Water leaking through strut bolts

8122pbrainard wrote:   Run it and see if you get some water through and it doesn't run hot. Typically loosening the gland will not loosen the packing. Once it's set, it stays. If you can't get any water, you'll need to repack.

Tony,

You must have missed alot of this thread. 

On the pump they do vary depending on the manufacturer but typically red for manual and brown for auto. 

When you replace the bolts and nuts, make sure you use some "never-seize" on the threads. SS against SS has the bad habit of gailing and locking up. I'd say that's what happened.

Tony, trust those guys telling you not to tighten the packing till you are running and testing it on the water.  I tightened mine hand tight to set it initially.  Ended up pulling it all out and resetting to get my drips correct.

Plan on spending an hour or so on the water adjusting the packing.  Tighten it just a little while running and watch your drips.  As the drips slow down the packing and the nut will get a little warmer.  As we know heat makes things expand and quickly your adjustment can become too tight and shut off water lubrication so go slow and you will get it right quickly.   If there is a professional way to do this I would love to know what that is.  It is easy, you just have to go slow and be patient to get it correct.  I think I got mine down to 10-12 drips per minute in gear idling and left it.  I used the old style packing, not the newer low drip stuff.  When I tried a little bit tighter it started getting warm, 1/8 turn of the nut can be too much so adjust slow.  Parked I did not leak initially at all.  10-12 drops per minute running was just fine with me.

You need some water for lubrication. What kind of packing is in it? Old flax type needs more that the newer Gortex. Go for anywhere from 3 to 6 drips per minute. There's no "rule of thumb". Run it and see if you get some water through and it doesn't run hot. Typically loosening the gland will not loosen the packing. Once it's set, it stays. If you can't get any water, you'll need to repack. 

After 4 days in the water, I don't feel 2 gallons is bad. 

Are the aft strut bolts loose or just leaking? Is the strut loose? If the strut hasn't moved, there's a chance that you could get by with removing the two aft bolts, adding some 4200 and then installing the bolts again. As mentioned, do check the alignment first. 

Regarding the packing glands, be careful with the one on the prop shaft. You don't want it tight to the point where it runs hot. It needs some dripping since the water aids lubrication of the packing.