[C320-list] Stuffing box question

[Dave Hupe]

 Jack it is a very easy job, but I haven't done it in the water.  My neighbor with a 320 did it as you described.  Have a long strip of inner tube ready to wrap around the shaft log end to control seepage as soon as you disengage the large nut. Then use zip ties to hold it temporarily.
Have 3 separate wraps of new packing (I recommend Gore GFO) ready. Cut the ends at a 45 degree angle to the shaft so that these ends blend together well.  All the wraps are fed carefully inside the cleaned out big nut, but with the cuts on each new wrap being situated 120 degrees apart. A set of cheap tools (like dental piks) work great to pull out the old packing. Harbor Freight has cheap sets. Carefully nudge the new wraps of packing into the nut with something blunt.  Then hand tighten the nut back into the shaft log.  Obviously, make sure all  threads are nice and clean. Do not tighten the nut a lot until you run the engine for a little while.  Gradually snug the nut tighter over a couple iterations of running until you reach a balance where it doesn't leak when not running and seeps very slightly when running.  I keep a sponge under my shaft and just wrong it out after running. 
Dave Hupe
1994 C320 (#32)
    On Wednesday, November 25, 2020, 07:47:19 PM EST, Jack Brennan <jackbrennan at bellsouth.net> wrote:  
 
 So I’m preparing for a big step – changing the packing in my stuffing box for the first time.

All of the time I’ve owned diesels, I’ve never done this because the job required acrobatics beyond my capabilities. Obviously, with the 320, there is no reason not to learn to do this job myself.

First question: When you unscrew the nut, how much water comes rushing in? A gusher, a trickle? I know that each model of boat seems to be different. On my old Bristol, the mechanic reported there wasn’t much flow at all compared to other boats.

Second question: Assuming I’ve measured and cut the packing beforehand, do I need a wrap around where the water is coming in? This is a nod to my natural clumsiness and likely fumbling while under pressure to clean out the old packing as quickly as possible.

I was thinking an old bicycle tube wrapped around the shaft. Not leak proof, but enough to slow things down.

Any other good tips for a novice?

Jack Brennan
Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
Tierra Verde, Fl.



Sent from Mail for Windows 10