Dripless prop shaft seal is leaking on moomba v drive

[agoulet]

Hi All,

I've had this 2011 outback v for 2 summers now and noticed it was leaking this year (probaly last year as well since the bilge was going off and killing my battery). I just assumed it was stuffing box issue and figured i would take care of it once out of the water since i had done that job before on my 06 outback DD.

Low and behold it is a dripless shaft seal but it looks like the previous owner had leaking and tried to seal it with some sort of gunk (see pics). It also has what looks to be shredded up old sealing rope that came out of it??? Not sure i understand this since i thought this system had no rope...

Unfortunately, i didn't examine things closely when it was in the water so i don't know exactly where it is leaking, but given the state its, i'm assuming i need to change it.

I've been searching the forums but can't quite find my exact setup. Does anyone know what i need to do and what exatly i could try replacing? A whole new dripless setup is $600?? Is there a seal i can change? Does anyone know of a good instructional post or video on changing this (it is so tight in there under motor that i am assuming its a frustrating job...

Thanks for any advice or links!

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[Zog]

The shop charged us about $2k for replacement. They made it sound like a lot of work, with floor removal, pulling the shaft, reseating the transmission, etc. I think while they were in there, they cracked a fitting to the oil cooler as well, which bit us in the butt two trips later when I ran the RPMs up higher than normal.

[HFarr]

Did you actually get any pics or videos of exactly where the water is coming in at? It looks to me like the shredded rope wrapped around it could be getting in the rubber shaft seal and causing it to leak. If you cleaned all that off, you may be able to add more rubber spray or caulking to the existing clamped boot if that's where it's dripping.

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

[agoulet]

ouch! Exactly why i don't want to bring it in. They move so fast in the shop and just want to clear the board....

Was it leaking a lot and do you know from where?

[agoulet]

Did you actually get any pics or videos of exactly where the water is coming in at? It looks to me like the shredded rope wrapped around it could be getting in the rubber shaft seal and causing it to leak. If you cleaned all that off, you may be able to add more rubber spray or caulking to the existing clamped boot if that's where it's dripping.

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

No unfortunately, i just assumed it was going to be a packing job and didn't examine everything up close. Kinda dumb. But i was thinking exactly what you suggest. Clean it up and start over the plugging of the leak job where the previous stuff was. It kinda looks like old liquid rubber that has degraded...

If i undo those clamps can i unseat or damage anything?

[Holdmybeer]

That is hands down a dripless seal that someone tried to stop leaking and created a larger problem.
Shaft is 1-1/8in diameter and the seal is 4in long. Glide bearings makes a direct replacement. Call amd talk to Tim. He will ship to Canada no problemn $175 US.

Also, to break the shaft coupler loose to remove the shaft is the hardest part of the job. It took 2hrs to get the coupler free, the rest of the job took 35 minutes.

[agoulet]

That is hands down a dripless seal that someone tried to stop leaking and created a larger problem.
Shaft is 1-1/8in diameter and the seal is 4in long. Glide bearings makes a direct replacement. Call amd talk to Tim. He will ship to Canada no problemn $175 US.

Also, to break the shaft coupler loose to remove the shaft is the hardest part of the job. It took 2hrs to get the coupler free, the rest of the job took 35 minutes.

OK that is great info, thank you so much. Couple of questions for you:

1) How do you know my shaft is 1-1/8 and not 1-1/4, just by model and year?
2) Does the replacement have to be the same length as the one in there now or do i have some leeway?
3) How did you get the coupler free in the end? It is really tight down there so i'm not even sure of being able to do the job. I'm assuming that's why previous owner tried to patch instead of replacing
4) Is it normal that they fail? How often do they need replacing?
5) Thanks for the tip on finding it but what is AMD?

Sorry for all the questions, i'm not feeling super optimistic about this job. Everything in this boat is a pain in the ass. Even the impeller is way in the back and impossible to take out without dismantelling the whole assembly. I don't understand designing this way for parts that absolutely need changing and maintenance...

Thanks again for the explanations and tips

[Zog]

ouch! Exactly why i don't want to bring it in. They move so fast in the shop and just want to clear the board....

Was it leaking a lot and do you know from where?

It was leaking through the dripless seal. I believe they said the water used for the seal was coming through the seal and into the hull when they were warming the engine to change the oil. We had noticed water accumulation in the hull previously. I never witnessed it, but we went from having a wet bilge after trips to being dry.

[Holdmybeer]

OK that is great info, thank you so much. Couple of questions for you:

1) How do you know my shaft is 1-1/8 and not 1-1/4, just by model and year?
2) Does the replacement have to be the same length as the one in there now or do i have some leeway?
3) How did you get the coupler free in the end? It is really tight down there so i'm not even sure of being able to do the job. I'm assuming that's why previous owner tried to patch instead of replacing
4) Is it normal that they fail? How often do they need replacing?
5) Thanks for the tip on finding it but what is AMD?

Sorry for all the questions, i'm not feeling super optimistic about this job. Everything in this boat is a pain in the ass. Even the impeller is way in the back and impossible to take out without dismantelling the whole assembly. I don't understand designing this way for parts that absolutely need changing and maintenance...

Thanks again for the explanations and tips

AMD was supposed to be "and" sorry for my bad typing.

Now for the questions.
1)1-1/8" is the common size for Moomba. Your model and year also prove that.

2)Aftermarket systems will all be slightly different so there is leeway. 4" is Glide specific.

3)There is a tool you can buy (I made mine) that bolts to the flange coupler and pushes the shaft out. Think reverse of a bearing puller. My MOJO had space to work but yes it is tight.

4) Like anything that rotates or supports rotation it is a wear item. Typically 500hrs or the rubber seal dry rots and cracks which ever comes first.

I didn't take pictures when I replaced mine but if you decide to tackle it, PM me and I can help explain some things.

Link below is the pulling tool I'm referring to. Again I made my own and used longer bolts from the hardware store.
https://skiboatpartsonline.com/Coupling-Puller-Tool

[sandm]

I consider myself a very competent mechanic. I did shaft packing on my launch20ssv which is a very similar hull to the outback in dimensions and space. this is one job I swore I would pay for next time. my tige boats that had deeper/wider hulls had more room to maneuver but the supra with the shallower hull was an absolute pita to do. took 4 or 5 hours, several scraped knuckles and LOTS of colorful language....

I remember tige dealer telling me similar to holdmybeer that rubber and seals were about every 8-10 years if garage kept and 5-7 if left outside.