leaking and loose rudder tube

[ndsailor]

I have a leak somewhere and think I have tracked it down to the Rudder shaft on my 1970 Westerly Centaur and the ruddershaft is loose. How difficult is this to remedy and what is the proceedure., Have checked all the thruhulls for leaks as well as the seacocks, cockpit scuppers, engine muffler connections, and stuffing box and all are dry.. Getting back to the shaft is going to be tuff though, need to remove the fuel tank to access the shaft tube to inspect it for any cracks...could it just need some sort of maintenance that would correct this problem?...Rick