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Thu, March 13 2025, 16:57 [ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, [4], 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ]

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Date Posted: - Friday - 06/ 4/10 - 1:48pm
Author: Paul M31 #106
Subject: What size are your nuts?

The nuts on the shaft packing gland, that is... ;-)

I endeavored to tighten the gland a bit over past Memorial Day weekend - I had a steady drip while at rest, with almost a trickle while running. Perhaps to be expected after adding 100 hours on the engine in just the past three (3) weeks...

By the way, for those who would like to read up on some of the trip and see some pictures, visit this thread: http://renegade-cruisers.net/bb/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14842

Back to my nuts... While manipulating them >:) ..., I noticed that the locknut is smaller and located under the fuel tank; the gland nut is a little larger and can be reached a tad easier, almost in front of the tank... when considering the angle of the shaft.

If you look down from the top of the monitor into this picture, you can see the packing gland assembly...

Photobucket

I was able to reduce the drip to almost acceptable (a rare drip once a while while idle; a drip every two seconds or so when running) but it was not easy - using a monky wrench for the locknut and a square plumber's adjustable wrench for the gland nut.

If I had two angled wrenches, it would make the job a heck of a lot easier and I was thinking of cutting two from some 1/4" flat stock...

I am away from the boat and even if I were on it, getting "down there" is easier said than done, so my question is - does anyone know the size of the nuts of the shaft packing gland?

I could measure the ones on the rudder shaft gland, but I am not sure if those are the same size - they sure look larger...

Any help is greatly appreciated.

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Replies:

[> Dumb Nut -- Kathy Campbell Shadow M32#3, - Saturday - 06/ 5/10 - 11:14am

Congradulations Paul, you're back in the water, even if you are dripping. Shadow is still in my driveway on the hard, but if you look on the brightside, the big one could happen and I'd have beach front property and Shadow'd be docked. I hate to sound like a dumb nut, but I would loosen the nut and repack with non drip packing material. I may get a lot of flak on the non drip packing. I have just started using it the last time Shadow was in the water. Check it out.
I had my rocket scentist make me up custom packing nut wrenches and these are the sizes: 1 7/8 and 1 13/16, and you're right about the rudder packing nuts. They are larger. I had to use pipe wrenches to repack it.
Yours truly, Kathy


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[> [> Excellent -- Paul M31 #106, - Sunday - 06/ 6/10 - 5:15pm

Thanks for that Kathy. I wrestled my way down there this morning and the best measurement I could get jammed between the fuel/water separator and the fuel tank, was 2 1/8" for the packing nut and 2" for the lock nut - I guess they are not all the same size.

All I need now is some flat steel and some time...


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[> Wrenches -- David R "The Osprey", - Monday - 06/ 7/10 - 12:54pm

So West Marine have adjustable wrenches designed for exactly this job. I went thru this about a year ago and after paying someone to do it restuff the packing gland, CinCHomeCommand explained the appropriations were not going to support this going forward and I better come up with plan B.

After drumming up the courage (all those old B&W ship movies flashed thru my mind) these adjustables worked great and I now have no concerns tacking the job. THe wrenches also work well on other oversized jobs too.


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[> [> Adjustable Locknut Wrenches -- Jared Kibele, - Monday - 06/ 7/10 - 1:52pm

I want to second what David said. I use one of those wrenches (like these: http://www.google.com/products?client=safari&rls=en&q=adjustable+locknut+wrench&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=8S8NTJryEI-wNuWW1bUE&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CDsQrQQwAg). I just use one of those and one super large Crescent wrench. It's a good idea to tie a string onto your wrenches and loop it around something before you start. It's not easy to get the wrenches out of the bilge if you drop them down there.

Here's a photo of my stuffing box when I had it out of the boat. I was a little confused about how to tighten the thing properly until I had it apart and could actually see all the parts. The lock nut is screwed onto the stuffing box in the picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kibele/3934065427/sizes/l/in/set-72157622411146774/

Good luck.
-Jared


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[> [> [> I should have read the original post a little closer -- Jared Kibele, - Monday - 06/ 7/10 - 2:01pm

Duh. It sounds like you've already got one of those wrenches and are in no need of the photo. ...and unfortunately I didn't measure the nuts when I had the stuffing box out so I can't actually answer your question. A different handle probably would make the job a little easier.


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[> Thanks for the encouragement... -- Paul M31 #106, - Friday - 06/11/10 - 10:08am

Now that the gland is (for the moment) not leaking much anymore, I am good putting this job off for a (hopefully) long time. But I do know in the back of my head that it will be done at some point and it will be done with me holding those wrenches...

I like the idea of re-packing on the workbench. I assume you pulled the shaft (hopefully for other reasons?


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