Wayne ---- Stuffing Box Questions

[Wayne]

I have a 36 Sedan Series II which is in Exuma. On my last trip to the boat I noticed that the starboard rudder stuffing box was leaking. Does anybody have any experience with this. I would like to at least fix it temporarily until I return home to Sarasota next year.

[Avenger]

I may be stating the obvious here, but did you try to tighten it? There should be a locknut under the gland nut. Loosen the locknut, turning it down towards the rudder a few turns, then turn the gland nut down until the leaking stops. Bring the locknut back up and lock it against the gland nut. If you can't turn the gland nut down any further, or if you run out of threads, the packing is probably in need of replacement. Also, you may have to repeat the procedure a few times as the rudder shaft works on the newly tightened packing. Use proper wrenches to avoid damaging expensive components. Good luck

[Wayne]

Thanks, I briefly looked at the stuffing box last trip but it wasn't obvious what to tighten. Is the nut under the cap which has 3 or 4 bolts holding it down? What tools would you recommend that I take with me?

[Avenger]

Okay, upon further review, yours is different than mine. Disregard the previous instructions about the nuts. I've got a link to Sam's which shows a picture of what should be your stuffing box. http://www.samsmarine.com/PartSearch...ItemNmbr=48046
This style is tightened by using nuts on the two threaded rods to push a flanged collar down that compresses the packing. The picture doesn't show it but I'd assume there's two nuts on each rod above the flange, in this case the upper should be the jam nut and the lower should be the forcing nut. Make sure you tighten each side the same amount, walking it down maybe a half turn per side at a time. Standard combination wrenches should be sufficient. Sorry, I don't know what size. A call to Sam's may get you the answer. Exercise caution when loosening the nuts. If they haven't moved in along time they may require some finesse to free them up without breaking anything. Hope this helps.

[Wayne]

Thanks for the information. The picture reflects what I remember. I assume you can remove the nuts and cap and add stuffing if tightening does not work. I will also call Sams to discuss.

[Avenger]

Yep, that's the theory. Some people have even been known to do it while in the water. Be sure to remove all old packing if you're putting new in. Sam's will have more info and will be able to tell you what size packing you need.