Rudder packing

[Brookelise]

Does anyone have experience replacing the rudder packing on an Ericson 34? Did you use 1/4” or 5/16” packing? Can you give any tips on the correct way to replace the packing, step by step?

We’ve dropped the rudder 6 inches to add a Teflon shim around the shaft, and we figured we’d add new rudder packing at the same time.

Do you replace the packing while the rudder shaft is down?

How much packing, what kind, etc.?

Thanks for any help,

Brooke

 

[Brookelise]

To answer to my own questions (for those contemplating replacing the rudder packing on an E34), we figured it out today after taking apart the packing gland. There’s a channel or groove in the packing gland's lower flange that takes one turn of 3/8th-inch Teflon rudder packing. The photos below show the lower flange with the old packing removed, and then the flange with the new packing.

-- Brooke

 

[jthistle]

good info

Thanks for posting....I'm just about to do the same.

cheers
jt

 

[Brookelise]

Rudder packing on E34

You might have a different rudder packing gland (or "rudder stuffing box," as Edson calls it), so yours might require a different packing. On our Ericson 34, we have the Edson stuffing box bearing 697 (3 1/2" wide). http://www.edsonmarine.com/ecatalogs/sail/00025.htm

I called Edson and they said it takes one 3/8" flax packing. They said to adjust it with the three bolts so that it doesn't leak and so that it doesn't create too much friction with the steering. Cut it on a diagonal where the two ends meet.

Below are photos with the packing in and with the packing gland put back together.

To open up the packing gland, we lowered the rudder about 6 inches. (We did this to put in a .01"-thick Teflon shim around the lower rudder shaft bushing, too.)

To lower the rudder, prop it up from underneath (on land, of course) and then loosen the three bolts on the rudder packing gland. (Some glands have four bolts.) Then loosen the two small bolts near the circumference of the quadrant (they hold the two sides of the quadrant together), and then the four large bolts near the center of the quadrant (also holding the quadrant together). Then remove the large bolt going through the rudder shaft and quadrant. (You can see that bolt by opening up the plate for the emergency tiller on the cockpit sole.) With that bolt out, the rudder will lower.

Before you remove the black spacer above the packing gland to open up the gland, you might want to prop up or tie up the quadrant so it doesn't fall.

 

[rwthomas1]

Thats so very different than the setup on my E38. Sometimes it seems these "production" boats are really "semi-production" as they appear to have used whatever they could get cheap or had around at the time. RT