Leak

[kfechner]

My bilge keeps going off every ten minutes or so, because I am leaking through my drive shaft. Anyone else ever had this problem???

[mcdye]

More info...What year boat? Dripless packing?

I would suspect it is from the packing nut area.
When was the the packing last replaced?
Have yout tired tightening the packing nut?

[Waynes345]

Lots of threads on this. You can search and find many. Here is something from a previous thread on shaft packing:

Might just be the shaft packing needs replacing. This is the procedure from SC for doing it. Took me about a half hour being very deliberate. The packing material is cheap from Discount Inboard Marine.

Replacing and Adjusting the Shaft Packing.
- Replace the shaft packing. Be sure to install two or three pieces.
- Loosen the jam nut on the shaft-packing gland.
- Back the gland nut off the packing gland assembly.
- Dig out all the old packing material.
- For a one inch shaft, cut two to three pieces of 1/4"dia. packing material strips so they are 4 1/8". Place one of the packing strips into the packing nut. The end should butt together. Place another piece in the packing nut, this time orienting the seam 180 degrees from the seam of the first piece.
- Slide the packing nut up the shaft.
- Slide the shaft through the Packing gland assembly and into the strut.
- Screw the packing nut onto the packing gland assembly. Tighten it up as much as possible by hand. Then using a wrench, turn the nut a 1/2 a turn forward and a 1/4 turn back. Then turn the nut a 1/2 a turn forward and a 1/4 turn back. Then turn the nut a ½ a turn forward and a 1/4 turn back. This will pack the packing fairly tight.
- Back the packing nut off the assembly again. Then thread it back on. Tighten it only as tight as you can get it using your hands. This should be almost the perfect tightness for the packing gland so that it does not leak, yet not too tight so that the packing burns up.
- Tighten the Lock Nut up to the Packing Gland Nut.

If you want to add the third piece of packing, do so when you back the nut off after you packed the packing. Then tighten the nut only as tight as you can get it using your hands. This should be almost the perfect tightness for the packing gland so that it does not leak, yet not too tight so that the packing burns up.

[kfechner]

I have an 07 LSV with a dripless packing, I have never had any work done to the packing at all. I have tightened the steel straps around it, but it is leaking through the packing nuts. I have not tried tightening those yet.