[C320-list] Stuffing box issue

[danny jensen]

I've had the GFO for 3 years and had the boat yard install it. It got
really hot because the nut was too tight. It got so hot,  steam came off
the nut when i poured water on it! I backed off nut and it still never got
as cool as the old packing material. I could not hold my hand on it for a
long time and over time, it did get cooler. I have not noticed any bad
outcome from how hot I was running at the install.   I seem to remember
Jeff saying it GFO naturally runs warmer. I also tuned the nut to run
"dripless" as Jeff recommends. It took about 3 years to start dripping
after my initial nut adjustment and when it did start dripping it seemed to
drip more than standard packing.  After tightening, I am back to dripless
again!

Danny
#972

On Thu, May 25, 2017 at 11:40 AM, Jeff Hare <Catalina at thehares.com> wrote:

> I think Bob and Doug are on to it.
>
> There wouldn't be any reason to replace the GFO that I could think of in
> this amount of time, even if you got it a bit too tight to start with.
> Just back it off like you did until it doesn't drip and isn't hot to hold
> and you should be ok.  Give it some time.
>
> As you can tell from when you installed it, the GFO is quite smooth and
> soft (almost slippery) and it doesn't really make sense to me for that soft
> non-abrasive material to be abrading the shaft enough to see flakes in such
> a short time, so looking for another cause is the right path.  Weak motor
> mounts can allow for excessive vibration especially when throttling down
> and maybe the shaft is whipping a bit and hitting the shaft log.  Bronze
> shafts are more likely to whip than the harder stainless ones, especially
> if you have a heavy prop.
>
>  -Jeff Hare
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: C320-list [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On
> Behalf Of Doug Treff
> Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2017 1:52 PM
> To: c320-list at lists.catalina320.com
> Subject: Re: [C320-list] Stuffing box issue
>
> Daryl,
>
> Did you launch and make that long trip before the boat had been in the
> water 24 hours? After the hull has a chance to return to it's normal shape,
> the alignment of the engine/shaft could change and your problem may resolve
> itself. Give it a few days to rest and then see how it goes.
> If it's still a problem, an alignment could be in your future.
>
> A friend of mine who has a cradle for his 320 - he's not on this list -
> had trouble last winter with the door on his head compartment not closing
> properly. The yard mechanic refused to fix it for him until the boat had
> been launched in the spring, with the reasoning that it may resolve itself.
> It did - within 48 hours of launch, the door was working perfectly again.
> If the hull can deform that much - to impact a door closing - I have to
> imagine the shaft alignment could suffer as well.
>
> I also notice a difference with my packing after being afloat for a few
> days, because the long winter dries out the packing. After you relaunch, it
> needs time to settle in.
>
> --
> Doug Treff
> September Song #350
> doug at treff.us
>
> On Thu, May 25, 2017, at 01:18 PM, Robert Dean wrote:
> > I had the same issue,gold dust in the water. My problem was the shaft
> > was not running true. I had the shaft and engine alignment done.I have
> > a season on it and haven't noticed any more of the filings in the
> > water. It also runs a lot smoother.
> > Bob DeanJust Chillin 550Worton Creek Md
> >
>
>