I think I will have to replace the stuffing in my stuffing box and have never done it. Can it be done with the boat in the water. How can I be sure all the old stuffing has been removed and what is the best material to put back in. Thanks
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No problem
There are usually three rings of flax in the stuffing box. I recommend using the teflon type flax for replacement. It runs cooler and lasts longer due to less friction. The hardest part is getting the old flax out but it is frequently done in the water. Be sure your bilge pump is working (and water doesn't overflow the engine pan before it get to the bilge) They make fancy tools to remove the flax but I frequently uses a self taping sheet rock screw and a pair of plyers. Got a dentist pick I have hand just in case (from Harbor Freight) The dripless system is way over priced and very over rated. This is an option not in my Hunter budget. Installation requires hauling the boat and removing the shaft coupling from both the shaft and transmission. Anyone who had removed a 20 year old coupling knows this is no picnic. The stuffing box will last a hundred years or more. Flax will last 10 years or better. I usually don'r replace mine till I run out of adjustment and can't tighten it to stop leaking more than a few drops/minute
There are usually three rings of flax in the stuffing box. I recommend using the teflon type flax for replacement. It runs cooler and lasts longer due to less friction. The hardest part is getting the old flax out but it is frequently done in the water. Be sure your bilge pump is working (and water doesn't overflow the engine pan before it get to the bilge) They make fancy tools to remove the flax but I frequently uses a self taping sheet rock screw and a pair of plyers. Got a dentist pick I have hand just in case (from Harbor Freight) The dripless system is way over priced and very over rated. This is an option not in my Hunter budget. Installation requires hauling the boat and removing the shaft coupling from both the shaft and transmission. Anyone who had removed a 20 year old coupling knows this is no picnic. The stuffing box will last a hundred years or more. Flax will last 10 years or better. I usually don'r replace mine till I run out of adjustment and can't tighten it to stop leaking more than a few drops/minute
Whoa...
I would do this out of the water... 1. To ensure getting all old flax out. 2. To avoid drowning in gushes of water. 3. To avoid a heart attack from No. 2.
I would do this out of the water... 1. To ensure getting all old flax out. 2. To avoid drowning in gushes of water. 3. To avoid a heart attack from No. 2.
And another thing
You may want to try a powerdrill to bear down on the old flax at a fixed angle as you rotate the flange. If the flax has hardened, this will greatly facilitate the process over using the conventional dental pick method.
You may want to try a powerdrill to bear down on the old flax at a fixed angle as you rotate the flange. If the flax has hardened, this will greatly facilitate the process over using the conventional dental pick method.
Easy
I've backed the packing nut off completely while in the water - water does come in at a slow trickle - no gushing. Should be able to change out the packing in the water without a problem. That said, I did mine before launch last season. It was only 3 seasons old, but I had no more adjustment room. Soak the lock nut with WD-40, let it sit for a while. Use 2 good sized pipe wrenches to break the lock nut free if necessary. I bought a cork screw-like tool on a flexible shaft at West Marine. Easily pulled out three rings of packing. Cut 3 pieces of the teflon-flax packing to fit around the shaft, using angle cuts on the ends. Put the rings in one at a time, with the cut ends offset from each other, and tighten everything up. Piece of cake.
I've backed the packing nut off completely while in the water - water does come in at a slow trickle - no gushing. Should be able to change out the packing in the water without a problem. That said, I did mine before launch last season. It was only 3 seasons old, but I had no more adjustment room. Soak the lock nut with WD-40, let it sit for a while. Use 2 good sized pipe wrenches to break the lock nut free if necessary. I bought a cork screw-like tool on a flexible shaft at West Marine. Easily pulled out three rings of packing. Cut 3 pieces of the teflon-flax packing to fit around the shaft, using angle cuts on the ends. Put the rings in one at a time, with the cut ends offset from each other, and tighten everything up. Piece of cake.
Watch for the washer..
There is typically a plastic washer on top of the three rings of packing. This washer is very hard to loosen, and others may have put packing on top of it. Someone may have also removed the washer in the past. If the washer is still there, it may have been pushed to the bottom of the box thereby eliminating the gush of water. If the washer has been removed, you will get a large gush of water while you do this! I recommend you search the archives here for the past two years to see what others have found, or cross your fingers.
There is typically a plastic washer on top of the three rings of packing. This washer is very hard to loosen, and others may have put packing on top of it. Someone may have also removed the washer in the past. If the washer is still there, it may have been pushed to the bottom of the box thereby eliminating the gush of water. If the washer has been removed, you will get a large gush of water while you do this! I recommend you search the archives here for the past two years to see what others have found, or cross your fingers.
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