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Stern greaser too stiff to turn


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I have adjusted the stern gland so I get about a drip a minute when the shaft is turning and a very infrequent drip when it is stopped. I have filled the greaser with fresh grease but when I turn it it is very stiff and eventually grease oozes out of the threads at the bottom of the greaser. Is there a way of clearing this without removing and replacing the packing?

Thank you

 

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4 minutes ago, Mike at Mayroyd said:

I have adjusted the stern gland so I get about a drip a minute when the shaft is turning and a very infrequent drip when it is stopped. I have filled the greaser with fresh grease but when I turn it it is very stiff and eventually grease oozes out of the threads at the bottom of the greaser. Is there a way of clearing this without removing and replacing the packing?

Thank you

 

Systematic approach.  Undo the the grease tube at the stern gland and work the pump to see if grease comes out, at the same time poke around in the hole of the tube fitting on the stern tube gland with a bit of wire. If all's clear up to there then slacken the gland pusher right off and try the grease pump again.

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Keep the greaser full. When the cylinder is less than half full, grease can creep past the piston seal and this somehow causes the operation to be very stiff I've found. Re-filling always cures the problem.

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17 minutes ago, by'eck said:

Keep the greaser full. When the cylinder is less than half full, grease can creep past the piston seal and this somehow causes the operation to be very stiff I've found. Re-filling always cures the problem.

Maybe that's caused be a partial vacuum _above_ the piston. It's difficult  to imagine the screw thread sealing that tight, but I guess it could. Maybe drill a small hole in the top cover of the greaser.?

 

I don't see this problem, which makes me happy, as refilling the stern gland greaser is about my least favourite boat job, and I certainly don't want to have to do it when the thing is still half full!

 

Cheers,

MP.

 

 

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I THINK using the 'right-sort-of-grease' helps. Before I  saw-the-light I mused any old grease. Since using waterproof / water resistant grease, I've not had any gungy grease  deposits.

 

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I'm interested in this 'drip a minute' routine from the stern gland. I've read elsewhere that this is acceptable and yet I don't get any drips at all from mine, am I just lucky? I had a brief spell on the Thames last summer when it started to drip slightly when running but I tightened up the retaining nuts and the drips again stopped completely. Surely it's not supposed to drip is it?

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14 minutes ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

I'm interested in this 'drip a minute' routine from the stern gland. I've read elsewhere that this is acceptable and yet I don't get any drips at all from mine, am I just lucky? I had a brief spell on the Thames last summer when it started to drip slightly when running but I tightened up the retaining nuts and the drips again stopped completely. Surely it's not supposed to drip is it?

Not supposed to drip at all.correctly set up Sterngear and Gland should only drip for a minute or two while the Packing beds in.

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If you tighten the gland until there are no drips, the packing might overheat and damage the shaft.  If the packing burns you might get a sudden leakage.  If you allow a small, occasional drip you can be fairly confident that the gland (pusher) is not overtightened.  If the bearings are all in godd condition nd the shaft is perfectly aligned it's possible to run with no drips.  But if the shaft moves up and down a little, then some leakage is inevitable.

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On 03/05/2017 at 14:19, MoominPapa said:

Maybe that's caused be a partial vacuum _above_ the piston. It's difficult  to imagine the screw thread sealing that tight, but I guess it could. Maybe drill a small hole in the top cover of the greaser.?

 

I don't see this problem, which makes me happy, as refilling the stern gland greaser is about my least favourite boat job, and I certainly don't want to have to do it when the thing is still half full!

 

Cheers,

MP.

 

 

Yes I previously had the same thoughts but equally couldn't accept that enough vacuum could be present behind piston to cause stiffness. All I know is that it was difficult to unscrew end cap and withdraw piston.

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