vetus stern gland leaking

[purple8]

Hiya, after some advice if pos

 

Bought our boat a month ago and the vetus water cooled stern gland is leaking...

Photos show view from above, leak when pressed at the side and view underneath.

 

It drips when engine is running and spits water out if touched.

 

Could there be a seal gone?

Is this something easily fixed?

Can we fix it ourselves and does the boat need to come out the water?

 

Thanks for your advice

[dor]

The seal appears shot so you will have to replace it. Then establish why it is so poor. Most likely cause is poor alignment of the prop shaft. Next most likely cause is a worn props haft. If this is the case, there will be a visible groove where the lip seal is; you may be able to get round this by moving the shaft in or out a bit if you have sufficient adjustment in the gearbox coupling.

Badly adjusted engine mounts can also cause excessive wear. They should be set up properly by someone who knows what they are doing ( and not just saying they do).

You do grease the bearing every hundred hours or so don't you. Also worth running a finger full round the shaft on the outside.

 

I've had thousands of hours out of one of these shaft seals in fairly dirty canals ( i.e. Lots of sediment); I've also known people to destroy them in a few hundred hours.

 

ETA: yes you can replace the seal in the water - tie a greasy rag round the outboard part of the props haft. But you need to be fairly quick so get someone to help you that has done one. If you also need to replace the whole bearing then yes, it is an out of the water job.

Edited February 18, 2017 by dor

[Drayke]

Follow this link it may help you http://destinynarrowboat.weebly.com/vetus.html