I am currently cruising the
Bahamas, and I'm in Eleuthera. I've been dealing with some minor
engine issues and since I am pulling the
engine, I thought I'd consider addressingmy
packing gland.
I put new flax packing in 6 months ago, but at rest, I am getting more than 1 drip per second which is way too much. I run my
bilge pump constantly. When I am at
anchor for more than a day or two, and i stuff some paydoe around the the cutlass bearing to stop the drip. That being said, because I have a V drive and a
centerboard, I cant get to the packing nut without pulling the engine - just take my word for it.
I considered this problem a minor inconvenience, just something to keep an eye on. But since I'm pulling my engine up to clean out the area and look for my
oil leak, I thought I would address it. The packing nut is as tight as it will go. And if I shift the prop shaft aft a couple of inches, the drip stops.
This tells me 2 things, that the shaft is worn down at the packing glad AND/OR my engine is slightly out of alignment.
My eninge has stainless mounts glassed into the
hull with 4 precise mounting bolts, meaning there is no wiggle room to slide it around. The coupling DOES line up with the shaft coupling. and my V drive has a universal
gear that is supposedly supposed to compensate for minor misalignment.
That said, I have some playdoe for the outside of the shaft and some new goretex packing that I could put it in. The packing would be the same size. 1/4".
Is this even worth doing? Should I just deal with the drips and
monitor the
bilge? Is there some major issue I am not thinking of? I will be back in the stated in 2 months and can
haul out then, but, should I wait? And if the shaft is worn, is there anything I can really do besided getting a new shaft?