Plastic stuffing box
Keith, I have an '85 25.5 with a plastic stuffing box. It's got two sections faced like large nuts with a large cotterpin run through both. If this sounds like you, read on. If not, call Hunter! The one closest to the engine is the one to adjust, while the other one is held still. The basic idea is that while you're underway, engine running and in gear, you want to see about four to six drops of water a minute dripping from that front nut. If there's more, remove the cotterpin (do this with the engine off) hold the rear nut still with a wrench, and with another wrench tighten the forward nut one flat worth (sixth of a turn?). The flats of the nuts should always line up, so the cotterpin holes do as well. Test again while underway, and repeat if neccessary, tightening one flat at a time till you get the desired 4 to 6 drops. If you've got no drip, you'd do the reverse, loosening the forward nut one flat at a time. Not knowing how long the packing has been in your stuffing box, I'll add this: The packing gets old, squashed, and dried out, making it impossible to adjust. If you find you cannot stop excessive dripping with adjustment, you may need new packing (flax). Don't overtighten...it's only plastic! And please be careful while observing, with all that stuff turning in there...Do all adjusting with your engine off - it's just safer. If you feel it's new flax time, that's another story. Feel free to email me about that. bdarrells@aol.com. Good luck.
