Dripless Packing seal is Dripping

[Valmika]

I have a 1997 Beneteau 38 (an ex Moorings boat) I hauled in Feb of 08 but I don't believe that is the cause of my problem. I have a dripless packing seal not a PSS as far as I can tell it has solid boat and a water feed tube on the aft end. It seems to have started to leak in the last week and is now to the point where I get about a gallon a day from it. Since these are not supposed to ever need service I am not sure what to do with it to fix it. It may have started leaking last week when I resumed the diver bottom cleaning for the first time since the haul out. Has anybody else com across this or maybe know of another manufacturer Beneteau may have used?

Thanks

Mark

[sailingdog]

They could have used a LasDrop dripless packing gland.

[Gary1]

When a dripless seal starts leaking, it means one of a couple of things:

The cutlass bearing may be shot, allowing the shaft to be slightly out of alignment.

The seal itself is just plain worn out.

Worst case: the shaft is bent.

A tip: If you want to pull the whole unit off without hauling the boat, you can plug the hole where the shaft enters the hull with the wax material from a household toilet seal. Jam a rag into the hole first until it's tight, then pack the wax around to seal it. This will hold for several days.

[beej67]

I was told when I got my dripless packing that I needed to clean it once every year or two.

[SVCarolena]

Originally Posted by Gary1

A tip: If you want to pull the whole unit off without hauling the boat, you can plug the hole where the shaft enters the hull with the wax material from a household toilet seal. Jam a rag into the hole first until it's tight, then pack the wax around to seal it. This will hold for several days.

Gary - would this technique assume pulling the shaft and prop completely out of the boat (assuming the use of a diver)? I'd like to install a PSS seal on my boat but having it hauled is a real pain as the closest travel lift is quite distant. (sorry, hope this doesn't constitute a hijack).

[Gary1]

SV Carolena, I sent you a PM.

[danielgoldberg]

Originally Posted by Valmika

I have a 1997 Beneteau 38 (an ex Moorings boat) . . . or maybe know of another manufacturer Beneteau may have used?

Beneteau uses a Volvo shaft seal. I don't know the specific model number for your boat. Just as a shot at saving you hassle, that hose to the shaft seal injects raw water into the assembly to lubricate and cool the shaft. Check that, as you might get lucky and the leak might be coming from that. Much easier to deal with than if the leak is coming from the seal for the shaft itself. Generally speaking, you need to haul the boat to deal with a leaking dripless shaft seal, which is the major negative of such seals.

[Valmika]

Many Miles and years have passed since that first post so thank you for the help. One thing I did find out was that the seals should be lubed at least once a year. It is a simple process with a cheap plastic tool that fits over the shaft and allows you to shove the very special VOLVO grease into it. It is a testement to the seal that I had the boat for three years without doing this until it started leaking. I hauled the boat to replace the seal and a few other little chore done easier when on the hard. and figured I'd put a coat of paint on the waterline and leading edges for good measure. The seal is still holding strong so I am impressed with the volvo seal. Especially after suffering a packing gland for 10 years on an old Catalina. I will never go back.