Does anyone have a picture of the 1987 Hunter 31 stuffing box? I've tried repacking mine and I still get a drip every three seconds while the boat is at the slip. I've taken out all of the old packing, seen the plastic ring, and repacked it with 3/16 PTFE flax and still get the same results. Has anyone had similiar issues? Jonathan 87 Hunter 31 "My Amy" Norfolk, Va.
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Drip or Dip..
..you'd also be well advised to run it for a bit..let it all seat in then do your adjusting. If that does'nt do the trick start with the shaft..were there any grooves worn into it from the previous packing? Then,did you use the correct size packing this time?? Then,did you get all the old packing out and any debris that was in there?? Then,did you put the new flax in to coraspond with the direction the shaft turns in forward gear?? Good Luck>> David
..you'd also be well advised to run it for a bit..let it all seat in then do your adjusting. If that does'nt do the trick start with the shaft..were there any grooves worn into it from the previous packing? Then,did you use the correct size packing this time?? Then,did you get all the old packing out and any debris that was in there?? Then,did you put the new flax in to coraspond with the direction the shaft turns in forward gear?? Good Luck>> David
Original stuffing box
Johnathan, I have a Hunter H34 - 1985. My stuffing box is white plastic. It is very hard to tighten and you need a pipe wrench. The nut is Hexagonal and I tighten it up 1/2 nut at a time. Picture two hex bolts perfectly alligned - then rotate it so the point of one hex is at the center(flat) of the other hex. Equivalent to 25 degrees or 1/12 of a full rotation. Tighten it up until there is no leak at rest. Do you have a dock and is your boat secure - if so, put it in gear and run it at idle for 5 minutes or so (or take it out on a run-about) and check flow - tighten it up 1/2 nut at a time. Should flow a little under power and none at rest. You got to tighten it - like I said, I used a pipe wrench. Partly because it is over 2 inches and partly because of the leverage.
Johnathan, I have a Hunter H34 - 1985. My stuffing box is white plastic. It is very hard to tighten and you need a pipe wrench. The nut is Hexagonal and I tighten it up 1/2 nut at a time. Picture two hex bolts perfectly alligned - then rotate it so the point of one hex is at the center(flat) of the other hex. Equivalent to 25 degrees or 1/12 of a full rotation. Tighten it up until there is no leak at rest. Do you have a dock and is your boat secure - if so, put it in gear and run it at idle for 5 minutes or so (or take it out on a run-about) and check flow - tighten it up 1/2 nut at a time. Should flow a little under power and none at rest. You got to tighten it - like I said, I used a pipe wrench. Partly because it is over 2 inches and partly because of the leverage.
Are you offsetting the pieces of flex.
You wrap the flax around the shaft to get the right length but instead of cutting straight you make the cut diagonally. You should end up with four or five different pieces the length of the diameter of the shaft. When you install them in the packing gland make sure to offset the pieces where one end joins the other and fill up the gland just leaving enough threads for the nut to grab. tighten it until water stops. Then adjust it to a drop every 10 seconds. You will need to readjust after 10 hours of motoring. If you are still getting a leak you could be using the wrong size of flax.
You wrap the flax around the shaft to get the right length but instead of cutting straight you make the cut diagonally. You should end up with four or five different pieces the length of the diameter of the shaft. When you install them in the packing gland make sure to offset the pieces where one end joins the other and fill up the gland just leaving enough threads for the nut to grab. tighten it until water stops. Then adjust it to a drop every 10 seconds. You will need to readjust after 10 hours of motoring. If you are still getting a leak you could be using the wrong size of flax.
Benny...
"You should end up with four or five different pieces the length of the diameter of the shaft." I think you meant "...the length of the circumference of the shaft.", not diameter. IMHO *sry
"You should end up with four or five different pieces the length of the diameter of the shaft." I think you meant "...the length of the circumference of the shaft.", not diameter. IMHO *sry
If you have the OEM
white nylon stuffing box, there are three compression rings inside it. Each ring separates a ring of stuffing material. All must be removed in order to replace the packing material -- and that is very difficult to do -- particularly with the boat in the water. The only way I could do it was to remove the shaft with the boat on the hard. If you do have this original OEM gland, you may want to consider replacing it with a conventional bronze gland, that is easy to open and repack, or some variety of the dripless, albeit more expensive, glands on the market. I can send you a picture of the OEM gland if you like...
white nylon stuffing box, there are three compression rings inside it. Each ring separates a ring of stuffing material. All must be removed in order to replace the packing material -- and that is very difficult to do -- particularly with the boat in the water. The only way I could do it was to remove the shaft with the boat on the hard. If you do have this original OEM gland, you may want to consider replacing it with a conventional bronze gland, that is easy to open and repack, or some variety of the dripless, albeit more expensive, glands on the market. I can send you a picture of the OEM gland if you like...
Stuffing box redux
I'm going down to the boat today and take another look....I think that I maybe I didn't get all the packing out because I only remember seeing 2 compression rings, not 3 when I repacked my stuffing box. I'll report back with the results.... Thanks, Jonathan Romero Hunter 31 "My Amy"
I'm going down to the boat today and take another look....I think that I maybe I didn't get all the packing out because I only remember seeing 2 compression rings, not 3 when I repacked my stuffing box. I'll report back with the results.... Thanks, Jonathan Romero Hunter 31 "My Amy"
Here is the picture.
Jon: You may want to consider spraying the threads with some WD40 to clean up the threads on both sides and then spray with silicone. This one was always easy to adjust. Remember that there are suppose to be three rings of packing with the ends cut at an angle. When you replace the rings that should be staggered so the cuts do NOT line up. Then the nylon ring should cover the flax. It should be tight enough so it does not leak at the dock and should be loose enough so have a minor drip when the shaft is spinning but should not get HOT!
Jon: You may want to consider spraying the threads with some WD40 to clean up the threads on both sides and then spray with silicone. This one was always easy to adjust. Remember that there are suppose to be three rings of packing with the ends cut at an angle. When you replace the rings that should be staggered so the cuts do NOT line up. Then the nylon ring should cover the flax. It should be tight enough so it does not leak at the dock and should be loose enough so have a minor drip when the shaft is spinning but should not get HOT!
FWIW, purchase the proper size service wrenchs...
to do work on your stuffing box. Pipe wrenches, channel locs, vice grips, pliers, etc. make an easy job difficult and do more harm than good to the flats. Most tool supply retailers stock or can order service wrenches of the proper size you need. Our bronze box requires a two inch and a two and three sixteenth inch. To help with leverage on a stubborn lock nut I have two 12" long pieces of SS tubing that slide onto the service wrench handle. No longer necessary to tap the box with a hammer, liquid wrench, WD40, cursing, busted knuckles, etc. Terry
to do work on your stuffing box. Pipe wrenches, channel locs, vice grips, pliers, etc. make an easy job difficult and do more harm than good to the flats. Most tool supply retailers stock or can order service wrenches of the proper size you need. Our bronze box requires a two inch and a two and three sixteenth inch. To help with leverage on a stubborn lock nut I have two 12" long pieces of SS tubing that slide onto the service wrench handle. No longer necessary to tap the box with a hammer, liquid wrench, WD40, cursing, busted knuckles, etc. Terry
Stuffing Box Done
I got my stuffing box completed!! I ended up using the wrong packing size and the I left a piece of flax behind. I got it all corrected and it's working fine. Thanks guys for all your help. Jonathan Romero Hunter 31 S/V My Amy
I got my stuffing box completed!! I ended up using the wrong packing size and the I left a piece of flax behind. I got it all corrected and it's working fine. Thanks guys for all your help. Jonathan Romero Hunter 31 S/V My Amy
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