Alright Guys,
Wanting some input here on this subject of what works well with the least amount of headache for some that already have this. A Teflon liguid gel packing or water injection system? I'm installing the fiberglass shaft logs like in Capt. Patrick's Building Tips.
R,
DQ
Dripless Packing Glands?
Moderators: CaptPatrick, mike ohlstein, Bruce
Dripless Packing Glands?
1967 Hull #315-605 FBC ---<*)((((><(
"IN GOD WE TRUST"
'Life may be the party we hoped for...but while we are here we might as well fish'!
"IN GOD WE TRUST"
'Life may be the party we hoped for...but while we are here we might as well fish'!
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CaptPatrick
- Founder/Admin
- Posts: 4161
- Joined: Jun 7th, '06, 14:25
- Location: 834 Scott Dr., LLANO, TX 78643 - 325.248.0809 bertram31@bertram31.com
Doug,
I recommend the PYI PSS packless glands with water injection from the engine exhaust.
PYI PSS packless glands
Definantly don't use the Strong Seals...
Br,
Patrick
I recommend the PYI PSS packless glands with water injection from the engine exhaust.
PYI PSS packless glands
Definantly don't use the Strong Seals...
Br,
Patrick
After using PYI for years I have discovered a potential problem.
If the shaft is not running fairly straight thru the shaft tube, at high speeds it will throw water.
You can sometimes cock the tube hose to better align with the shaft to correct.
Also don't push the tube hose on past the flat part into the bellows area.
One last thing is don't use heavy hose for the cooling line, or clamp the hose near the gland to a bulkhead. It can limit the movement of the carbon piece to line up with the collar and cause leakage.
The best hose to use is the 3/8 blue Silicon hose.
The set screws that attach the collar to the shaft use allen head cap screws. Use a good solid allen wrench and not a soft one. You can round off the flats and you'll have to drill it out.
A short arm wrench comes with the gland but is hard to use. I use a good t handle wrench.
The screws come with a locking compound on the screw. Don't remove and use locktite. You'll never get them out.
The down side of all high speed packless glands is the cooling water factor.
If the cooling water is cut off or limited, they can fail.
Its a good idea to pull off the hose at the gland and where it attaches to the engine and check the fittings make sure they don't clog and remain clear.
Don't pull the cooling water off any part of the exhaust due to increased temp. The transmission cooler usually has a drain plug that can be used to attach the line. This is a point before the heat exchanger in most cases.
Just make sure your follow the flow of water. You want the pressure side of the flow as the feed.
If the shaft is not running fairly straight thru the shaft tube, at high speeds it will throw water.
You can sometimes cock the tube hose to better align with the shaft to correct.
Also don't push the tube hose on past the flat part into the bellows area.
One last thing is don't use heavy hose for the cooling line, or clamp the hose near the gland to a bulkhead. It can limit the movement of the carbon piece to line up with the collar and cause leakage.
The best hose to use is the 3/8 blue Silicon hose.
The set screws that attach the collar to the shaft use allen head cap screws. Use a good solid allen wrench and not a soft one. You can round off the flats and you'll have to drill it out.
A short arm wrench comes with the gland but is hard to use. I use a good t handle wrench.
The screws come with a locking compound on the screw. Don't remove and use locktite. You'll never get them out.
The down side of all high speed packless glands is the cooling water factor.
If the cooling water is cut off or limited, they can fail.
Its a good idea to pull off the hose at the gland and where it attaches to the engine and check the fittings make sure they don't clog and remain clear.
Don't pull the cooling water off any part of the exhaust due to increased temp. The transmission cooler usually has a drain plug that can be used to attach the line. This is a point before the heat exchanger in most cases.
Just make sure your follow the flow of water. You want the pressure side of the flow as the feed.
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Brewster Minton
- Senior Member
- Posts: 1795
- Joined: Jun 30th, '06, 07:44
- Location: Hampton Bays NY
- Contact:
I took the water feeds from both engines and combined them into a common feed for both sides so if one gets clogged the other will pump water and I check both for flow 3 times a season. A guy on my dock melted his because of a restriction and the boat took on a lot of water before they got her in the slings.
Well all that is bad news. After saying I didn't trust them for years, I was almost convinced to try them out. I've got two problems somewhat unique to my boat that seem to make the dripless glands a bad choice.
One of my fiberglass (B33) shaft logs is misaligned from the factory. The shaft is dead center in the tube exit-side below the hull, but in the bildge at the packing gland the shaft is a little off center of the FG tube. Can't fix it without moving both the strut and the engine. If I did that I'm not sure if my shaft would then be aligned with the centerline of the hull (I'm assuming it is now). Also of course it would be a major ordeal.
The result is that the rubber hose for that stuffing box has a visible jog in it which puts pressure on one side of the packing gland, and it consumes packing. Scott T had same problem on his B31, and said that the PYI solved it. But if the PYI have the potential to possibly leak at high speeds when installed that way... I think I'll leave things as they are.
Other problem is that I've got an apparently weird setup on my 3208's where my trans cooler is fed from the engine freshwater circuit. It means no maintenence needed for the trans cooler, but if that's the best place to pick up cooling water for the PYI, I can't do it.
I've always worried about that little cooling water hose being interrupted and the seal melting, is my main fear of using them.
I've had some good luck with the GFO packing but it doesn't seem to last as long for me as it does for others. Repacked with 6 rings of GFO on each side almost two years ago. For the first year they were truly drip-free, with an occassional adjustment. The side with the crooked shaft tube required tightening more often, and after about 18 months that side got to the point that I had little room left to crank it down.
I'm not talking about a gusher, maybe one drip every 5-10 seconds when turning the shaft, like normal flax packing does. About 6 months ago I nervously pulled the top of the gland while in the water, and added one ring of the GFO. It was good for awhile but is dripping again, and once again I'm nearly out of room to tighten. Lately I've had to tighten the other (aligned) side more often to keep it drip-free too, but it is consuming the GFO at a much slower rate than the crooked side.
Boat is being hauled soon to fix my running gear paint problem, and I think I'll take the opportunity to remove all the packing and re-pack with 6 fresh rings of GFO again, should be good for another year.
For me the traditional packing glands are a better choice because even when they do leak, it is not much. Maybe someday I'll stop being a chicken and try the dripless...but not this year.
One of my fiberglass (B33) shaft logs is misaligned from the factory. The shaft is dead center in the tube exit-side below the hull, but in the bildge at the packing gland the shaft is a little off center of the FG tube. Can't fix it without moving both the strut and the engine. If I did that I'm not sure if my shaft would then be aligned with the centerline of the hull (I'm assuming it is now). Also of course it would be a major ordeal.
The result is that the rubber hose for that stuffing box has a visible jog in it which puts pressure on one side of the packing gland, and it consumes packing. Scott T had same problem on his B31, and said that the PYI solved it. But if the PYI have the potential to possibly leak at high speeds when installed that way... I think I'll leave things as they are.
Other problem is that I've got an apparently weird setup on my 3208's where my trans cooler is fed from the engine freshwater circuit. It means no maintenence needed for the trans cooler, but if that's the best place to pick up cooling water for the PYI, I can't do it.
I've always worried about that little cooling water hose being interrupted and the seal melting, is my main fear of using them.
I've had some good luck with the GFO packing but it doesn't seem to last as long for me as it does for others. Repacked with 6 rings of GFO on each side almost two years ago. For the first year they were truly drip-free, with an occassional adjustment. The side with the crooked shaft tube required tightening more often, and after about 18 months that side got to the point that I had little room left to crank it down.
I'm not talking about a gusher, maybe one drip every 5-10 seconds when turning the shaft, like normal flax packing does. About 6 months ago I nervously pulled the top of the gland while in the water, and added one ring of the GFO. It was good for awhile but is dripping again, and once again I'm nearly out of room to tighten. Lately I've had to tighten the other (aligned) side more often to keep it drip-free too, but it is consuming the GFO at a much slower rate than the crooked side.
Boat is being hauled soon to fix my running gear paint problem, and I think I'll take the opportunity to remove all the packing and re-pack with 6 fresh rings of GFO again, should be good for another year.
For me the traditional packing glands are a better choice because even when they do leak, it is not much. Maybe someday I'll stop being a chicken and try the dripless...but not this year.
Sean: How about building up fiberglass around the affected shaft log on the side that is too close to the shaft so that the next size up stuffing box hose would fit and be lined up with the shaft? I know you can get the PSS hose for different size logs and I assume that you can get regular stuffing boxes that way as well. Cheap and relatively easy fix.
Rawleigh
1966 FBC 31
1966 FBC 31
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Hueso
When I bought my B31 it already had the dripless package........not trusting them fully I knew I needed a contingency plan..........I came up with the following: I keep two pieces of exhaust hoses large enough to cover the rubber cover of the dripless system and made a vertical cut on one of the sides.............if something goes wrong I place the piece of hose over the damaged rubber with a couple tightwraps to keep it in place while I install ss clamps................that at least will buy me some time to reach safe port...........I have never tried it and I hope I never will.
Rawleigh that is a really good idea. Unfortunately I have no easy means of working on my boat out of the water, and I wouldn't attempt it myself on something so critical, because I'm not a fiberglass-capable guy yet. You have to know your limitations.Sean: How about building up fiberglass around the affected shaft log on the side that is too close to the shaft so that the next size up stuffing box hose would fit and be lined up with the shaft? I know you can get the PSS hose for different size logs and I assume that you can get regular stuffing boxes that way as well. Cheap and relatively easy fix.
My shaft with the crooked log has now managed to consume all my GFO packing again. After a full-moon booze-cruise Friday night it was leaking pretty good, had to crank it almost all the way down to stop it, so once again its time to add a ring or to repack completely.
Since I'm going to be hauled again soon, I'm going to run your idea by the boatyard when I go in, and see if it's something they are willing (and seemingly capable) to do. I was planning on having the hoses changed out soon anyway, as they are looking a little ragged and make me nervous. Never thought of that fix for the crooked log before, but if done right it should work. Thanks!
I might also have them drop the rudders, polish the shafts at the stuffing interface and reinstall those with the GFO. I left a leak there unattended for some time, and think the rudder shaft is crusty at the packing as a result, preventing a good seal. Something else I read about here. Lots of good info here
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