Logo
FULL SITE MENU

How tight should the packing nut be

B

briang0

Regular Contributor
I just intalled a new rudder a

I just intalled a new rudder and port. How tight should the packing nut be. I used teflon packing and I have a 1" rudder shaft. I tighened the nut and the rudder moves quite freely. I have not set the locking nut yet. I'm wondering just how tight to make it.
 
"You can tighen that SOB as ti

"You can tighen that SOB as tight as you want since it's not a spinning prop shaft seal. The packing should be tight enough that NO drops are seen, but loose enough so you don't feel the rudder binding when you turn the wheel. It can be really tight without causing a problem.

Okay?

Jeff"
 
"How about shaft packing nuts?

"How about shaft packing nuts? On the last haul out I had them checked. They never leaked before. Now Starboard still no leaks, Port side one drop every 5-10 seconds."
 
"Every 5-10 seconds at rest or

"Every 5-10 seconds at rest or running? If running, and cool leave it be. If at rest, you may try to tighen a 16th or 8th of a turn. I have never needed to use a wrench to turn the packing nut. If you are using a wrench I suspect you need new packing. If it is 1 drop every 3-5 seconds running that should be ok. Nigel Caulder says 2 -3 drops per minute running but I could live with a little more. "
 
"jclays:

what kind of packi

"jclays:

what kind of packing is in the box and when was the last time it was changed?

The flax pack may last two seasons...teflon maybe 2x that, and then it needs a change. Don't have any experience with the graphite but have read five years is reasonable."
 
Back
Top