Shaft & Rudder Repack - Questions

After reading a bunch of threads on here about steering issues, shaft packing glands, etc., I'm thinking about a repack for both the shaft and rudder port on my 1996 Nautique 176.

REASONS TO REPACK:

Prop Shaft: Boat is 16yrs old; packing is original; shaft seal leaks a bit more than the few drops/min specified in the manual. This could probably wait indefinitely; but if I'm going to pull everything up to repack the rudder port, why not replace this as well?

Rudder Port: As described by Scrawford in this thread, my steering is a little stiff under load. It's free & smooth across the full wheel range at idle & slow speed; but above ~10MPH it takes noticeably greater effort to turn the wheel beyond 1/2 crank from center, and particularly when returning to center from a hard turn (both directions). There is no play if I grab the rudder and move it side-side/front-back/up-down. The boat is certainly drive-able; and this doesn't appear to be a safety issue. But I'd like to loosen it up to extend the life of the (original) steering cable.

I ordered a foot of 1/4" & 2 feet of 3/16" Gore-Tex packing from NautiqueParts.com. My guess is that the 3/16" is correct for this 1996 Nautique 176; but I have both if necessary.

QUESTIONS:

1) Am I correct to assume that the shaft gland can be repacked without re-aligning the prop shaft? I have no reason to assume the shaft is out of alignment. The boat has less than 87hrs on it; it was in mint condition when we got it; and I haven't noticed any vibration/noise that would suggest a problem. If memory serves, turning hard (i.e. a P-turn) to port is much more noisy than to starboard, but my research on this forum suggests that the noise is prop cavitation from the OJ 3-blade that came stock on this model.

2) Is is reasonable to assume that re-packing the rudder port will lighten the steering under load? If it makes any difference, this boat has a bronze rudder (some may remember our discussion when I first posted about this boat), NOT the stainless eye-sore. [Picture of rudder below]

3) Do I need to grease the rudder shaft when repacking? This rudder port does NOT appear to have a grease zerk.

4) Where do you buy the stainless wire used to replace the safety wire on the shaft packing gland? Will Lowes/HomeDepot carry that in the proper gauge?

Thanks Pete!

I guess it's too late but these work great because they fit in small spaces,adjustable sink trap wrench-

Link-

Ya, you will just have to loosen it and slide it towards the coupling. Giving you enough room to remove the nut and insert the new packing.

Thanks folks! Now I just need to find that stainless wire...

you can get safety wire from aircraft spruce & specialty, or may find it at your local aircraft parts supplier.   be aware there are several different sizes of wire... most commonly .032 stainless wire is used, but .040 is also available, as is .020, and you can get different metals for different purposes.

I replaced the packing this morning, taking out 3 rings of what looked like 1/4" flax packing. However, the 1/4" Gore-Tex was a very tight squeeze - probably would have had to gently ram it into the packing nut or 'screw' the nut over it. So I installed 4 rings of 3/16" instead.

Using my calipers, the best measurement I could get for the I.D. of the gland nut was 1.46"-1.48". That suggests something just shy of 1/4" packing.

I think a couple of the new rings may be cut a bit short, leaving a tiny gap between the ends. The stuff is a little stretchy. I cut one a touch long, one almost perfect, and a couple just shorter than I wanted. This may require a 2nd attempt. :-\

Tomorrow I take it to the lake and test (no more time today). If it leaks excessively, I'll have to make the 1/4" work. But I'm hoping that the fresh packing, Gore-Tex material and additional ring make the whole system work better.

Mike,
The packing can be a real PITA!! As many as I have done, I screwed with my X55 several times and actually ended up going back to the 3/16". the damn packing itself has really poor tolerances. With the X, I couldn't even get the 1/4" in the gland. The 3/16 was loose but I clamped down real tight on the packing nut to expand it and then backed it off.

Regarding the tolerances, it's interesting that just last week I had the outside service (union certified for regs) come in and rebuild one of our fire sprinkler pumps. He came in with what had to be 100' rolls of Gortex. I asked him about the OD tolerance and he just couldn't seem to stop laughing!! BTW, this union guy had plenty to say about Walker and Wisconsin!! I doubt he'll be looking for a job in that state! (he could unscrew bolts but really, that was about it!) And, to think his incompetence is being protected by his union membership!! Sorry about the rant here!!

At work, I do use the stuff too and I find the same issue on the OD.     

Try to get the packing a little tight (too long), bevel cut the ends so they overlap, stagger the three joints around the shaft, tightent it progressively, it will leak at first. Once you get everything seated, hand tight will be all you need, prior to locking it down.

Finished step #3 above -- gland temp is ~87*F after extended run at 3500RPM+ (lake water temp is 79*F)

It's leaking more than the old packing, but not enough to kick in the bilge pump after 30min on the water. So I'm going to ski & cruise for another hour or so before tightening it down progressively. Meanwhile, I'll check the lock nut frequently to be sure it doesn't let loose (no safety wire till gland is fully adjusted).

I chose not to clamp/release before dropping it in the water. We'll see how this works & lasts long-term.