Stuffing box for a V drive

[Ed Polguy]

I' m new to inboards, all of my other boat have been i/o's, so I could use some advice.<br /> I have a Century cortez w/ v drives in need of <br />some stuffing box maintainence. Looks to me like<br />the stuffing box is right under the engine. How do you change the packing in this set up? <br /> <br /> Ed.

 

[Don S]

Re: Stuffing box for a V drive

With a lot of pain, and use of many expletive terms used to describe the disign engeeners.<br /><br />Seriously, it depends on the type stuffing boxes you have, and the amount of room between the stuffing box and the shaft coupling.<br />Does your stuffing boxes use flax packing or is it the dripless type?

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Stuffing box for a V drive

if it has a big rubber bellows and a water line running to it its dripless. if it is just a jam nut against a spud its a flax type. tell us what type stuffing box ya got.

 

[Ed Polguy]

Re: Stuffing box for a V drive

It is uses the flax packing, it looks as if it is right under the oil pan.<br /><br />Ed.

 

[Don S]

Re: Stuffing box for a V drive

Remove the big nut, pull out all the wraps of old packing, cut new wraps of packing to fit, reinstall nut, don't overtighten or you will burn up the new packing.<br /><br />PS: On a couple of boats I have done, removing the engine/transmission then pulling the coupler off the shaft was the only way of doing it.

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Stuffing box for a V drive

If they are just leaking a little, you may be able to just tighten them a tad.

 

[Ed Polguy]

Re: Stuffing box for a V drive

No, the packing needs to be re-placed, I found a web page in the aechives on how to do it,I guess the big problem is getting to them , It seems I'll be pulling the engines and transmissions, unless there something I'm missing. <br />there isn't enough room to get under the motors.<br />Ed

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Stuffing box for a V drive

I dont know which is more fun, pulling the motor or aligning the couplers at reinstall. I hate a v-drive with a passion but seem to get a number of them.

 

[navigator336]

Re: Stuffing box for a V drive

Are you able to get to the packing nut and adjust it? If you can do that, it seems you should be able to get the old packing out. The packing may be in the nut or in the box. What vee-drives do you have, Borgs or Hurth's? When you do replace the packing, I recommend the GFO material. It's hard to find but is much better than flax or straight teflon (it's graphite impregnated for heat dissipation). You can get it on the internet. It's made by WL Gore.