Ranger 21 Classic shaft seal

[LAKERtoo]

.. just put my ( new-to-me) Ranger 21 in the water after playing in the driveway for 5 weeks ..boats been out of the water for about 2 months ... started first turn, water pump / impellor discharging right off the bat ... bilge pump is kicking in every 10-15 minutes but no leaking on hose ends but I can hear a trickle ahead of the bilge pump .. my dock provider thinks it might be that the shaft seal has dried out while on the trailer ( 80-90 degree heat ) and it should slow and stop in a few days .. batteries are fully charged and plan to be using regularly .. any comments appreciated .. Cheers Rob

 

[SGIDAVE]

.. just put my ( new-to-me) Ranger 21 in the water after playing in the driveway for 5 weeks ..boats been out of the water for about 2 months ... started first turn, water pump / impellor discharging right off the bat ... bilge pump is kicking in every 10-15 minutes but no leaking on hose ends but I can hear a trickle ahead of the bilge pump .. my dock provider thinks it might be that the shaft seal has dried out while on the trailer ( 80-90 degree heat ) and it should slow and stop in a few days .. batteries are fully charged and plan to be using regularly .. any comments appreciated .. Cheers Rob

Hello Rob,

How many drops/minute from the stuffing box whilst underway? Does it drip when the drive shaft is not turning?

The 'stuffing' should not "dry out." It is usually made of hydrophobic-type material like waxed rope/flax or the newer carbon impregnated synthetic materials. My boat lives on a trailer, for weeks at a time sadly, and the stuffing box doesn't dry out.

First thing to do is see what the "drip rate" is from the stuffing box where the shaft enters (or exits on its way toward the propeller). It should drip ONCE every 10-15 seconds...so ABOUT 4-6 drips/minute WHILE THE SHAFT IS TURNING. It should not drip when the shaft is stopped.

For your bilge pump to cycle every 10-15 minutes, something is SERIOUSLY leaking. I would be concerned.

IF it's the stuffing box, the first thing to try is tightening the nut. I find it easiest to MARK the nut with a sharpie marker so I can see exactly how much it's been moved. Tightening it 1/8-1/4th turn may be all that's necessary. If tightening the stuffing box fails to control the dripping to an acceptable rate, then replacing the stuffing will be necessary.

There are tutorials online showing how to change the packing material. Here (http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/stuffing_box) is an example.

Let us know how it works out.

dave

 

[LAKERtoo]

.. whats the easiest way to access the stuffing box .. my boat has a custom gas tank that straddles above the seacock .. I have a circular hatch in the aft storage compartment .. Thx for comments

 

[LAKERtoo]

Dave .. Thx for the advise .. went back out to the lake and this time got down on my belly to look under the gas tank that straddles the seacock and as I find, the packing nut assembly .. what you would call a healthy trickle coming into the bilge .. pump came on every 5 minutes while I was looking around .. pulled the boat out and brought it home and will get that looked at when local shop has a space .. I'm going to consider moving that gas tank to the rear compartment ... Thx