I get about 1-2 drops per minute with engine off and cold, as in having not started in a few weeks. Is that the rate I'm after? Too much? Too little? I fired the engine up and the drip rate increased to 16drips / minute., is that appropriate? I had the pedro hose change and the box re-packed a few months ago. It was dripless till after its first run of an hour or so... I'm assuming it, the new packing, breaks in a bit after initial use and may need an adjustment ? Thank you.
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David Lane
S/V Grace
88' Catalina 36'
Oxnard, Ca
According to manual
A PROPERLY ADJUSTED SHAFT PACKING GLAND SHOULD DRIP SLIGHTLY (FROM 4 TO 10 PER MINUTE) WITH THE ENGINE OFF. TOO LOOSE AN ADJUSTMENT WILL ALLOW TOO MUCH WATER IN THE BILGE AND ENGINE OPERATION WILL SPRAY WATER F~OM THE SHAFT. TOO TIGHT AN ADJUSTMENT WILL ROB THE ENGINE OF POWER, AND THE LACK OF WATER LUBRICATION IN THE PACKING GLAND CAN GENERATE ENOUGH HEAT TO DAMAGE THE GLAND AND/OR SCORE THE PROPELLER SHAFT
Gary Bain
S/V "Gone With The Wind"
Catalina 36', Hull #: 1056, Year: 1990, Engine: M-35
Standard Rig
Moored: Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Home: Auburn, Maine
I read that, but I've also read different. Trying to see what most people go with. At 4-10 drops I'd have 5 gallons of water in my bilge every few weeks, and at that rate I would imagine with the engine running I'd have 30-40 drops a minute or so. Guess I'll get a thermometer and shoot some temps to see what I get since most people, it sems, are going base on temp.
David Lane
S/V Grace
88' Catalina 36'
Oxnard, Ca
Not sure what type of packing you had put in, that can make a difference. The teflon types can be adjusted so that they do not drip hardly at all when the shaft is cold and not spinning. You can drive your self nuts hunched over trying to count drops per minute and then trying to fine tune it...a little too much, a little too little, a little less too much, a little less too little etc. etc. For what it's worth, I use Gore packing material. It is adjusted so that it drips only occasionally at the dock, like once in awhile or so. It drips more when traveling under power at max rpm. I used my infrared heat gun initially, just to make sure it was not running hot when underway. With outside water temp about 55-65 degrees, my shaft was heated up to about 80 degrees, which is just fine. I leave it at that and check it only very occasionally. So, I'd say that you just need to experiment, tightening it enough that it doesn't drip much and yet does not run "hot" (which of course is a whole other line of discussion). For me, anything consistently under, say, 90 degrees at full rpm is fine. Hope this helps
Al Fricke
S/V Jubilee San Francisco Bay
Catalina 36' MkII #1867
Universal 35-B
I have for the past 20 years have used the Gore Tex product. I have only replaced the packing once when I changed the shaft out about 4 years ago. Sitting still I do not have any dripping but each year I check it and tighten it a bit if it does drip. I than rotate the shaft to make sure it is pretty free. I'm not exactly sure how many drips are flowing at cruising speed. I don't seem to accumulate much from the shaft. My belief is I have more flow coming from the mast.
Gary Bain
S/V "Gone With The Wind"
Catalina 36', Hull #: 1056, Year: 1990, Engine: M-35
Standard Rig
Moored: Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Home: Auburn, Maine
Pretty much what everyone else said. We've changed the packing maybe twice in 10 years (one time while in the water, which is a little exciting!), using the GoreTex. Since the original poster indicated that he had "the box re-packed a few months ago," I would comment that I've found the stuffing box needs to be adjusted more frequently in the first few months, probably so that the packing gets fully compressed.
BTW, when we winter over in the water (usually 2 out of every 3 years), I tighten the box sufficiently to stop any drips, since we disconnect the bilge pumps to avoid freeze damage, and then loosen in the spring.
Also, I've learned the hard way that its important to "exercise" the stuffing box adjustment regularly. When I went to adjust one time after not having to do so for awhile, the locknut was frozen onto the box, and it took quite a lot of messing around with corrosion buster fluids, tools with cheater extensions, and 4-letter words to break it free (and you don't want to end up tearing the hose that connects it to the shaft log tube). Not surprising, given that in normal operation the vicinity is exposed to a fine mist of aerosoled salt water from the spinning shaft.
Catalina Direct sells a nice set of open end wrenches for adjusting the box.
Matthew Chachère
s/v ¡Que Chévere!
(Formerly 1985 C36 MKI #466 tall rig fin keel M25)
2006 Catalina Morgan 440 #30.
Homeported in eastern Long Island, NY
I shot for 1-2 drips per minute - but then would run for a bit & shoot the shaft where it enters the stuffing box with an IR gun. shouldnt be +20 degrees over ambiant.
Les & Trish Troyer
Mahalo
Everett, WA
1983 C-36 Hull #0094
C-36 MK 1 Technical Editor.
Commodore