Stern gland packing

[umpire111]

About to renew the packing on my stern gland. Am told best to remove all of the old and need a special removal tool.

so….is it necessary to take all the old out and

do I need the removal tool?

[Tony Brooks]

I find a long 3" or so cross head wood screw does the job. Cross head so when the screwdriver slips it won't stab you.

 

Screw into the old packing and pull out with pliers.

[umpire111]

3 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

I find a long 3" or so cross head wood screw does the job. Cross head so when the screwdriver slips it won't stab you.

 

Screw into the old packing and pull out with pliers.

Hi Tony, so you would recommend removing all the old stuff?

[matty40s]

13 minutes ago, umpire111 said:

Hi Tony, so you would recommend removing all the old stuff?

I would, if old bits get very worn and go down the shaft they cause lots of wear to the prop shaft.

[Tony Brooks]

27 minutes ago, umpire111 said:

Hi Tony, so you would recommend removing all the old stuff?

 

Definitely, unless you want to accelerate wear on the shaft and suffer the need to adjust/repack more frequently.

[Nightwatch]

May I hijack this thread for a mo? 
 

I have misplaced one of the nuts that go on studs to tighten the stern gland. Are these studs standard size. I think they may be M8. Am I likely to be correct?

[stagedamager]

9 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

May I hijack this thread for a mo? 
 

I have misplaced one of the nuts that go on studs to tighten the stern gland. Are these studs standard size. I think they may be M8. Am I likely to be correct?

Depending on supplier of the stuffing box, I normally see m10 or m12, before getting into vintage ones!

[Tracy D'arth]

3/8" UNC were popular, 11/16" AF spanner, before the Romans decimalised us.

Find out what size spanner fits the remaining nut exactly and tell us.

Edited July 29, 2021 by Tracy D'arth

[Ex Brummie]

Remove one of the others and visit a tool merchants or good old fashioned hardware shop.

[Tracy D'arth]

17 minutes ago, Ex Brummie said:

Remove one of the others and visit a tool merchants or good old fashioned hardware shop.

Admirable idea but there are very few left that can advise on threads etc. If it isn't prepacked hanging on a wall, they don't want to know.

[Nightwatch]

Thanks for all the answers. But panic over. Found the dreaded missing nut. Spent at least an hour last night looking for the darned thing. Awoke this morning and made an executive decision. Send the wife in!!

 

Anyway, stern gland stuffed and tightened up. Only took, overall, four or so hours. I’m really not the right shape for ‘Ingin ‘oles.

[BEngo]

If you come across one in a car boot sale or similar, a carpenters gimlet is a good tool for destuffing stuffing boxes.  It should have a nice wooden handle to pull on.

N

[Nightwatch]

I have an extra long wood screw, and a claw hammer. Tricky but seems to work. But I will look out for a gimlet.

[frangar]

Look for an oil seal/o ring removal tool…like a gimlet with a hook…I think I got mine from the random tool selection in Aldi or Lidl at one point. Very useful for stuffing boxes & fuel filter o rings. 

[Ex Brummie]

This sounds like one of those tools you buy after you've already solved the problem sothat it's easier next time. This is when you can't remember where you put it.

[umpire111]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vulcan-Seals-Gland-Packing-Extractor-C-Type-Size-1-1-8-to-5-1-/114686525573?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0
 

made for the job

[DHutch]

Depends slightly on the history, as on an otherwise reasonable new/known installation adding an extra turn is fairly reasonable thing do to, as it adding an extra turn to an unknown and potentially well worn gland as a short turn in the water solution. 

 

However, as said, broadly speaking and as with almost all things, raking it all out clean, inspecting it, and replacing with new is always the rolls royce of jobs.

I find an inexpensive (ideally fairly soft) flat bladed screwdriver with a 90deg bend forged into the last few mm of the blade is a bloody tool for a lot of things.

 

 

Daniel

[IanD]

18 hours ago, DHutch said:

Depends slightly on the history, as on an otherwise reasonable new/known installation adding an extra turn is fairly reasonable thing do to, as it adding an extra turn to an unknown and potentially well worn gland as a short turn in the water solution. 

 

However, as said, broadly speaking and as with almost all things, raking it all out clean, inspecting it, and replacing with new is always the rolls royce of jobs.

I find an inexpensive (ideally fairly soft) flat bladed screwdriver with a 90deg bend forged into the last few mm of the blade is a bloody tool for a lot of things.

 

 

Daniel

 

Is that after stabbing yourself in the hand with it? 😉

Edited July 30, 2021 by IanD

[DHutch]

*bloody good!   😉

[Nightwatch]

Ages ago, in this thread, I mention that I was the incorrect shape and ‘age’ for doing stuff down the engine ‘ole. Well, that has not changed and has actually got more inappropriate.

 

So, I have had the stern gland repacked by someone who knows what they are doing and is able. This was done a day or so ago. We haven’t moved since so the shaft hasn’t turned since.

 

My question, finally, is, the gland is dripping again. Does it need to settle and set in, and will the greaser eventually fill any voids?

 

I am not questioning the ability of the chap that did the work, just trying to understand. Only had the boat 17 years, giv us a chance.

[stagedamager]

Was the grease refilled, and pumped in to the gland until you could see it? 

[Tony Brooks]

4 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

Ages ago, in this thread, I mention that I was the incorrect shape and ‘age’ for doing stuff down the engine ‘ole. Well, that has not changed and has actually got more inappropriate.

 

So, I have had the stern gland repacked by someone who knows what they are doing and is able. This was done a day or so ago. We haven’t moved since so the shaft hasn’t turned since.

 

My question, finally, is, the gland is dripping again. Does it need to settle and set in, and will the greaser eventually fill any voids?

 

I am not questioning the ability of the chap that did the work, just trying to understand. Only had the boat 17 years, giv us a chance.

 

1. All too often people talk about packing the gland but they mean refilling the greaser, I assume that you really do mean putting new packing rings into the gland.

 

2.  You may not have moved but have you run the engine. If so, and if it is flexibly mounted, it may well have been shaking the shaft about causing the packing to "settle". Also, the conventional way to adjust the gland is to tighten it until you get one or two drips a minute from it, and the stop the drips with grease. Running the engine may have vibrated a path through the grease.

 

I would turn the greaser down util it goes stiff, if a lot of grease comes from the front of the gland then the gland probably needs tightening a little. I found no excess wear takes place if the gland is tightened so you can still turn the shaft coupling by hand and a bead of water or grease appeared at the front of the gland when the greaser is used, rather than having it dripping all the time.

 

Once you start rotating the shaft you will probably need to adjust the gland again.

 

 

[SiFi]

Rather than start a fresh topic I thought it might be better to tack on to the end of this one.

 

I know it's a poor photo but does anybody recognise this gland assembly and if so do you know the size of stuffing I should get. Its on a ~1990 Colecraft.

 

 

[rusty69]

13 hours ago, SiFi said:

Rather than start a fresh topic I thought it might be better to tack on to the end of this one.

 

I know it's a poor photo but does anybody recognise this gland assembly and if so do you know the size of stuffing I should get. Its on a ~1990 Colecraft.

 

 

Remove gland follower, measure gap with drill bit. 

 

Measure drill bit. If you are lucky, it will be the same on each side. 

 

If you are unlucky, it will be like mine. 

Edited June 30, 2023 by rusty69

[Tracy D'arth]

Impossible to be certain from the photo. Measure the diameter of the pusher, ( the bit next to the nuts ) deduct the diameter of the shaft, divide by 2 and that is the packing thickness.

Likely to be 5/16" or 1/4".

Edited June 29, 2023 by Tracy D'arth