Could be on my end too, I'll do the same.
32-3 “Dripless” PSS v traditional stuffing box. Opinions, please?
- Thread starter windblown
- Start date
For extra security you can put a 2 piece shaft clamp in front of the pss stainless sealing ring to prevent it from sliding fwd.
I installed a PSS while in the water. The original packing hose was pretty degraded but had been wrapped multiple layers of tape and had a slow drip emanating from the tape as well as the packing itself. West marine had the pss in stock and there was no availability at local yards for at least a month. I had to unbolt and slide the engine fwd onto wood blocks and I also machined a new shaft coupler to use with a flexible coupling.
I wouldn’t recommend going this route but it’s possible.
I installed a PSS while in the water. The original packing hose was pretty degraded but had been wrapped multiple layers of tape and had a slow drip emanating from the tape as well as the packing itself. West marine had the pss in stock and there was no availability at local yards for at least a month. I had to unbolt and slide the engine fwd onto wood blocks and I also machined a new shaft coupler to use with a flexible coupling.
I wouldn’t recommend going this route but it’s possible.
T
The Instructions that came with mine said every 6 years the bellows should be replaced. This is the shaft collar I used in front of the pss for added security. It alone is much more secure than the grub screws in the stainless pss part. https://a.co/d/a0hxDyP
Chris "Tako" Green
Member II
I just purchased a PSS and look forward to a dry bilge. Good luck with your install.
archangel
Archangel
Thanks Blue Canoe for your clamp info, are you installing on the front part of the shaft or rear ? I have a couple of hose clamps attached to the shaft , as a last resort to keep shaft from pulling out. Exactly what location did you install your clamps. My 1988 35.6 , has some room on shaft to install this type of clamp, i think? Thanks Blue Canoe.
The clamp needs to be installed after you compress and install the pss bellows following their instructions (iirc 3/4 inches of compression). It goes forward of the pss stainless steel sealing ring and it’s there to keep the sealing ring from sliding forward. If the ring slides forward the boat fills with water quickly. The only think holding the sealing ring in place without the clamp is grub screws and they can vibrate loose.
To avoid having the "ring" move, follow the step-by-step instructions from PYI. Specifically never, except in an emergency, reuse the 'grub' screws. They come with a very sharp end to really bite. And you need to put in the second one to thread-lock the initial one even more securely.
HerbertFriedman
Member III
can someone post a picture of where the clamp goes?
I wasn't familiar with that name--turns out it's just as official as "set screw." Who knew?
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PSS included it on their instructions:
It's item 12 on page 2. It says it's only included on pro models. You can order it separately, get your own from a company like McMaster carr, or do what my yard did and just add a hose clamp
It's definitely a belt and suspenders approach as the collar has two set screws each with their own backing set screw. The instructions also call for Loctite.
In the end, the mechanic I hired managed to get the transmission out by compressing the shaft seal with a piece of string, looped around the muffler. Right now, that's all that's keeping water out of the boat. Rebuilt transmission is supposed to come back in two days!
Look at the third picture in this blog, https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/ubs/old-engine-out-planning-for-the-new-one.617/
It's not quite visible, but that L shape aluminum crossbar has a U bolt around the shaft to lock it in place. This kept the PSS bellows compressed while the engine replacement project was happening.
Time sure flies.... this was in 2018, and it all seems like such a short time ago!
It's not quite visible, but that L shape aluminum crossbar has a U bolt around the shaft to lock it in place. This kept the PSS bellows compressed while the engine replacement project was happening.
Time sure flies.... this was in 2018, and it all seems like such a short time ago!
Pete the Cat
Sustaining Member
Look at the third picture in this blog, https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/ubs/old-engine-out-planning-for-the-new-one.617/
It's not quite visible, but that L shape aluminum crossbar has a U bolt around the shaft to lock it in place. This kept the PSS bellows compressed while the engine replacement project was happening.
Time sure flies.... this was in 2018, and it all seems like such a short time ago!
Apparently you are warning all owners of dripless fittings that their boat will sink and that they are taking an unnecessary risk. Many of us have dripless installed, along with the Coast Guard and commercial shipping.
My motto is think for yourself, do the research, and not get ahead of your experience and knowledge base.
My motto is think for yourself, do the research, and not get ahead of your experience and knowledge base.
To further flog that poor deceased horse... Stuffing boxes (old school or newer technology), thruhulls. valves, all hoses below the waterline... have the ability to induce flooding or even sink any boat. The problem will 90%+ always get back to a lack of preventative maintenance.
I managed our Clubs 150 boat moorage for about 20 years, and verified this problem a number of different times.
Boats, once you get beyond the trailerable day-sailer size, have complex systems and need much more care and attention than some owners are willing to invest... (heavy sigh)
I managed our Clubs 150 boat moorage for about 20 years, and verified this problem a number of different times.
Boats, once you get beyond the trailerable day-sailer size, have complex systems and need much more care and attention than some owners are willing to invest... (heavy sigh)
Pete the Cat
Sustaining Member
I agree with Christian. I think you can add just a touch more to this advice from a retired delivery skipper. I think the newer PSS units are much better made than the earliest versions (no more bellows burping and flimsy hoses) and boatyard staffs (most, not all) have improved their installation techniques (some actually follow the directions) as the decade have evolved. This is one of the areas where some owners seem to prefer to ignore and wait for failure. I had a PSS fail many miles offshore and it was not pleasant, dangerous to my crew, doused the engine with salt water and was not repairable until hauled. While I am told there are new dripless units that claim to be repairable in the water, I don't think most are. Having said that, most folks are not going regularly 40+ miles offshore or voyage to foreign countries where there are few boat yards. They seem much less likely to fail than the ones I saw years ago. You generally could limp to a dock put a towel around the thing and leave the bilge pump on until the yard can haul you in the worst situation. So I think for most folks, PSS type are just fine and will save you the education you acquire to properly break in and adjust modern flax materials to near dripless performance (the new materials, with some serial adjustments can be made virtually dripless--the lobster guys taught me the technique)--and it can be changed while in the water---but can be a PIA to get adjusted initially--and if you just do weekend or coastal cruising, follow the scheduled maintenance, the PSS type will be fine for most folks.
PS. For flaxers: It would be really nice if someone on this list knows someone in the seal making business. I used to have a connection who would press 1/4" GT flax for 1" shaft in a proper seal die for boats I worked on. I am surprised someone does not sell them precut and formed for various sized shafts.. This greatly speeds the process and quality of the seal. My connection lost their military contract.