Stuffing Box

[Bigsteve51]

i was wondering if anyone has ever repacked the stuffing box on a 28TE engine box style with a Cummins 6BTA? I have poked around a bit and cannot see how it can be done with the engine installed, or am i missing something.

[Pitou]

The shaft on my boat is equiped with a dripless shaft seal as opposed to a stuffing box. Not much room, that's for sure. I hired that job out. Prop pulled, rudder removed and shaft slid partially out to replace the shaft seal. I replaced the original "Tides shaft seal" with a "PSS shaft seal" at mechanics recomendation and all has worked out well with the PSS having more than 2 1/2 times the hours the Tides had at failure. Good luck and hire a triple jointed little guy ... that's what I did.

Just checked out the Tides site and looks like they have improved their product. The Tides link should bring you to a nice install diagram for better understanding. http://www.tidesmarine.com/shaft-seals.html PSS http://www.shaftseal.com/categories/300000001?page=3 good install videos on the PSS site.

[spwhite]

I have an 1995 Albin TE, with a 300 hp Peninsular, with about 1000 hrs on it. I've been advised by mechanic (who I trust) that the stuffing box needs work, and he is working up a quote for me on 1) repacking the existing box, and 2) replacing with a shaft seal. You are right, the location appears to require a midget to work on. What am I looking at in terms of moving and disassembling the engine in order to replace the box with a shaft seal?
I also have another question. I've seen in forums that people have fuel usage figures for other engines, but haven't seen anything for the Peninsulars. Does anyone with a Peninsular have experience with fuel flow gauges, and if so, what did you use? Does anyone have any charts they have worked up for the Peninsular?

[Russell]

If you decide to repack try to go with this Gore tex packing that is supposed to be dripless: http://www.e-marine-inc.com/products/gf ... l#instruct
I thought about going that way but needed the shaft pulled for another reason and opted for the dripless seal.
My mechanic recommended the Tides shaft seal and it leaks. It depends on a smooth seal of the rubber donut against the shaft. I am not sure if the old shaft is not smooth enough but the PSS should be much better as it has its own teflon seals which revolve against each other.

[Denis]

I have a 1994 28TE with the Peninsular engine. A couple of years ago I had a mechanic familiar with Albin boats re-pack the stuffing box. I watched him do it so I know it was done properly and he did the job in less than a hour. It has been perfect since he did that procedure for me. He said he has also installed drip-less stuffing boxes with the engine in place so that can be done also. I know the original post pertained to the Cummins engine so I am sorry to have gotten off a little, but there are probably mechanics in your area that can do the work with the engine in place. What part of the country are you in?

[Pitou]

I have an 1995 Albin TE, with a 300 hp Peninsular, What am I looking at in terms of moving and disassembling the engine in order to replace the box with a shaft seal?

Not sure with the Penninsular, my engine and tranny did stay in place for the swap out. The shaft was disconnected from the tranny and pulled aft to R&R my shaft seal. The rudder needed to be removed in order to slide the shaft backward. After reconnecting the shaft to the tranny the shaft needed to be balanced/aligned to ensure no vibration. Not a big deal for a qualified mechanic.

[LarryOwen]

I had a 1995 TE with a Cummins 315 and averaged about 120 hours running time a year. After having the packing gland tightened several times, I finally had to have it repacked. It is a bear for a mechanic. A call to the factory asking how to access it (in 1998 or 1999) elicited the response, "Ain't you got a little guy?" The packing gland always needs to drip a little to maintain satisfactory lubrication and in my experience it had to be tightened at least once a season. I now have a 2002 TE with a 330 Cummins and a Strong® Shaft Seal System. No drip, no problems in about 800 hours running time. I'd never go back to a traditional stuffing box.
Larry