Hi folks,
We are on the hard stand and I started the job of replacing the C-Drive lower seals since my C-Drive oil has gone a little like a chocolate milkshake.
When we came ashore, I noticed a trickle of oil down the keel which implied the lower seals were leaking oil.
 
This afternoon I removed the autoprop and the Spurs linecutter which I installed last year to get at the V-bolt in order to drain the oil.  After removing these it became clear that the source of the leakage is the V-bolt, and not the C-Drive shaft seals, which do not show any form of leakage.

The rubber O-seal on the V bolt appears to have perished and allowed water in and oil out of the C-Drive. I’m fairly sure the O-seal was provided by Amel when I ordered the V bolt last year. The V bolt itself was rather loose today, and I needed to rotate it an additional 35-45degrees clockwise in order to be fully tight.  In this position, the V-bolt does not align with the line-cutter, so that is a problem.

The solution would appear to be to fit a new seal under the V-bolt. However, it’s a concern that the previous O-seal perished in 6 months in the water.

Have others found this problem, and is there a better solution than simply replacing the seal?

I have a general philosophy of not fixing stuff that’s not broken, so I’m now considering leaving the shaft seals (lip seals) intact. The oil was perfect before I installed the line cutter in April, and close inspection shows no visible leakage from the shaft seals.

Thought ?

Dean
SY Stella
A54-154

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