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Post by rxc on Oct 24, 2006 17:08:31 GMT
My 43DS has a Volvo dripless shaftseal that seems to be working fine - no drips, not hot, generally OK. I think I have even figured out how to "burp" it, by squeezing the sides to break the seal on the aft end and let the air out. What I cannot figure out is how to "grease" it. Supposedly, it should have some sort of grease added each year, but there is no grease fitting on the seal, or any other obvious way to introduce grease, unless it is from outside, when the boat is hauled.
I have searched the web for this info, but have come up cold. Any ideas?
Ralph Caruso s/v Petillant, 43DS Baltimore
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Post by MalcolmP on Oct 24, 2006 21:00:35 GMT
Ralph
Your Volvo penta dealer should be able to supply the special grease in a small plastic sachet. You simply snip a corner off the sachet, then with the seal "burped" this provides sufficient (although) small space into which you can squeeze the grease, rotate the shaft and put in some more, should get in at least a "pea" volume
Alternatively you can use a disposable syringe with a small plastic pipe cut off at an angle, but some care is needed to avoid damage to the lips of the seal
Malcolm
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Post by aria on Oct 25, 2006 14:10:31 GMT
Hi there,
The Volvo seal does not require greasing, if anything grease will actually perish the rubber and void all warranties. I had one fitted in the spring this year and every time you take the boat out of the water just burp the seal from the inside of the boat until you get a squirt of water and that means you are ready to go.... Hope this helps
Nick
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Post by MalcolmP on Oct 25, 2006 20:59:06 GMT
Nick You probably have more up to date information than me. In the past Volvo did recommend greasing and supplied grease for the purpose. With the improvements with plastics and rubbers I am not surprised this may no longer be necessary as you say for recent seals Malcolm Hi there, The Volvo seal does not require greasing, if anything grease will actually perish the rubber and void all warranties. I had one fitted in the spring this year and every time you take the boat out of the water just burp the seal from the inside of the boat until you get a squirt of water and that means you are ready to go.... Hope this helps Nick
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Post by rxc on Oct 26, 2006 12:18:21 GMT
Nick,
Interesting. The documentation that came with my 2003 43DS says to grease it. I have run into these sort of questions before (involving lubrication of a Hood furler) where one user's manual says one thing, but another issued a bit later says something else. I wish there was someone at Volvo (Ford?) to talk to about it.
Ralph
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Post by sailingbadboy on Oct 26, 2006 20:24:54 GMT
I am very interested in your discussion as I also have a Volvo dripless shaftseal. Nowhere have I been able to find the referenced lubricant. In fact, a very large Volvo dealer told me that there is no such item in the entire parts catalog. He even checked it twice when I told him of the manufacturer's advice to add lubricant. He suggested that since the boat was built in Europe that the lubricant may have to come from a European parts supplier. Be glad to hear any additional input.
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Steve
Full Member
Posts: 27
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Post by Steve on Oct 27, 2006 0:21:03 GMT
My 2003 SO45.2. During handover I was shown the seal and told that the shaft was water lubricated and maintenance free. All I had to do was to squeeze the seal after she was lifted and replaced in the water to expel the air. It's certainly easy to tell when all the air has been expelled.
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marc
Junior Member
Posts: 10
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Post by marc on Oct 27, 2006 9:12:42 GMT
In Belgium / Netherlands they advice us to use a little bit grease for the shaft seal. Therefore there is a Volvo Penta grease available that is a water-resistant. You have to put only once a year some grease after laying the boat in the water, then burping it is also very importend. We cane buy the grease in a small tube with a nose that you can pres into the seal. Product number : 828250-1 Further info on the tube: Volvo Penta UK Ltd Watford WD2 8HW Herts England Volvo Penta of Amerika Rockleight NJ 07647 USA My new 42DS was delivered this year with a greased seal.
Marc ‘Begerto’
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Post by aria on Oct 27, 2006 14:53:38 GMT
The only reason that I said that it was grease free is based on the following.
I had Yanmar UK install my engine and at the same time I said lets replace the stuffing box, they said fine but remember that the shaft will have to display no worn areas at all otherwise it will leak using a maintenance free system. They also said that if there was any grease left over from the previous installation it would ruin the new install, they took the shaft away and got it cleaned professionally.
If you would like further advice then call Motortech in Hampshire England as they are an excellent Volvo installer and they gave me my advice.
Nick
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Steve
Full Member
Posts: 27
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Post by Steve on Oct 28, 2006 11:59:28 GMT
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Post by franky on Oct 29, 2006 10:07:26 GMT
I was told to grease the seal after "burping" bought a small tube of the recommended product at a Volvo dealer in France.Slide nozzle under forward rim of seal and squeezewd in a small amount.Isaw the engineer do it and that's good enough for me.
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Post by sailingbadboy on Dec 29, 2006 16:59:23 GMT
I have searched the Volvo website for the grease noted as part number 828250-1 only to learn that it does not exist. And the dealer tells me it does not exist. Anyone have any ideas? Can anyone tell me what happens if you don't use it. I have traveled over 6100 nm since buying the boat last year without any shaft or transmission problems. I have also tried to burp the hose, but it is very difficult to do. Is any special tool needed? Your help would be appreciated as I would like to bring the issue to a rest, at least in my mind.
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Post by MalcolmP on Dec 29, 2006 18:24:26 GMT
I have searched the Volvo website for the grease noted as part number 828250-1 only to learn that it does not exist. And the dealer tells me it does not exist. Anyone have any ideas? Can anyone tell me what happens if you don't use it. I have traveled over 6100 nm since buying the boat last year without any shaft or transmission problems. I have also tried to burp the hose, but it is very difficult to do. Is any special tool needed? Your help would be appreciated as I would like to bring the issue to a rest, at least in my mind. Alternatively you can use a disposable syringe with a small plastic pipe cut off at an angle, but some care is needed to avoid damage to the lips of the seal I used that with success on my previous boat, however on my SO34.2 which has clocked up rather a lot of hours >700 I think I just regularly burp the fitting and have not had any leaks and had not put in any additional grease. I think there is a recommendation to replace them every 5 years or so, Burping should not be difficult , just squeeze between thumb and forefinger towards the lip ends of the seal, it should open slightly and a small amount of water (and or air) will be expelled The burping is theoretically important because air can get drawn back in after some hours running, so even without lifting probably is a good idea to regularly check and burp if you can - It is said to be a sign of pleasure in the East I am told ;-) However you do not seem to have had any problem with the shaft so "Do nothing" may be OK in you case I guess Malcolm
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rvink
Junior Member
Posts: 16
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Post by rvink on Jan 10, 2007 19:28:49 GMT
Hello Malcolm,
On my SO34.2 I need to burp the seal after sailing above 6 knots for a longer period (> 20 minutes I guess). I think there is a underpressure then in the seal and the water is sucked out. If I don't burp before I start the engine I can here the shaft. I grease every year and replaced the seal last season. Í assume that that you didn't have this problem on your SO34.2 or did you?
Best Regards, Rob
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Post by MalcolmP on Jan 14, 2007 18:13:06 GMT
Hi Rob Well air does build up, but touch wood it has not been a problem, the seal must get sufficient water to lubricate it anyway Malcolm
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rob
Junior Member
Posts: 24
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Post by rob on Jan 17, 2007 14:58:58 GMT
I just bought a Volvo seal for my SL41, its internal sides are already well greased
FWIW the instructions (which are hopefully up to date) say to put 1cu.cm (about one pea) grease when installing the seal, then "the seal shall be lubricated after every 200 operating hours or once a year. Press in about 1cu.cm grease on each occasion"
hope this helps r
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Post by mickmeck on Aug 1, 2016 22:43:10 GMT
I too am perplexed with the information here as it contradicts with the manual. My seal has a steady stream of water coming from the forward end. It runs the bilge pump every 8-10 minutes. Do I seal it? Replace it? Does this require a haul out to replace?
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Post by rxc on Aug 2, 2016 2:00:32 GMT
Your Volvo seal should not leak. There is grease available to purchase to squirt into the seal, and this should be done regularly. Some people have seals that have lasted for 10 years or so, while VOlvo says to replace them every 5 years. I installed a replacement seal after about 5 years, when I detected a tiny leak, but then went to a PSS seal the next year because I like them better. It is mostly a religious argument, but NONE of these seals should leak like you describe. There is a description somewhere on this board about how to replace one in the water. Not for the faint of heart, but definitely doable.
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Post by rxc on Aug 2, 2016 2:01:28 GMT
If you decide to keep the Volvo seal, or buy a new one, I can send you a couple of tubes of grease.
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Post by mickmeck on Aug 2, 2016 2:32:18 GMT
How do I know it is a Volvo seal? I spoke to the original owner and he said it is original. It is a 43DS 2003.
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Post by sitara on Aug 2, 2016 5:15:25 GMT
Google Volvo prop shaft seal and you will get a heap of pictures. Check the shaft for wear/corrosion damage where it meets the seal because if the shaft is damaged there is a good chance that a new seal will leak as well.
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Post by rxc on Aug 3, 2016 16:56:05 GMT
It is a solid black lump of rubber. Impossible to understand how it works from the outside. When you replace it and look inside you will understand it. Rubber "feathers" sealing against the shaft seal. You may have a small barnacle or other piece of debris in there keeping it from sealing. Only way to tell is to remove it.
The advice from Sitara is very important to keep in mind, because if you have had a piece of grit there for a while, the shaft may not be smooth enough to seal. The PSS does not use the shaft as part of the sealing surface, except for where the O-rings are located, so you might be able to switch to a PSS-style if the shaft is scored and cannot be polished.
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Post by mickmeck on Aug 3, 2016 17:23:50 GMT
Thanks for the feedback. What does a tube of lubricant cost? Where can I purchase some? I think I should try that before anything drastic like replacement. It is only dripping very slowly right now - I went out sailing yesterday and ran it for about 96 minutes. When I try to burp it, the water then streams out in a slow leak. I will keep my hands off. You mentioned you have 'tubes' - I assume you want to rid yourself of them as you now have the PSS. Why do so many people recommend against the lubricant? I have called a dealer with no response.
I watched a video on the PSS. Yes, it does look like a better alternative. From what I understand, since I am a sailboat and don't go very fast, I would just run the air hose somewhere that is above the waterline all the time. Of course, this would have to wait for my next haul out.
In the meantime, maybe the lubricant would be the way to go.
MickMeck@aol.com - if you want to contact directly.
Regards,
Mick
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Post by so36idavid on Aug 3, 2016 19:55:34 GMT
Mick,
The lubricant isn't going to stop the leak. Its purpose is to reduce friction on the seal. Your seal needs to come out. Whether it can wait for your next haulout depends on its condition and nobody is going to be able to advise you about that via the internet. People have changed them in the water, it involves sending a diver down and having them do their best to prevent water entering the shaft while you hustle to change the seal. Not rocket science but not for the faint of heart.
David
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Post by mickmeck on Aug 3, 2016 21:04:11 GMT
David, thanks. It can wait. After a day it slows down to nothing more than a slow drip which my bilge pump can easily keep up with. I was hoping to stay in the water this winter. Maybe I will schedule a quick haul out for other things as well.
Regards. Mick
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