markvictor wrote:
Daniel,
I think I know what you're talking about, but let's see...The seals,are
they outboard of the ball bearing?(towards the water) In that
configuration,they often run two seals facing in opposite directions,
they call this a back to back configuration-one seal retains grease,
the other repels water, This system still allows a small amount of
water past the lip seal or it would burn up...the key here is to keep
the grease topped off,to prevent excessive water fromthe bearing,the
shaft really doesn't need to be checked unless you start to get water
past your bearing which would indicate serios wear on the seals...A
good MARINE grease such as lubriplate or equiv.is essential...It is
usually a pale bluish green and has excellent water resistant
qualities..You'll see how hard it is when you try to wash it from your
hands,even with soap and water..Assuming you have a zerk fitting,one or
two quick squirts from a grease gun every say, 5 or 6 hours of running
time should be plenty...and remember that the intermediate bearing and
thrust plate needs to be properly aligned with the propshaft to prevent
the seals from premature failure...one thibg I'm not clear on is how
your shaft was damaged...let me know so I can get a better take on what
your original problem was all about...Also what model/make is your
boat?
Regards,
markvictor


Mark,
yes I sort of remember the back-to-back seal configuration and yes, the
seals were on the outer part of the assembly (towards the water). The
damage consisted in wear where the lip-seals touched the shaft: very
smooth annular groves matching exactly the seal position. Your
suggestion of the kind of grease is very helpful and I will follow it.
For a while I thought I had to use a liquid grease and let it flow; you
know like a small container full of oil connected through a small hose
and placed one foot above the system. But it "drank" a lot of oil and
soon I disconnected the whole selfmade assembly and used thick lubricant
again.
Regarding the boat model/make, I am afraid it may be of little help as
you will realize: the boat model is called "Orca", a 43' sloop designed
by the US architect Dick Carter but completely built in Italy in 1973.
The outstanding thing is that such a device is very unusual in sailboats
of this kind and I have not found anybody familiar with it. I would
like very much to find a mechanical drawing, specs and instructions but
this seems an almost impossible deed.

Anyway, thank you very much for your help, I appreciate very much your
kindness.

Daniele