I am a proud new owner of a cat 30 which I just launched this week. Unfortunately the stuffing box is leaking way more than it should be. I know a lot of people use adjustable wrenches, but does any one know the nut sizes so I could use an open ended wrench. The nuts look pretty corroded and will take some torque/pb blaster to get free so I prefer to use a traditional open ended wrench. Is this the wrong approach.
Stuffing Box Wrenches
- Thread starter flyboy1717
- Start date
- Status
Soon after I bought my first inboard many years ago, I took a diesel maintenance course ("Don't Be A Diesel Dork" given by Chris Oliver) and it was very useful. They gave us a number of hints for loosening a corroded packing gland: whack one of the flats on the lock nut with a ball peen hammer. They promised no damage would occur to the gland or log. I've used that technique twice over the years and it works. Once loosened, I adjust the packing and lock nuts with two packing gland wrenches from Home Depot for about $15 ea. Then keep the gland lubricated (I use spray lithium) and you'll never have to whack it again. Good luck with the new boat.
WD 40. WD 40, AND BUY A SET OF WRENCHES. they're cheap, close to indesctrucible, and you should always have them on board. if you buy just one wrench i guarantee next time you need one it'l be a different size.
WD40 has its uses, but PB Blaster is by far the superior material to use for loosening materials.
It's available at any hardware store, spray can with a yellow top. If you thought WD40 and Liquid Wrench were good, this stuff beats it hands down. Just don't get it on any seals or rubber, like engine mounts.
My new to me boat leaked bad at launch. I wanted to pull it back out. Yard mechanic did the wack with hammer trick. Fixed in 30 seconds. I didnt even time to holler... stop.Warren Milberg said:
When a boat's been out awhile, as mine was last summer for a bottomjob, the packing around the shaft dries out. when the boat is first put back in water it will leak like crazy till that material absorbs water and swells up, as mine did. No big deal "if" bozo in boat yard stays sober, mine did not and launched my boat on a Tuesday when I was not present, arrived Friday night to find a foot of standing water in my cabin. I was not happy. And bozo had neglected to switch the bilge pump back on when he launched. Again, I was not amused.:cussing: Just snug the gland up a bit till the drip stops
Very timely. My boat splashed Tuesday morning. Shakedown and learning motoring produced a bilge full of water (bilge pumped worked as advertised. I bailed out by hand to ensure a dry bilge. The water was coming from the packing gland, which has swelled up and very little coming through now.
Now I need to adjust it a little, and this thread is good for learning how.
Now I need to adjust it a little, and this thread is good for learning how.
you don't have to bail out by hand, the emergency bilge pump with handle will pump the bilge dry.
That is if this hand bilge pump still works. Most of 'em including mine were pretty fried in the cockpit side from dry rot. Check the bellow for cracks. If it's cracked it won't work.
Quick update. I ended up using a 2" open ended wrench on the stuffing box nut and an adjustable on the jam nut. I'm guessing the jam nut was 1-7/8". I ended up soaking both nuts in PB Blaster on 3 separate occasions. Once I broke the nuts free, I was able to slow the leak by taking up on the stuffing box. After adjusting it 3-4 times, I was able to tweak the drip rate to about 1 drip every 20-30 seconds. Very small adjustments resulted in large results with respect to the drip rate. Thanks for the input on how to do this. I'm satisfied and feel alot better about my stuffing box now.
On your next haul out you should consider re-packing your packing gland with new material. There is some really good stuff out there.
I did mine a few years ago and I haven't had to adjust the packing gland yet. It is also a good idea to check the area once in a while when you have motored for a while to make sure it isn't too hot.
I did mine a few years ago and I haven't had to adjust the packing gland yet. It is also a good idea to check the area once in a while when you have motored for a while to make sure it isn't too hot.
Why wait, you can do it in the water. Try this
Repacking a Stuffing Box 101 - by Maine Sail: http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=775788&highlight=stuffing box
I have never done mine out of the water. why? 'Cuz you have to do it again once you're back IN the water anyway!
For those of you with horrible access to your stuffing boxes...
Repacking a Stuffing Box 101 - by Maine Sail: http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=775788&highlight=stuffing box
I have never done mine out of the water. why? 'Cuz you have to do it again once you're back IN the water anyway!
For those of you with horrible access to your stuffing boxes...
Thinks for the input on checking the stuffing box temperature. I've had the shaft engaged for over an hour and it's yet to get warm to the touch, so I think it's operating as it should for now. I've been checking it every 20-30 minutes.
I considered repacking it, and read alot of the great information on the internet about it, but decided to hold off for now. When I purchased the boat, the surveyor recommended that I replace my cutlass bearing in a year to two. When I do that, I'll likely replace the shaft and add a PSS shaft seal, therefor I'm going to try to make it the season on my existing packing.
I considered repacking it, and read alot of the great information on the internet about it, but decided to hold off for now. When I purchased the boat, the surveyor recommended that I replace my cutlass bearing in a year to two. When I do that, I'll likely replace the shaft and add a PSS shaft seal, therefor I'm going to try to make it the season on my existing packing.
- Status