I am stuck with my stuffing box .....

[brico]

I have unscrewed the big nut (clean one) on the left and pushed it towards the engine. There was one layer of 1/4" packing there half of it was sticking out and easily removed. The small nut (just right of it on the first photo, and still threaded on the second photo) is some sort of locking nut for the big nut. When I have removed all four hose clamps from the rubber bellow/hose (third photo) the threaded piece with a flange that touches the rubber hose/bellow is spinning but has moved only 1/8" left towards the engine so I am unable to see what is under the hose and whether there is in fact any packing to be replaced / renewed. The small brass tube 3/8"on the right is where the hose is connected supplying water from the raw water pump as I indicated in my previous thread. I will access it from other side tomorrow to have more purchase in order to try and push it to left towards the engine.

This to me seems as if the system works similar to the PSS dripless shaft seal with the rubber hose/bellow acting as a sort of seal wrapping around the through hull cutlass bearing and that piece that is spinning but not moving backwards, and only one layer of 1/4" packing is used to seal it.

Anyone have any tips knowledge about this is much appreciated.

 

[Boatsb]

The packing is in the big nut.

 

[JakeC]

Do you have some replacement stuffing box packing?
1. Put the packing around the prop shaft in front of the threaded collar, so that each piece forms one circle, with the ends touching, but with the ends offset from the ends of the other pieces.
2. Turn the smaller locknut aways toward the stern.
3. l like to get the packing wet that is on the shaft, and then slide the big nut over the packing and turn it onto the threads but don't crank it down, leave it a little loose.
4. It looks like your boat is on the hard. When it gets back in the water, you should have a small rivlet of water coming through.
5. If you can, put the boat in forward gear at the dock, if not, you need a helper to drive the boat in forward, while you very carefully tighten the big nut till the water just stops. Then screw the small locknut forward to hold the big nut in place.

Be sure to put the four hose clamps back on the rubber tight so the threaded part does not spin. Hope this is what you were after. Your grounding wires look corroded, you might want to repair those too.

 

[brico]

Thanks Jake,

Yes, I am on dry painting and waxing the boat. I do have replacement stuffing box packing (1/4") I'll try and see if there is more packing inside the big nut to extract and renew. I have (sort of) figured out the design and wanted to move the threaded collar back towards the engine to clean the surface onto which the rubber hose wraps around that collar and the cutlass bearing in the back so that it lasts longer without having to renew it.

Would you know what make/model is this stuffing box arrangement?

Thanks for the tip about adjusting it after renewal of packing.

Grounding wire renewal is planned after haul out.

 

[JakeC]

You know those tiny screwdrivers you use to tighten the little screws on your glasses? Take one and heat the tip red hot with your torch. Take a needle nose pliers and quickly put a 90 degree bend just 1/16 inch from the end.

Take your new tool to the large threaded nut and use this hook to get out the old flax or whatever material is in there.

If there is an issue with the seal between the rubber hose and the threaded piece, take a minute to loosen the prop shaft and slide it back. Then you can simply slide the threaded piece forward and off, and the rubber hose as well. Any issues with corrosion, just replace them. Probably Perko parts, call Sam's. Hope this helps, I am not a professional and there are several people on this site who are. They will jump in if my advice is flawed. Good luck.

 

[bobk]

A dental pick also works well for removing packing.

Bobk

 

[Boatsb]

If the hose and clamps look old and worn replace them.

 

[Canuck Dennis]

packing pickers are not expensive and worth the money.

 

[johnjen50]

X2 on the packing pickers. I thhink I paid $2 for one, have had it for years, and it does beautifully what it was designed to do. Thats the way to go.

 

[Blaine Thorpe]

I put three layers of packing back in mine. From the looks of the amount of thread that is exposed when the large nut was removed, there should be more than one layer in the large nut. Keep digging it out until you can feel a hard bottom inside the large nut. The you can repack and re-assemble.