Repacking stuffing box

[WJA302]

Hello, Another new owner question. (Thanks to all who helped with replacing the anchor light & bosun's chair info - that was fun - not!).
Today I had a marine electrician tell me he noticed about one drip per/5 sec. comming out of my stuffing box and that is too fast. (motor was not running)
I recently purchased the boat ('87 Cat 27 w M18 Universal engine). The former owner gave me a vast supply of parts/hardware which included stuffing material. He told me that "every once in a while you just need to add a little more stuffing around the shaft". I checked the archives and there is not a whole lot of info out there. I don't mind getting my hands dirty but I don't want to burn up something. In this just a matter of backing off a housing nut and adding packing? Should I tear out the remaining old stuff and replace everything? The boat is in the water but I'll be pulling it in a few weeks - should I do this on the hard? I want to learn to do things myself but I don't mind calling a mechanic if there is a significant risk of doing major damage. Thanks.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Stuffing Box Links

Go here and start reading: http://www.c34.org/wiki/index.php?title=Stuffing_box

You can do it in the water.

e-marine Gore tex packing hadn't been invented when we wrote these articles. It works.

Always take OUT what's in there - don't just shove more in.

Read and learn.

 

[Tom J]

Before you remove the old packing, (always a good idea) buy a packing removal tool. It looks like a skinny corkscrew with a "T" handle, and makes the job much easier!

 

[Stu Jackson]

Not necessarily

Many people suggest this tool. I bought one and it did NOT work for me because with our 1 inch shaft and 3/16 inch packing there was simply NO room for the tool, which looks like a twisted pig's tail. For some it works. My referenced article recommend a dry wall screw for extracting the the old packing.

Before you spend the $$ on the tool, find some screws at your ACE hardware store, and/or back off the lock nut, move up the stuffing gland nut and see what kinda clearance you actually have there on YOUR boat.

 

[WJA302]

Thanks

Thanks for the info, that was a great link. I am learning that you need to be a contortionist to work on boats. When I started to work on this I immediately noted that both nuts were little more than finger tight. I made less than a 1/4 turn on each and the drip reduced to about 1 every minute or more. I decided to live with that now since a check valve blew when I turned my water pump on and I needed to work on that.

I also replaced the joker valve on the head system learned a little more about how my system works. I am getting my wish about learning boat systems and at some point I may even get to SAIL!!!!!

Thanks again, WJA

 

[newboatowner]

I drip per minute? I was told that it should be 1 drip every few seconds. Maybe that's way my batteries are dead from overworking the bilge pump.