Propeller shaft

[Carl123]

Hi see if I can get this  topic right can any one help please   .I has noticed when  the propeller  shaft Is turning it making a horrible noise I have disconnected from the gear box end  it has the Volvo pennter dripless sturn tub on it. When you turn the shaft by hand its make that noise 

[Neil2]

3 hours ago, Carl123 said:

Hi see if I can get this  topic right can any one help please   .I has noticed when  the propeller  shaft Is turning it making a horrible noise I have disconnected from the gear box end  it has the Volvo pennter dripless sturn tub on it. When you turn the shaft by hand its make that noise 

This type of seal can make a whining noise -is that it?  If so it usually means the seal is running dry.  Quite often when you are on the move a quick burst of reverse will sort it, but if it persists you will need to bleed the air out.  I'm not familiar with the volvo seal, some of these seals have a bleed screw, others you just squeeze the rubber bellows till water comes out.  It may be that it needs greasing as well but I don't think that wouldn't cause the noise.

 

Hopefully another forum member will have experience of the volvo seal, or you could look on youtube there's bound to be a vid on this.

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

11 hours ago, Neil2 said:

This type of seal can make a whining noise -is that it?  If so it usually means the seal is running dry.  Quite often when you are on the move a quick burst of reverse will sort it, but if it persists you will need to bleed the air out.  I'm not familiar with the volvo seal, some of these seals have a bleed screw, others you just squeeze the rubber bellows till water comes out.  It may be that it needs greasing as well but I don't think that wouldn't cause the noise.

 

Hopefully another forum member will have experience of the volvo seal, or you could look on youtube there's bound to be a vid on this.

 

 

Dont you have to give it a tiny blob of silicon grease now and again. Also arnt they really designed for raw water cooling and have water pumped through them

[Neil2]

32 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Dont you have to give it a tiny blob of silicon grease now and again. Also arnt they really designed for raw water cooling and have water pumped through them

The Volvo models and the Vetus, yes I think they need grease but eg the PSS type are completely maintenance free.  Some are designed to be under water pressure but not all, these are the type that can sometimes get air in them which causes the whining.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Carl123]

14 hours ago, Neil2 said:

This type of seal can make a whining noise -is that it?  If so it usually means the seal is running dry.  Quite often when you are on the move a quick burst of reverse will sort it, but if it persists you will need to bleed the air out.  I'm not familiar with the volvo seal, some of these seals have a bleed screw, others you just squeeze the rubber bellows till water comes out.  It may be that it needs greasing as well but I don't think that wouldn't cause the noise.

 

Hopefully another forum member will have experience of the volvo seal, or you could look on youtube there's bound to be a vid on this.

1 hour ago, Neil2 said:

The Volvo models and the Vetus, yes I think they need grease but eg the PSS type are completely maintenance free.  Some are designed to be under water pressure but not all, these are the type that can sometimes get air in them which causes the whining.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi thanks I have give it a blast in reverses it still dose it the noise sounds like running dry its a strange noise cheers 

[Carl123]

Yes I'm waiting for the right grease iv ordered it should be here on Saturday I have queased the gland both sides water comes out but still makes that awful noise you can not slide the rubber gland back wile the boats in the water dose anyone no if you or not ? Cheers

[Guest]

Has it suddenly started making the noise, or gradually got worse? Probaby has a cutles bearing at other end, and if worn these can make an awful noise.

[Carl123]

9 minutes ago, catweasel said:

Has it suddenly started making the noise, or gradually got worse? Probaby has a cutles bearing at other end, and if worn these can make an awful noise.

Its been OK I was sailing one day as I was turning it round it started then it went now its all the time there is no play on the out side and same in side gear box end 

[Guest]

43 minutes ago, Carl123 said:

Its been OK I was sailing one day as I was turning it round it started then it went now its all the time there is no play on the out side and same in side gear box end 

No play sounds good. Another time mine made a strange noise was when a piece of nylon rope got behind the prop and worked it's way into the cutless bearing. Never known our inboard seal make a noise (similar to volvo) but possible I suppose.

[Carl123]

Yere iv check though the weed hatch but can not feel anything once the grease comes I'll quize some in rotate it and disconnected it from gearbox and slide the gear box flange up to the rubber gland an spin by hand see if that push any grease up there 

[Guest]

10 hours ago, Carl123 said:

Yere iv check though the weed hatch but can not feel anything once the grease comes I'll quize some in rotate it and disconnected it from gearbox and slide the gear box flange up to the rubber gland an spin by hand see if that push any grease up there 

Tbh I would be surprised if it was the actual seals making the sound. There is a bearing surface just behind the seals that is water cooled. Have you "burped" the seals to ensure water is inside the tube?

[bizzard]

When turning around!  Could be some gravel gone up the rubber flutes.  Is there an intermediate bearing on the shaft like a plummer block between the gearbox and sterntube?

[Carl123]

2 minutes ago, bizzard said:

When turning around!  Could be some gravel gone up the rubber flutes.  Is there an intermediate bearing on the shaft like a plummer block between the gearbox and sterntube?

I think its a cutlass bearing ? 

[bizzard]

Just now, Carl123 said:

I think its a cutlass bearing ? 

Yes there are flutes along the rubber Cutless bearing that gravel can get into.

[Carl123]

17 minutes ago, catweasel said:

Tbh I would be surprised if it was the actual seals making the sound. There is a bearing surface just behind the seals that is water cooled. Have you "burped" the seals to ensure water is inside the tube?

Yes water dose come out of it 

4 minutes ago, bizzard said:

Yes there are flutes along the rubber Cutless bearing that gravel can get into.

If that's the case its a out of water job or is there anger way do you no 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

9 minutes ago, Carl123 said:

I think its a cutlass bearing ? 

Any chance of a photo so it can be positively identified?

[Carl123]

1 minute ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Any chance of a photo so it can be positively identified?

Yere I'll try and take one and try up load it  cheers 

[MtB]

13 minutes ago, bizzard said:

Yes there are flutes along the rubber Cutless bearing that gravel can get into.

 

I believe some versions use trombones or saxophones.

 

Hope that helps...

 

[Guest]

25 minutes ago, bizzard said:

Yes there are flutes along the rubber Cutless bearing that gravel can get into.

Some thin nylon rope worked its way into ours once. You couldn't see or feel it through the weedhatch yet it burned away the first 6mm of the rubber cutless. That was making a screaming type noise. As luck would have it we were on the way to the drydock for blacking so found it then. That was many years ago now and the cutless is still going strong, if a little shorter! 

[Carl123]

13 minutes ago, catweasel said:

Some thin nylon rope worked its way into ours once. You couldn't see or feel it through the weedhatch yet it burned away the first 6mm of the rubber cutless. That was making a screaming type noise. As luck would have it we were on the way to the drydock for blacking so found it then. That was many years ago now and the cutless is still going strong, if a little shorter! 

Hope it don't happen to me burn it away I'll take a photo its stopped lassing in down here now 

[Carl123]

That's what it looks like

[Jen-in-Wellies]

Definitely a Volvo bearing. If you have burped it by squeezing the end where the propshaft comes in to the boat and water comes out, then it is lubricated. They need a dob of magic grease inside the seals every couple of hundred miles.

If the engine mounts have dropped, then the prop shaft could be grounching on metal at the end of the stern tube?

 

Jen

Edited May 30, 2019 by Jen-in-Wellies

[Carl123]

Yes I have were you see top of the shaft water sprays out and bottom too so if I slide a small tube between the gland and shaft push it quizing the Volvo grease in then slide and twist the shaft to the gland to try get grease though ? 

[Neil2]

37 minutes ago, Carl123 said:

Yes I have were you see top of the shaft water sprays out and bottom too so if I slide a small tube between the gland and shaft push it quizing the Volvo grease in then slide and twist the shaft to the gland to try get grease though ? 

It may be the seal is done for.  From what others tell me it's a right pain to get these Volvo seals greased, you are not supposed to lever away the rubber gaiter so how you get grease in there is a mystery to me.  I think these units are a poor relation to the Vetus type and definitely to PSS.  If you have to dock this boat to sort out the cutless bearing I'd suggest replacing the seal. 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

44 minutes ago, Carl123 said:

Yes I have were you see top of the shaft water sprays out and bottom too so if I slide a small tube between the gland and shaft push it quizing the Volvo grease in then slide and twist the shaft to the gland to try get grease though ? 

 

3 minutes ago, Neil2 said:

It may be the seal is done for.  From what others tell me it's a right pain to get these Volvo seals greased, you are not supposed to lever away the rubber gaiter so how you get grease in there is a mystery to me.  I think these units are a poor relation to the Vetus type and definitely to PSS.  If you have to dock this boat to sort out the cutless bearing I'd suggest replacing the seal. 

I find it tricky, so it gets done a lot less often than they recommend. Still no drips, or noise after many years. Try and squirt in a bit of grease while it is mid burp. Definitely don't try levering the seal away from the shaft as this is likely to damage it. The grease just lubricates the lip seals that stop water dripping. Unlikely to have an effect on noise.

Edited May 30, 2019 by Jen-in-Wellies