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Water accumulation in engine pan?

philscho

Member II
Greetings,

My 1981 E 28+ has standing water in the fiberglass pan under the engine.
I am guessing it is coming in from the shaft gland. Shouldn't this water drain down into the bilge? Even when I turn on the electric bilge pump the water remains in the pan under the engine. I wonder if there is a drain hole that may be plugged with oily sludge? If so, can you use a coat hanger or something to re-open the drain hole? I learn something new about this boat everytime I post a question. Thanks.
Phil Schofield
S/V Russell James
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
The Why of an Engine Pan

Lots of different boats have a separate pan or sealed area under the engine. On our model this pan can hold several quarts before overflowing to the main bilge beyond the front of that pan.
Purpose is to separate oil drips (or worse) from bilge water that is routinely pumped overboard. What with the hefty fines for putting out any sort of oil slick in these more enlightened times it is good to have some sort of buffer to prevent an accidental oily-water discharge.

As to dealing with the old stuffing box, and adjusting it down to the mythical one drip per minute while turning the shaft and no drips when not... that seems to involve good packing material, practicing on ring-insertion, and a bit of luck.
(I was unskilled and unlucky, and changed to a PSS shaft seal in '95.)

I keep a sheet of oil-absorbing pad under the engine, so only water (if there ever was any) could get out of there.

Perhaps an owner of an E-28 sistership can detail how they deal with this.

Best,
Loren
 
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Emerald

Moderator
The way the pan is setup on the Independence 31, it would only catch water/oil etc. that originated from the engine. The shaft log and stuffing box are well aft of the actual pan, and any leaks from there in my scenario actually run under the pan into the bilge. I recently had water show up in the pan under the engine, and in my case it was a leaky seal on the impeller shaft on the seawater pump for engine cooling. Nice easy fix - a $7 seal. So, I'd start by doing a very close inspection of all hoses and associated clamps, water pump etc. and see if the drip is not engine related.
 

mherrcat

Contributing Partner
My 30+ had lots of water in that pan when I first got it. The previous owner had two bilge pumps in there (potential for illegal discharge and probably a Coast Guard citation if ever inspected). The bilge pump hose from the main cabin passed through that area and had a hole in it; so some of the water being pumped from the main bilge was ending up in the drip pan. I replaced the hose and removed the two bilge pumps. There has been only a couple of tablespoons of water in there on occasion since then.

The way the 30+ is set up the drip pan has a plastic tube that runs down the middle of it that connects the area behind the pan to the main bilge. This is so water from the packing gland or anywhere behind the engine can drain into the main bilge, bypassing the drip pan. I have suspected that the little bit of water I see in there occasionally may be from a leak where that tube is sealed into the back or possibly the front of the drip pan.

Since the bottom of the drip pan slopes down as it goes forward the back wall of the pan is shorter than the front; maybe less than 2". If there is substantial water in the area behind the drip pan it could flow over that wall into the drip pan. This could be something to look at in your case as well.
 

bayhoss

Member III
Water in engine pan

I have a 1986 E28+. The pan under the engine is as already stated designed to prevent oil, antifreeze, fuel, and other engine spills from entering the blidge and then being pumped out. Therefore it has no drain. There are a number of sources of water in that area that can enter the pan. First check all connections around your engine, then check your thru hulls. Also another spot is the drain line for the ice box. Check to see if the hose has been run to the pan instead of the bildge. Also there is a small opening near the thru hull for the sink and that is designed to take off the water from the ice box. Check to see if its free. One good way to find a leak is to put baby powder around any area you think is leaking. If you see where it has run then you have your leak. If you still have trouble I'll (any excuse is ok) go to the marina and check mine for other possible locations.

Best,
Frank
E28+ Valinor
 

philscho

Member II
Thank you

Thanks for the feedback. I will check the various hose for leaks and see what I can find. I think I will manually pumout all the water from the engine pan and try to find the source of the water accumulating there.
Thanks,
Phil Schofield
1981 E 28+
Russell James
 

philscho

Member II
Water in E 28+ engine pan

Fellow Ericsonians,

Well I pumped out the water from under the engine ( found some tools I lost a

while ago) and the filled the bilge to see if the water may be coming from a

leak in the bilge pump hose. Nope. started the engine and ran it for a while

on idle and got one drip every 5-7 seconds from the shaft into the engine

pan. Then I ran the engine under a load in both reverse & forward and still

got one drip every 5-7 seconds. Someone said a normal flow should be

about 1 drip a minute is that right? If that is the cause of the water build-up

what do I need to do to reduce that flow? I'm sure it will be expensive.

I will try putting water into the ice box to drain and see it that finds it's way

in there tomorrow.

Thanks,
Phil Schofield
E 28+
Russell James
 

sailingdeacon

Member III
I had this same mystery for many years with an E34. Here is the solution I found: If you have a dripless shaft there may well be a vented hose leading from it upward somewhere above the engine. Mine ended only a foot above the water line. When heeled the water overflowed onto the pan below. But I never saw it actually happen. Raising the hose further up solve the mystery.
 

mherrcat

Contributing Partner
Don't know the exact configuration of the 28+ but imagine it is similar to the 30+.

The stuffing box/packing gland should not be dripping into the engine pan. There should be a divider between the engine pan and the area behind it where the stuffing box and shaft log are located; at least there is on my 30+.

There should be a way for the water from the stuffing box to make its way into the bilge. In my case it is a tube that runs through the engine pan area. If yours is similar, maybe there is a leak in that tube or where the tube passes through the divider at the back of the engine pan.

Reducing the amount of water dripping from the stuffing box is a matter of tightening the packing nut on the end of the stuffing box. (A very little bit at a time.) But if the internal packing is shot, then tightening it won't make a difference. Tightening the nut too much can cause too little water to get through, not lubricating the shaft enough, overheating the stuffing box and possible scoring the prop shaft.
 
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Vincent

Member II
Water in pan

The E28+ has a very short span from the stuffing box and the back of the pan. I also have a 28+ 1984 and can see if things aren't right the stuffing box could drip right into the pan.
The previous owner of my boat replaced the original engine with a larger m-320. That created it's own problems ( less space) Especially between the coupling and the stuffing box. Very difficult to change the stuffing. Last time I hauled out I had a 3/4" cut off the threads, that gave me 1/2" of space between the nut and threads so I could change the stuffing without having to haul the boat.
 
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