Dripless Shaft

[frmreilly]

I bought a Pearson 323 with the dripless shaft instead of the stuffing box. I know NOTHING about it or how it works. When I was observing the engine underway, I noticed a lot of water coming out of it -- nothing when the engine is in neutral. I'm assuming that's NOT how it works. Am I supposed to tighten it? If so, how? Is there a danger of overtightening?

 

[kloudie1]

Whoooo man.. we gonna need some pictures to comment.. There are a few different kinds of these goodies.. but you are right.. no water should be coming out when underway if it is working correctly.

 

[Pat T]

Not sure if there are different brands of the dripless but one common one is made by PYI. Here is link http://www.shaftseal.com/product_categories/300000001
You may be need to move the ss ring to stop the leak but be aware that there should be one set screw on top of another to lock the ring in place. But read all the directions first as you may have another issue. As Claude says pictures would be helpful.

 

[sailingdog]

I'd point out that the set screws for the PYI shaft seal are not designed to be re-used and should be replaced if you remove them.

 

[sailaway78]

Different brands

There are different brands of dripless seals. So some pics would help. I recently replaced mine with a PSS. The one that was on there before was really a cheaply made POS. The collar and face it rides on were both plastic, and it looked pretty cheesy. It also leaked. But basically what you need to do is slide the outer collar down against the face some to tighten it up a little. Shouldn't take much. But also need to check the bellows, and make sure it isn't weak. While you can adjust it with the boat in the water, unfortunately it can't be replaced without a haul out. On the better seals the face that is stationary and does not rotate, is some kind of carbon or carbor impregnated metal. The collar, which rotates with the shaft is stainless. If yours is a beige colored plastic looking thing, I would get it out of there. Even if you can stop the dripping.

 

[paulj]

PYI PPS installed.

paulj :troll:


PS The debri has been cleaned up..........

 

[Ted]

Dripping dripless shaft seal

If your dripless shaft seal is the PSS brand, the fix might be very simple. There are two highly polished surfaces that mate with one another at the end of the rubber bellows closest to the engine. One part is carbon which is attached to the bellows and the other is stainless steel and attached to the prop shaft. If any debris gets between those surfaces you will have a leak. If your boat is in the water, grab the carbon part attached to the bellows pull the bellows slightly back toward the stern for a second. Water will rush into the boat which should flush the debris away from the mating surfaces. This process should also be done anytime the boat is placed back into the water after a haul out. "Burping" the bellows removes any trapped air so that water can reach the mating surfaces. Some PSS models have a water supply tube which are usually used on power boats so this burping process isn't necessary as water is supplied via the tube as shown in the left photo of the previous post by Paulj.

 

[Maine Sail]

PYI PPS installed.

paulj :troll:


PS The debri has been cleaned up..........

Paul,

Is your seal currently installed with the vent or without? If it is without please do yourself a favor and remove that brass plug ASAP! There is a reason PYI supplies nylon barbs and vents with their seals. As that rotor heats up the brass will expand at a differing rate and could SPLIT the carbon bearing. Also the two products are galvanically not compatible. If you want to plug it please use a nylon plug and not a brass, bronze or stainless one.

I also don't suggest running a PSS without venting. PYI made this standard on all seals low or high speed with good reason. The Catalina's in particular have a nasty habit of trapping air bubbles in the seal which leads to loss of lubrication and massive amounts of heat at the rotor/carbon interface. This can happen from sailing in rough weather or a quick blast of reverse and the resulting cavitation/air bubbles that go along with it. This trapped air is usually cumulative cause once it is up in there it does not come out until you burp the seal.

I'm am guessing that you bought the boat with the plug and hopefully converted it to vented..

 

[paulj]

Maine Sail
PYI PSS was installed by a well known local company who also replaced my propshaft.
The PYI dealer caught the error and sent me a free nylon barb.

paulj :troll:


ix:

 

[Maine Sail]

Maine Sail
PYI PSS was installed by a well known local company who also replaced my propshaft.
The PYI dealer caught the error and sent me a free nylon barb.

paulj :troll:


ix:

Nice !!!

 

[petersea]

If it is a PSS seal check there web site lots of good info. Some have added a hose clamp or a Zinc on the shaft to prevent the collar from slipping back if it loosens. Leave a 1/8 inch space and you will be able to do a quick eye check to see if it has moved. Also despite what most think the pss shaft seal is not maintenance free. The old style (with out vent) need to be "burped" at launch time and manufacture suggest a six/seven year cycle to replace bellows and o rings on all models. How old is yours ???

 

[sailingdog]

Doesn't speak too well for the local company that did the installation IMHO.

Maine Sail
PYI PSS was installed by a well known local company who also replaced my propshaft.
The PYI dealer caught the error and sent me a free nylon barb.

paulj :troll:


ix:

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Was it newly installed?

The instructions of the PYI PSS that I just purchased from this web site and installed over the winter say that you should expect a fine spray of water for about a minute when you engage it into gear for the first time. Unfortunately, we don't have enough water in the lake to splash the boat so I am still anxiously waiting to see the PSS perform. :cry: