Dripless packing is leaking, recommendations....
 

I have an '08 Supra 22V with 230 hours on it, the dripless packing has began to start leaking. I have heard a few people tell me it might just need tightening, others say it may need to be repacked and the motor alignment might be off. I have performed all the maintenace myself except for the 20 hr service I took into the dealer. Fluids, impeller, filters, winterization have been handled myself. However, I have never re-aligned the motor/shaft since the 20 hr service. This possibly could be why it has began to start leaking....???

A have a few questions...

Does anyone have a link with some pictures of someone performing these repairs? (ie: tightening clamps or replacing packing)

A good recommendation of a marine repair facility in the Sacramento/Roseville area? I wont mention the name of the shop I first went to, but they could not program my ECU correctly when my o2 sensor went out, so I am little hesitant to take it back to them. American Marine Powersports in Rancho Cordova is no longer in business, this is where I took it last time and was satisfied with them but they are out of business.

How much can I expect to pay if they need to replace the entire packing? I called one shop and they said a minimum of 2 hours labor + parts, does this sound about right?

Thanks for any information.

I am giving Loomis Marine an opportuity to work on my boat this week. As you mentioned it is getting harder and harder to find a decent repair shop in the area. Their number is 916-660-6218. I can't speak to the quality of their service since this week is my first experience with them, but they seem to be very accommodating.

As for the packing seal, I was under the impression that you want to have a small amount water getting in through this point. I have been told approximately one drip every 10 seconds or so. I am no expert, but this is what I have been told.

Have you been doin a ton of bat turns in the boat? If not, then just tighten it up. The boat doesn't have enough hours on it for it to need a new packing.

If you want, you can check the alignment with a wrench that fits the engine mounts, and a feeler guage.

Google it. Here is a link I found.

Hey Robert:

Let me know how things go at Loomis marine go. I live in Rocklin and get they're flyers in the mail.

A dripless shaft seal is just that, dripless. It's not supposed to leak like your regular shaft packing, nor does it have any. It's designed to circulate water from the vdrive to the bellows. Check the clamps and bellows for tightness and tears. I have the same unit on my Moomba and it is totally dripless. Unfortuneately i can't remember who makes the thing and the manual only says return to dealer if it leaks.

Well i found it, it's made by OJ Props. I would give them a call on it.

Bill,

Most of the hours on the boat are from wakeboarding/surfing, we do some occassional tubing which involves turning, but nothing crazy. Not sure why it would start leaking prematurely, I am going to pull it out in a couple days and see if I can try tightening the clamps or look for any defects. If this does not work I will take it into the shop and have them look at it.

Thanks for all the feedback, much appreciated.

I called them today, they do seem pleasant to work with and there rates seem reasonable. If I cant get this figured out myself I will give them a try and see what happens.

Since you have 200 hours since the shaft alignment I would do that even if the seal was not leaking. Sounds like you are handy, try it yourself but plan on taking your time. Does your owners manual or Indmar manual contain instructions? If not use PCM's instructions as a guide since the theory is the same. Pleasurecraft.com has the engine manuals with detailed alignment instructions. Again, Indmar and PCM are very similar in alignment, torques may be different but you should have the shafts aligned to within .003 inch.

I had a similar problem. My shaft was misalligned, and finally I got quite a big play on my strut bearings. I changed the bearings on the strut, the seal http://www.skidim.com/prodinfo.asp?number=OJ2040B , alligned the shaft and it improved a lot now. I still get some water in, and I still can not imagine where it comes through, but it's not grave enough to worry about.