Wicox Crittenden Skipper Head packing

[autumnbreeze27]

I'm trying to get my toilet back together and I'm not sure how the packing installs. If I put the packing in there's no thread available for the packing cap. Am I supposed to smash it in there first? or not use all of it?

So tired of working on heads!

[Jim Cate]

G'Day Breeze,

This is from distant memory, for I sold the boat with a WC Imperial head ten years ago (I believe that the piston rod packing is similar).

I too found that if I tried to install the entire new packing that the nut would not engage... so I cut the packing in half with a razor blade, installed the smaller piece and tightened the nut down. Then removed the nut and added the other half and found that the nut would then engage. IIRC it worked fine after that.

One other thing I did to improve the system was to discard the leather cup seal on the piston and made up a new piston that incorporated a fairly fat o-ring instead of the leather. Worked way better, and lasted essentially forever, whereas the leathers wore out in a year or so of constant use.

Good luck, and good flushing!

Jim

[autumnbreeze27]

Really? A fit couple would wear the leather one out in a year? Gives me an excuse to take it to the local "Blacksmith". One last thing I have to deal with. I did all the messy work already.

Thanks for the info. The other head is a vacuflush, which continues to mess with me. It will be good to get 2 working heads, then I can start working on the motor.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by autumnbreeze27

Really? A fit couple would wear the leather one out in a year? Gives me an excuse to take it to the local "Blacksmith". One last thing I have to deal with. I did all the messy work already.

Thanks for the info. The other head is a vacuflush, which continues to mess with me. It will be good to get 2 working heads, then I can start working on the motor.

Yes, the bloody leathers were dying young! I think that it was a case of poorer quality leather being used and the bore of the cylinder becoming somewhat scored and pitted (the head was over 20 years old at that time, and we'd been full time cruising for the last decade or so). Despite the non-optimal condition of the bore, the o-rings worked well.

Do remember that the Imperial model that we had used a smaller bore pump than the Skipper IIRC... may be some differences in the specifics of the pumps.

Anyway, have a ball with it!

Cheers,

Jim

[Blue Stocking]

Jim, mad cow hides.

[David M]

You are talking the packing where the lever arm enters the head on the right hand side when facing it?

I have the same head and have rebuilt it. If it is too much packing then cut off some so you can get a few threads started. Then squeeze it down until you can no longer move the lever arm and then back it off until you can move it again relatively easy. After a few years you might have to squeeze it down a little if it starts leaking...just enough so it stops leaking..no more.

It's the best head in the world. Pretty much bullet proof. Too bad they are no longer made. I have one that has held up to commercial service for over 20 years...that says a lot. All the people that use this head would have killed or clogged your typical yachtie pottie in a lot less time than that.