Shaft packing nuts

[Jack Hutteball]

What size wrench does it take to work on the shaft packing nuts?  I know mine is dripping faster than it should and I know I do not have a big enough wrench(s) on board.  Also, is there any trick to loosening/tightening them?  I have not had to make any adjustments since I took delivery of the boat 3 years ago.
Jack

[Ron Hill]

Jack : Don't know the exact size of the gland nut and the lock nut, but look on page 301 of the West Marine catalog and you'll see an adjustable packing wrench.  You can also buy this wrench in a hardware store.

The lock nut is smaller than the gland nut.  Most important is to keep the male threads of the packing gland greased with water proof/resistant grease.  If you don't, the gland and lock nut could seize.  Both nuts are bronze so they are a soft metal - be careful not to round the edges.  

[Mike Vaccaro]

Jack,

There are adjustable wrenches available for packing glands, and many folks have made good use of an old fashioned pipe wrench as well.  If there is a "proper" tool for adjusting a gland, it's a properly sized wrench (i.e., non-adjustable which tend to work better than adjustable types which have a tendency to open, slip and damage the nut faces).  All packing glands are not created equal, however, so even though it accommodates a 1" shaft, the outside dimensions of the nut and gland can  vary by manufacture.  

A nifty trick I learned was the "dull chisel" removal.  Any old, dull chisel will work.  You simply tap either the left (to loosen) or right side (to tighten) of the STOP NUT (not the packing gland) nut to break it free or lock it in place.  You need to catch the edge of one of the flat faces on the nut and be sure that the tip of the chisel can't catch the packing gland).  The large gland (that contains the packing) should only be hand tightened, and the amount depends on the type of packing used.  There are plenty of posts on this board about different techniques for different types of packing.  

If it's been a while since the nut has been adjusted, soak it in penetrating oil overnight and then clean it with a small brass brush to remove corrosion.  

The reason I've come to use this technique is that it works on any sized gland (even the metric ones!) in any boat that you can access the nut, and you don't need any special tools.  Remember that the chisel and hammer are steel and the nut is bronze, so you'll want to be cautious and use a light touch.  A stop nut only needs to turn approximately 1/8th of a turn past hand tight to  function properly.  

Cheers,

Mike

[Ray & Sandy Erps]

I had the same problem with my previous boat and got by using a big cresent wrench and a pair of channel lock pliers.  I held the one nut with the pliers and turned the other nut away from it with the cresent wrench.  Once they were separated, the rest was pretty easy.  If you need a big cresent wrench, you can borrow mine and get a hold of me at erps@verizon.net.

[Jack Hutteball]

Thanks for the advice guys.  I am a little confused about which way the lock nut turns to unlock.  I seems if you are looking down the shaft from the engine the packing gland needs to turn to the left to loosen, and therefore the lock nut needs to turn to the right to move away from the packing gland.  Is this correct or do the threads run the other way?

Ray, I appreciate your offer.  I will let you know as I plan to go to the boat next Saturday to take care of it.

[Ted Pounds]

Jack,

You're correct - the packing gland uses standard right-hand threads.  So when you turn clockwise the nuts move away from you and counterclockwise towards you.  Thus looking aft you turn the locking nut clockwise (to the right) to move it away from the packing nut.

[Stu Jackson]

Jack,

I bought both a fixed and adjustable wrench.  One to hold stuffing box and the other to move the lock nut.  The fixed one is pretty useless, and you only need to move the lock nut back.  I use the adjustable wrench for that.  I put plenty of Lanacote on the facings between the two nuts so I can almost move the lock nut by hand at any time, but make sure it's snug.  Once you've spent the time trying to break them apart, you'll want to keep them clean and moveable.

[Tom Soko]

Jack and Ted,
I think you are both trying to say the same thing, but looking at the shaft from different directions, literally!  Looking from the engine, aft along the shaft, the threads are standard right-hand threads, so clockwise (right) is to tighten, counter-clockwise (left) is to loosen.  Both the packing gland and the locking nut work this way.  They both loosen by turning them "left".  Looking forward at everything, facing the rear of the engine, the locking nut would loosen by turning it to the right (stbd).  Clear as mud???

[Tom Soko]

Clear as mud is what my mind is today.  Please disregard my above post.  Ted is right.  Looking aft from the engine, the locking nut loosens by turning it to the right (to port).  Sorry for the confusion!

[Stu Jackson]

I've always had this question.  When we were working on our rigging we had to do a lot of fussing with the turnbuckles.  Remember, some of those are reverse thread, like each one, since they have to go in opposite directions to make the turnbuckle looser or tighter, right?

Here's the way we find out which way to turn the nut:

When looking straight down (or, if vertical like a turnbuckle, straight at it), see which way the threads on the bolt or shaft go.  

They have to go at an angle, either down or up, left or right.

Then imagine the side of the nut or turnbuckle or locking nut turning the way the threads MOVE AWAY FROM THE BASE OF THE NUT.

Turn the (top of the) nut (closest to YOU) in that direction to LOOSEN.

Think of the threads as railroad tracks and follow how they go.

Hope I've added to the complexity of this lovely topic.  

[Jack Hutteball]

Thanks guys for setting me straight.  Now all I have to do is get them apart!

[Randy and Mary Davison]

Jack,
I had the same problem last year.  There is a rental place to the north of Hwy 20 on March Point Road called Birch Rentals that rents really big box wrenches!  I think the size is 1 7/8 but measure to be sure.  

I ended up using that wrench after bending the West Marine adjustable and starting to do too much damage with the hammer and chisel approach.  What finally worked for me was:

Drench the assembly in penetrating oil and tap it with a hammer gently for a few minutes.  Leave for a week.

Tried the hammer and chisel trick again without success so put the box wrench on the adjusting nut and jammed it against the hull. Then grabbed the locking nut with a big pair of alligator pliers and broke it loose.   Half the battle is being able to use both hands on one wrench without the whole assembly turning.

Good luck.

[Jack Hutteball]

I left the nut soaking last Saturday so will give it a go this weekend.  It's definitely tough trying to hold two wrenches and get any leverage under the cockpit!

Jack