Rebuilding the PSS Shaft Seal

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Mar 20, 2007
500
Catalina 355 Kilmarnock, VA
My boat just completed its 7th season. According to PYI, the PSS shaft seal bellows, O rings, and set screws should be replaced at 6-year intervals, so I decided to do it now while I'm on the hard. It turned out to be a lot more tedious than I expected, partly because I did it alone. The hardest part is removing the shaft coupler, which was really stuck, and not made easier by the lack of working space in the aft bilge. I suggest, if you do this job, you first read Maine Sail's tutorial on his website - it describes a lot of what not to do.

I purchased a purpose-made plate puller, rather than attempt to use the transmission flange to pull the coupler off. This was a good decision, as the coupler was frozen on so tight that it would likely have bent or broken the transmission flange. Even with the puller, I needed a 24" pipe wrench on the coupler, and a 14" wrench on the puller bolt (and about an hour of time) to get it off - this after soaking it with PB Blaster for a week. I had to first cut off the old bellows in order to slide the shaft back enough to fit the puller in place. Once it was all apart, I cleaned both ends of the shaft (which BTW will NOT come out without dropping the rudder or moving the engine!), and reassembled with the new shaft seal parts and a new split coupler. The shaft is a really tight fit in the coupler, and I didn't have the right tools to tap it in without putting undue stress on the transmission shaft and bearings, so I'll finish that next trip.

Notable findings: 1. You can't remove the shaft without dropping the rudder. 2. The coupler is a bitch to get off, and should be done with the correct puller tool. 3. Even with the correct tool, it takes a LOT of force (big wrenches, push one with your foot while you pull the other with both hands). 4. There's very little space to work in; you have to cut the old bellows off to even get enough room for your tools (not to mention you're bent over in the aft berth for the whole process!).
 
Oct 30, 2011
24
Catalina 309 Fort Myers
Seems like a good time to switch to a packing shaft seal. Why would the seal need to be replaced at 6 years?
 

DanM

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Mar 28, 2011
155
Catalina 30 Galveston Bay
John,

Thanks for the write up. I really like my dry bilge and my PSS and it's always nice to get a real world write up of the maintanence of this thing.

FWIW, I'm going on eight years, replaced the hose clamps "just in case" and the bellows still looks good. I live in a warm climate and our boats only come out of the water for a reason (not every winter) so I'll have to keep an eye on it.

Take care, DanM.
 
Mar 20, 2007
500
Catalina 355 Kilmarnock, VA
Seems like a good time to switch to a packing shaft seal. Why would the seal need to be replaced at 6 years?
I've talked to the PYI tech reps about this. The rubber bellows will deteriorate ( like everything else on a boat), and is the only thing between the water and the inside of the boat. Although its lifetime is undoubtedly much longer, they have no way to know the conditions a given bellows will be exposed to, so they choose to recommend the shortest interval that would still give a safety margin under the worst extreme conditions. I chose to replace mine (the old one was in perfect condition, though I had to cut it to get it out) because it was convenient this winter, and I'll sleep better during the season
 
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