Practical Sailor recently posted a suggestion for winterizing the Dripless PYI shaft seal. PS said to unclamp the SS rotor from the prop shaft so the bellows could expand to its uncompressed state. I have never done this, and with the recent discussion about the set screws holding the rotor in place on the prop shaft, I wonder if it is worth it. Would be interested in what other PYI users do. I did replace the entire unit last winter; at full engine RPM I had noticed water spraying out between the rotor and the carbon flange, perhaps because the thrust of the prop pushed the shaft forward until the rotor did not make good contact with the flange. When I unclamped the rotor and slid it forward to inspect, the bellows was very stiff and there were some small pits in the carbon and the rotor surfaces. PYI recommended replacing the entire unit, which I did, and it has worked fine this summer. But it had worked flawlessly for the 8 years I owned the boat, and looked like it had been installed well before that, without doing anything to winterize it - just checking to make sure it was not leaking at the beginning of each season. So what's the feeling about following PS's suggestion?
Eric Frank Cat's Paw C&C 35 Mk II Mattapoisett, MA _______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album Email address: CnC-List@cnc-list.com To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go bottom of page at: http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com
