Stuffing box question?
Printed From: CorrectCraftFan.com
Category: Repairs and Maintenance
Forum Name: Boat Maintenance
Forum Discription: Discuss maintenance of your Correct Craft
URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3635
Printed Date: January-16-2025 at 2:58pm
Topic: Stuffing box question?
Posted By: 82tique
Subject: Stuffing box question?
Date Posted: May-22-2006 at 2:21pm
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Anybody know what size the nuts are on the stuffing box?
Currently, I'm using channel locks to adjust.....want to get a pipe/adjustable wrench instead. Boat is at the lake and need some help. Gracias Amigos!  ------------- Life is Good. |
Replies:
Posted By: JEFF KOSTIS
Date Posted: May-22-2006 at 10:27pm
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Good question!!! I cant recall off the top of my head, but I find the use of a "crowsfoot" works the best if you can obtain the right size as a wrench is usually huge and doesnt fit the tight space well.
Jeff... ------------- MUSTANG COUNTRY http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1074 - 1974 Mustang 17 http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1093 - 1976 Mustang 17 |
Posted By: AWhite70
Date Posted: May-23-2006 at 8:55am
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At Sears I couldn't find a wrench big enough to fit the stuffing box nuts. Even the large Crescent wrenches wouldn't open up big enough and none of their non-adjustable wrenches went up that large either.
It goes against all of my opinions on having the right tool for the job but I've come to find that channel locks work best for adjusting the stuffing box. They're fairly compact and open more than wide enough. The nuts don't have to be torqued very tight so you can tighten them with channel locks without tearing up the brass nuts. Everyone I know uses channel locks ------------- AWhite70 http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=562&sort=revyear&pagenum=5&yrstart=1976&yrend=1980" rel="nofollow - '79 Ski Nautique |
Posted By: 79nautique
Date Posted: May-23-2006 at 9:37am
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Until I replaced the stuffing box with a dripless shaft seal, I used a big pair of channel locks and a pipe wrench for the collar. It's like and 1-3/8 to 1-1/2 never really pulled the wrenches to check it out. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=756&sort=&pagenum=1&yrstart=1979&yrend=1979 - 79 nautique |
Posted By: David F
Date Posted: May-23-2006 at 10:03am
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I just use two pipe wrenches. Obviously, i have to pull up the floor, but really only touch the stuffing every couple of years. ------------- |
Posted By: Tim D
Date Posted: May-23-2006 at 1:50pm
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whatever you use, be carefull, you can mess up the brass very easily. ------------- Tim D |
Posted By: David F
Date Posted: May-23-2006 at 1:58pm
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lol, you know you can mess up a nail using a hammer, but it works well otherwise ------------- |
Posted By: Morfoot
Date Posted: May-23-2006 at 2:25pm
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Go buy yourself a couple of Ford wrenches. They look almost like a monkey wrench but are toothless. Nothern Hydraulics should have them. Maybe Lowes or Homey D. ------------- "Morfoot; He can ski. He can wakeboard.He can cook chicken.He can create his own self-named beverage, & can also apparently fly. A man of many talents."72 Mustang "Kermit",88 SN Miss Scarlett, 99 SN "Sherman" |
Posted By: todd
Date Posted: May-31-2006 at 5:07pm
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bite the bullet and buy the pss shaft seal. I redid my floor this winter and in the process I replaced the stuffing box. This is without a doubt the best upgrade so far. I have no regrets on spending the money. We skied last weekend and when we were finished their was not a cup of water in the bilge area.
(The water did not pass by the pss It had to be from the skiing.)either way you go, get rid of the stuffing box, That is just one more less thing to worry about. |
Posted By: 82tique
Date Posted: June-01-2006 at 10:56pm
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todd-
I hear ya....been saving up for a new prop, but I think I might just go packless! ------------- Life is Good. |
Posted By: 81nautique
Date Posted: June-02-2006 at 7:55am
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todd,
I just installed one of the OJ shaft seals and works fine, no water at all and it costs about $50 less than the PSS. Talk to the guys at skidim, they took it off their website last year because they coulnd't keep them in stock. They sell much more of these than the PSS. ------------- You can’t change the wind but you can adjust your sails |
Posted By: jbear
Date Posted: June-02-2006 at 6:39pm
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Alan: Is that an easy install? If it is not on the site, do you have to ask for it by name?
john ------------- "Loud pipes save lives" AdamT sez "I'm Canadian and a beaver lover myself"... |
Posted By: surroundsound64
Date Posted: June-02-2006 at 6:45pm
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Mine is a 2".
Don't you have to re-align the shaft after installing any sort of dripless seal? That's what SWCC told me anyway. That's the only think keeping me from doing it. I'll have to put it in the shop because I can't get it w/in .003". ------------- 1981 Ski Nautique 2000 SAN Looking for a 2000-2006 SAN |
Posted By: todd
Date Posted: June-02-2006 at 9:44pm
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I installed mine in less than 1 hr. I marked the coupling with a magic marker so that I knew the shaft would be in the same alignment. You then take off the safety wire running through the bolts that keep them from backing out.(these bolts screw through the coupling into the shaft) then take out the four coupling bolts, and the coupling should come apart. I had to persuade it with a rubber hammer. you do not want to damage the shaft. When the coupling comes apart you have to remove the coupling from the shaft. again I had to tap with a hammer and a block of wood to prevent damaging the coupling and shaft. Then the shaft will slide back enough to remove the old parts of the stuffing box, and install the new parts. The assembly is exactly reverse order. The collar has a slight ridge on the inside, and I see no way this could possibly change the shaft alignment, especially if you line the collar back to the marks you put on when you start.
The way I have described it may sound complicated but I thought it was a breeze, What do others Think. |
Posted By: 81nautique
Date Posted: June-03-2006 at 12:49am
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Jbear,
The Oj seal is in their catalog, just ask one of the techs about it, they recommended it over the PSS. As for the install it took me about three hours, half of that was working the shaft off the coupler. I used the longer bolts and socket method and man that was a slow process. going back together was pretty easy and I did check the alignment but did not have to adjust it. Felt the same when I ran it in the lake last week, no vibration so I think it's good to go. The only thing I didn't like is the plastic hose for cooling water that comes with the seal is pretty cheap. I installed it cause thats all I had but am going to replace it with a better quality hose when I get a chance. ------------- You can’t change the wind but you can adjust your sails |