PSS Install
Well, I just came back from
installing my PSS Shaft Seal and *hopefully* that makes me a member of the
dry-bilge society (I guess we wont know for sure until I drop her in the drink
and see just how dry she is).
The process took me a few
hours. I could have done it much faster
but I was being very careful (things that keep torrents of water from flooding
into the boat are probably worth doing carefully).
When I was all done I
thought: gee, I should have grabbed my digital camera to take a few snaps as
the procedure is performed. It would
have made a good "how to" article for the website. I was a bit intimidated when I began because
I've never taken the shaft off any boat before and wasn't quite sure how to
dismantle the original seal. Turns out
it's not very difficult at all. Though
the instructions in the PSS Shaft Seal installation paper are written
"generically" to apply to most any boat, the C-320 doesn't do
anything "weird". Just follow the instructions and you'll find the
diagrams accurate illustrate how the shaft is installed on this boat.
Also... some have reported
(not for our boat, but for other models) that the rudder must be removed to
allow the shaft to slide back. The C-320
has plenty of room behind the prop to let the shaft to slide back enough to
allow removal of the old shaft seal, and installation of the new seal. So don't worry about
the rudder, you wont be needing to remove it.
What you need:
* The PSS Shaft Seal itself. The correct size is 1" shaft diameter &
1-1/2" log (shaft tube) size. The
C-320 log is actually slightly bigger (1-5/8") but PYI only makes the
shaft seal for 1-1/2 and the next size up is 1-3/4. The rubber bellows on the shaft seal will
readily stretch to fit. Just get the
1-1/2 and it'll work perfectly.
* A buddy.
There are just one or two times when it's handy
to have someone to help. Most of this
job can be done with just a single person.
* Longer transmission coupling bolts: You'll need to "press" the shaft
out of the transmission coupling. Essentially you open the coupling (remove the
set screws which keep the shaft secured to the coupling, then remove the four
bolts which release the shaft-side of the coupling from the transmission side
of the coupling) then put a spacer in between the shaft and re-tighten the
coupling plate back on so that the spacer will press out the shaft as the
coupling is tightened. This takes a
several passes with larger & larger objects working as the spacer. The bolts which are in the coupling now are
long enough to secure the transmission coupling, but not long enough to accomodate a spacer between the two sides of the shaft
coupling -- thus the need for longer bolts.
The bolts have 10mm threads (7/16 in the english system will also fit because the size is
happens to be extremely close in this case).
The bolts on the transmission coupler are about 1-1/2" long (I
didn't measure, that's just a guess), but you'll need something about 2-1/2 to
maybe 3" long to accomodate for the spacers.
* Spacers - nothing fancy. Any piece of hard metal which has a diameter
less than the 1" shaft will work. It's useful to have a few of these. I had two or three large hex-nuts which I
would stack and tape together with black electrical tape as I needed to make
the spacer longer & longer (the operation of "pressing out" the
shaft takes a few iterations which spacers getting longer & longer on each
iteration).
* Sandpaper - 400-600grit. Before sliding on the stainless steel collar
with rubber o-rings, the shaft needs to be sanded & polished smooth. After doing this, the keyway at the end of
the shaft was sharper than a knife blade and needed to be "dulled" to
keep it from slicing through the rubber o-rings on the inside of the stainless stell collar.
* Screw-drivers (to remove & re-install
hose clamps)
* Wrenches:
14mm & 17mm will fit the nut & bolt on the shaft coupling, use
an adjustable wrench for the set screws which retain the shaft inside the
coupling (bolt heads are square - not hex, so a box-end wrench or socket wont
work)
* Madam Tootsie, the "convincer"
(a large wooden or rubber mallet. A small hand-sledge or hammer could be used,
but then you'll need a block of wood). This is used near the end of the
installation to drive the shaft back into the press-fit transmission coupling.
A buddy should go outside to drive the shaft (from the propeller)back into the
coupling while you watch from inside back at the transmission end of the shaft
until you can see that it's back in.
I DO NOT recommend using a metal hammer
or sledge to strike the shaft directly.
Set an old block of wood at the shaft end behind the propeller and
strike that instead.
* Dish-soap & a little water - used to
lubricate the shaft & o-rings on the stainless collar so that it will slide
down the shaft easily. DO NOT USE ANY PETROLIUM-BASED LUBRICANT. That will break-down rubber and destroy the
o-rings over time... which sort of ruins the idea of a dripless
shaft-seal.
* Torque wrench (eh?) At the end of the installation, the stainless
steel collar has cup-end set screws which are to be tightened to 6 foot-pounds
of torque using a tiny little allen
wrench (supplied with the shaft seal). Yeah... I didn't have one either.
Once it's in the water (I'll
launch her in about 2 weeks), I'll "burp" the shaft seal (get the air
out so it fills with water), watch the seal through the, roughly, 10 minute
break-in period, and make sure all is well.
I should also re-align the
engine to the shaft, but this can't be done until the boat is in the water and
has had a chance to "rest".
I'll also re-check all the
bolts and set screws every few hours of use to make sure things haven't decided
to re-adjust themselves, until I'm confortable that
it's all staying put the way it should.
Regards
Tim
PSS Install
I wrote up some very detailed instructions at one time for
this, but I didn't keep a copy of them for myself when I sent them out.
I think it comes with directions which explain how to get the flange off the
shaft.
You'll need probably two sets of bolts with nuts that are different lengths.
You'll need some deep-well sockets and extensions with an
outside diameter of LESS than the 1 inch shaft.
The basic process is:
1) undo the bolts that hold the two shaft flanges together.
2) slide the shaft AFT a bit
3) put one of the deep well sockets in line with the shaft between the two flanges.
4) Use the long bolts to SQUEEZE the flanges back together. The socket
helps push the shaft out of the flange.
As you get the flanges touching, you'll have to undo the bolts and put a longer
socket in place and then tighten the bolts again to continue driving the shaft
out of the flange. It's a bit tedious, but not hard.
Then remove the stuffing box, polish the shaft SMOOTH
with scotchbrite and very fine sand paper. Also
take the sharp edges off the coupling end of the
shaft with a file or sand paper so you don't damage the O-Rings when you
install the SS Block.
Have some dish soap on hand to lubricate the prop shaft, a perm. marker, ruler and you're pretty much set..
you will need a extra set of hands to gently tap the shaft back in place---also put a wood block between hammer and shaft----it took us about 2 hours not counting beer time
The shaft seal comes with 2 sets of set-screws. The
second set is NOT a spare. You install the second set-screw on top of the
first to lock the first set screw in place. When properly installed they
don't come loose.
It's a wise choice to install a collar zinc in back of
the SS ring, but if the set screws are properly installed, it isn't strictly
necessary. I have such a zinc collar for mine just for piece of mind. The
PSS is a great design and works really well.
PSS Shaft Seal Chatter
I'm late in getting in on
this discussion thread but thought I should share some input.
Yes the sound the PSS seal
makes when it goes dry is terrifying. Makes you think something is seriously
wrong. First happened to me with my entire family onboard and we just happened
to be 34 miles offshore looking at whales.
I found out that this noise
can happen even when the shaft seal is fully wet. The graphite collar that rubs
against the stainless steel collar can sometimes leave a residue on the
stainless collar. This residue causes the surface to be a bit rough and this in
turn causes "chatter" between the graphite collar and the stainless
collar. The simple solution is to place
a piece of wet sanding paper - rough side facing the stainless collar, into the
joint between the two collars. 600 grit is as course
as I'd use. Then just rotate the shaft
by hand to get the face of the stainless collar clean. This probably needs to be
done about once every three years per my experience (which would be once every
60 engine hours).
Gary Doodlesack
C320 No. 410
Lady Diane
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PSS Dripless
Care
Guys
Can someone describe in
detail what is involved in "burping" a PSS. Would appreciate a blow by blow deacription.
We are hull #851 and I think
we have a PSS but it drips.
I don't know if the packing
gland has to be tightened or what.
Irving Grunes,
Tim,
If you have a PSS then you
don't have a packing gland or packing. To 'burp' the seal simply grasp the
rubber bellows at the end closest to your engine--the side that rests against a
stainless steel doughnut around the shaft--and pull it back towards the stern.
You only have do this for a second or two until water
comes out.
However, the problem you
describe doesn't sound like a 'burping' issue. If you are getting drips then
the bellows is probably not set properly. Take a piece of fine sandpaper or emory and fold it in half. Insert it in between the bellows
(which is actually graphite) and the stainless doughnut and gently work it
around the diameter a few times. This should smooth the graphite and eliminate
any debris that may be riding on the doughnut. The PSS is self aligning so
unless someone did a horrible job in installing, this should resolve your
problem--Good luck and I hope this helps!
Jon Vez
PSS Dripless
system:
The PSS is very simple. There
is a black rubber "bellows" which is attached via hose-clamps to the
shaft log (the hole made into the boat through which the actual prop shaft
goes). The bellows doesn't turn. At the end of the bellows is a black graphite
seal. On the shaft itself, is a stainless steal collar. It has rubber o-ring
seals on the inside. It is fixed to the
shaft and spins. The graphite seal on the end of the rubber bellows rests on
this stainless collar (which is spinning when the shaft is engaged). The seal
is perfect, creates very low friction so it really doesn't heat up and wear
out, and yet it's just a good fit that water cannot get through.
The inside of the bellows
needs to be flooded with water for cooling purposes. To do this the bellows are
"burped" my mearly pushing the rubber
bellows away from the stainless collar. This allows the air to escape and the be replaced with water - which will spray over the place
if you hold it too long. So hold a hand over the gap you're about to create to
deflect the water and keep it from spraying your mattresses and you. Just
release it, you're done.
Occasionally a bit of debris
will get into the seal. It's basically "pinched"
between the graphite and the collar and it causes a small leak. When this happens, all you need to do is
re-burp the seal. As soon as you compress the bellows, the flood of water will
flush out whatever was caught in the seal.