gland need large size wrenches, so get the right tools before you get started. They make an adjustable wrench just for this job, you need two wrenches one for the jam nut and one for the packing gland. A pipe wrench should work but will score the flats of the bronze nut, in any case you need two of the proper size wrenches. https://www.amazon.com/Adjustable-W...1490013861&sr=8-1&keywords=packing+nut+wrench
So what happems if its too tight ? If its leaking while stopped it probably isnt i would assume ?
If too tight, it will burn the packing and not help things any. As long as you go slowly, 1/2 flat at a time, you'll have no problems.
Wilf. The box is made up of two hexangle nut fittings. A flat is the flat side of the nut fitting.
Here is a great link for getting an understanding of the project.
https://marinehowto.com/re-packing-a-traditional-stuffing-box/
Here is a great link for getting an understanding of the project.
https://marinehowto.com/re-packing-a-traditional-stuffing-box/
If you have the room this wrench is far superior to loosen tight nut, http://www.harborfreight.com/24-inch-adjustable-wrench-39621.html
Yes, this is a very excellent guide. Be sure to read down far enough to the part that talks about how much a traditional stuffing box ought to drip, which is what the original question was.
If your traditional stuffing box is close quarters standard wrenches may not fit. You can also make your own.
I bought a pair of short aluminum wrenches on EBay last year, and was happy. I got mine from Yorkfabs out of Middleton, OH. A search for "stuffing box wrench" on EBay will show you a variety of sizes from $30 - 50. Personally, I found the aluminum ones fine for the occasional use these things get. The short handle is great for the small space you will work in, and there is a square hole for adding some force with a ratchet wrench.
I've found that new packing always takes a while to get the drip rate, or lack thereof, right. Ralph is right to suggest going slowly and make minor adjustments of the compression nut until you get no drip when the engine is off or in neutral. When in gear, you want "just enough" drip to keep the packing nuts no more than warm to the touch. This may take a few adjustments. But this all assumes that your shaft is not corroded or in need of re-facing or polishing. If the shaft is not in good shape under the gland, no amount of adjustment will work.
↑
"...And before it was actualy repacked and replaced it never leaked at all
If carefully packed, you can get away without any leakage when running but for now, plan on a very slight leak."
a rotating proper with a standard flax packing must have water drips to lube the shaft , 2 to 10 drips terminate with shaft turning. 'getting away without any leakage when running' is a TERRIBLE idea , it will damage your $1000 prop shaft.
"...And before it was actualy repacked and replaced it never leaked at all
If carefully packed, you can get away without any leakage when running but for now, plan on a very slight leak."
a rotating proper with a standard flax packing must have water drips to lube the shaft , 2 to 10 drips terminate with shaft turning. 'getting away without any leakage when running' is a TERRIBLE idea , it will damage your $1000 prop shaft.
So I hand tightened the packing gland a bit more as far as i could with both hands no more drips while its sitting at the dock, im still concerned what the grey paste like stuff was underneath it after ran it for a couple of hours, is this normal after just repacking it ?