bellow on shaft

[racerdave]

My boat periodically leaks some water around the black boot at the bottom of the shaft. It has a adjustable counter weight <---- (not sure if that is what it actually is.) on the bottom of the shaft. I can tighten the band clamps on the bellow while holding up on the boot. Is this a normal process to have to do? I have to tighten it about every 8 hours. when it is loose the boat will have a good bit of water in the bilge. I just don't want to be 2 hours away from the trailer and tightening the boot not work on the water coming in. Is this a normal maintenance thing or is this something that needs to be further looked into?

thanks david

[safety20]

Search for prop shaft seal. I don't remember the name of them but my boat was doing the same thing. After a little research and an adjustment, no more leak. I believe it's two steel rings, one of which is stationary and the other spins with the prop shaft. Lol and I just googled it and it's a PSS. Prop shaft seal.


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[racerdave]

thanks I will try and research it some more

[IDBoating]

Two possibilities:

1) You may need to adjust the pressure of the two PSS rings. The carbon (darker) ring is stationary, and rides against the stainless (shinier) ring that spins on the propshaft. There needs to be an appropriate amount of pressure between the two to keep the water out. This is adjusted by moving the stainless ring along the propshaft until the rubber bellows are compressed enough to apply the needed pressure. The stainless ring is held in place by multiple allen head set screws, stacked one on top of the other in a common hole for safety. You adjust with the "first" one (that actually touches the propshaft) and then back that one up with a second set screw. This is an awkward but relatively simple job.

2) You may need to replace the rubber bellows. PSS recommends replacment every five years, IIRC. If yours is starting to deteriorate it could leak where the bellows clamps around the carbon seal or around the hull projection. Both places are held tight with hose clamps. This is a much more involved job since it requires disconnection of the propshaft from the v-drive. (You don't have to remove the propshaft from the boat, but you do have to back it out of the v-drive enough to replace the bellows.)

See if you can determine exactly where the water is coming from. If it's coming from the interface between the two rings, go with #1 above. If it's coming from one end of the bellows, inspect the bellows very carefully for signs of age or deterioration. If the bellows fails while on the water, it will be a race with the bilge pump to get off of the lake fast enough before... well, you know.

Report back!

[racerdave]

I have adjusted the stainless collar on the shaft before it is most def awkward to get under there to do it but doable. How often should this collar have to be readjusted? could my boat having extra ballast weight causing the shaft to flex under load? I will recheck everything next time out. thanks for all of the info it has shined some light on the operation!

[IDBoating]

If the stainless ring is secured down properly, I doubt it needs adjustment very often at all. The carbon ring doesn't wear all that fast, but I suppose over time it might relieve a bit of pressure and you'd have to tighten things up a bit. More likely the bellows would age, which I would expect to have much more influence over the pressure than ring wear.

I'd check that bellows pretty carefully. Your boat isn't that old but you never know.

[trent]

I got a notification from dealer of an additional collar to be placed on the shaft seal. This is to prevent movement once its compressed. I no longer have a PSS seal on my boat as it was identified as being defective. They replaced it with a shaft seal from a different manufacturer. Might be applicable in your case???

[boatwakes]

You should never have to adjust the PSS. Where is it leaking from, where the stainless collar on the shaft meets the stationary graphite face on the rubber bellows or is it the bellows' hose clamps?

[IDBoating]

You should never have to adjust the PSS. Where is it leaking from, where the stainless collar on the shaft meets the stationary graphite face on the rubber bellows or is it the bellows' hose clamps?

I asked the same question a few replies above but haven't gotten an answer yet.