Trev
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Posts posted by Trev
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Yes. That may be the case. I'll get someone who knows to look at it if a bit more grease doesn't help
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7 minutes ago, dnks34 said:
I have only ever repacked the stern gland with the boat out of the water. Not sure Im brave enough to try it in the water unless I had a powerful bilge pump and very good access to the gland.
I use 3 rings with the ends cut at angles then stagger the joints when putting them in. This slows water seeping in.
Don't be tempted to over tighten as others posters have said it will run hot, ruin the packing and potentially wear down the shaft meaning you will struggle to get a half decent seal at all.
Thank you. I've heard you need to lift the boat to repack. Last option I reckon. I wonder if it's been over tightened in the past
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5 minutes ago, dnks34 said:
I have only ever repacked the stern gland with the boat out of the water. Not sure Im brave enough to try it in the water unless I had a powerful bilge pump and very good access to the gland.
I use 3 rings with the ends cut at angles then stagger the joints when putting them in. This slows water seeping in.
Don't be tempted to over tighten as others posters have said it will run hot, ruin the packing and potentially wear down the shaft meaning you will struggle to get a half decent seal at all.
5 minutes ago, colino said:On my alpha 35 the stern gland greaser is under back seat as you enter the cabin on the right. welcome
Thank you. That's the first place I will look. Hopefully it will be there.
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Thank you for the advice. I will make sure there is a slight drip. I didn't realise that. Others suggest about one drip a minute. I'll aim for that
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2 hours ago, Smoggy said:
Mine were like that before I repacked, all tightening did was make them run hot and still pi55ed in, a metre of new packing later and job done with enough to spare to do it again.
Don't get the ptfe stuff though as it seems to have a reputation for running hot against stainless shafts, stick to the graphite stuff, you would need to measure the size needed first which is easy enough, pop the cover off the gland and measure the gap between shaft and gland (usually 8mm or 10mm).
This may be my problem. Thanks
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5 hours ago, Smoggy said:
Chances are it just needs the locknut slackening and a slight nip up and retighten the locknut, if there is a grease cup on the gland itself that will be the bit you fill, just unscrew the top and pack with grease, replace top and give a nip down till you feel a bit of pressure as that will be pushing grease down, as said before don't over grease.
Thanks. I think this is what was done fairly recently. I wonder if there is an issue with the packing. I will try this again and if it fails I need someone to look at it. From the posts there seem to be several possibilities. This is an extremely helpful forum.
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5 hours ago, DaveRolaves said:
Just a thought, you say there is a greaser cup on the packing gland. The greaser consists of two parts, the bottom part screws into the gland and the top part is a screw down device to force grease into the gland . Is it possible the upper screw down part is missing?? Replacement greasers are readily available from places like ASAP in Beccles and other outlets
Thanks I'll try that. Hopefully it will all be there. If not I'll look for a replacement
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40 minutes ago, ranworthbreeze said:
Hello Trev,
Welcome to the forum.
Dependant on where you moor in Brundall have a word with Alex Frazer he services loads of boats around Brundall.
Regards
Alan
Thank you for the welcome. Yes I know Alex. He fitted my bow thruster. I will give him a ring. He's a nice bloke.
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32 minutes ago, Smoggy said:
You don't want too much grease in a stern gland or it will clog the packing and overheat, it needs the odd drip when running, the greaser is only really as a seal when sitting still (mine drip when still too but have no greasers), if there is a cutless bearing directly behind the gland it needs water flow to lube it which is why there is often a take off from the raw water pressure side piped to the back of the gland if there's no other way for water to get in.
Depending on access they can be repacked in the water as long as you pre-prepare your packing, it will let water in but not a huge amount, it may just need nipping up a touch but enough to stop all drips.
There are dripless glands available but need the bellows replacing every 5 years which needs the shaft pulling, dripless need 'burping' when launched or a vent pipe to above waterline or they run dry and burn out, I considered these but once I'd repacked my glands decided to ongoing maintenance of the packed gland was so cheap and easy it wasn't worth it, £10 will get enough packing for about 3 glands.
Thank you very much for your comprehensive reply. Obviously this a more complicated problem than just adding some grease. The shaft is dripping quite a lot and it is over working the bilge pump. I will get someone to look at it who knows.
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11 hours ago, Smoggy said:
Richard at Johnsons is good if you are near st.olaves, or call Andy at freedom if near norwich, it's not like you are after a big job.
Thanks. Andy is nearer. I give him a try. Very useful
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11 hours ago, Aboattime said:
Hi Trev, on our Alpha 32, the stern gland is under our inspection cover in our saloon.A few years ago our was dripping,and we had it replaced where we are moored at Sabena in Wroxham.,it was a small job and the bill was small. Try giving Alan a call on 01603 782552. Good luck
That's good to know. Wroxham is a bit far for me but I will find someone local to Brundall where I'm moored
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8 hours ago, Chelsea14Ian said:
We have a Alpha 29,we grease in two places.One in the engine bay going back behind the engine. The second accessed via the steps leading to the rear cabin.Dont know if that's useful. Welcome by the way
Thanks. It is possible that there is no greaser. There us a packing gland but this doesn't allow enough grease in. Either the mechanic doesn't do it correctly or it needs something else. It drips about once a second when we're moving
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8 hours ago, Chelsea14Ian said:
We have a Alpha 29,we grease in two places.One in the engine bay going back behind the engine. The second accessed via the steps leading to the rear cabin.Dont know if that's useful. Welcome by the way
Thanks. That's very helpful. I will investigatr
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8 hours ago, dnks34 said:
The tube going into the stern gland might be a water cooling line from your raw water circuit. As others have said it could be you dont have a greaser.
There may or may not be a grease cup on the gland itself.
It does look more like water than grease.
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Thanks. There is a grease cup on the gland. The mechanic has greased it but not well. He tells me there should be a filler somewhere. I will have a look and get someone to check. He may be wrong of course
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16 minutes ago, OldBerkshireBoy said:
If you're on the Yare try Paul at Swancraft.
Wouldn't be in the engine bay by any chance?
Thanks. Iwill search him out. I looked in the engine bay but no luck. It may of course be there and I'm missing it
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Thank you. I'm on the Yare so it's a journey. As a last resort I will have a trip up. I was there last week. I'll try some other ideas first. What a helpful forum this is. Should have joined years ago.
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Thank you for the welcome and the info. I will try to follow the tube. Not easy.
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46 minutes ago, Lulu said:
Warm welcome to the forum. I'm sure someone will be along soon with advice on this.
Thank you. Already I've had some help.
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34 minutes ago, boycee said:
No idea sorry the only thing that drips is my stern gland which gets tightened once a year when Mark does our annual service
Boycee
Thank you. I probably need a "Mark"
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Thanks for your reply. It is a stern greaser. I hope there are a fairly limited number of fitters and hopefully options. Maybe I will be disappointed.
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Hi. I need to grease my prop shaft on alpha craft 35 to stop a drip. The service guy could not find the grease refilling point, connected to the shaft by a tube. Can anyone please tell me where it is. I've looked everywhere. Thanka.
Alpha Craft Prop Shaft Grease Location.
in Technical Questions and Answers
Posted
I am really grateful for the help with my drip problem. I have located the grease point on my boat. I shlall try adding some grease. But not too much. If this solves it then sll well and good. If not I will look at the packing and some.of the more serious issue if necessary. I'm not sure if everyone gets my posts. From the.number of replies I think that's probable. Anyway thanks to everyone that's helped.