Shaft leak (V-Drives)

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Here is a photo from my boat. I suppose the black device (looks like a ring) just to the right of the Strong Seal is the Spare Seal Carrier, is that correct? Does anybody know how I can replace the old seal with the Spare one?
Also, watching this photo I noticed an unscrewed bolt, at 12 o'clock of the Spare Seal as seen on the pic, any idea what is that?

Looks like a bolt to the backing plate of the bellhousing. Probably not critical as the plate just keeps dust out. Just get a wreck on it with a little lock tight applied.
 
Looks like a bolt to the backing plate of the bellhousing. Probably not critical as the plate just keeps dust out. Just get a wreck on it with a little lock tight applied.
Thanks LG11, wilco!
 
Thanks guys for the info!

One more question: when dry docked (on a trailer), during the flushing of the engines, is it permissible to shift the engine into gear for some seconds? (of course keeping all the safety precautions...). I keep her out of the water for many months and regularly start up the engines (following the flushing procedures) for about 15-20 min (my mechanic told me to do so every month, to avoid stuck engine condition). I am wondering if I should (or have to) do the same with the transmission...
Why would you have to shift in gear? NEVER run the shafts dry. If your worried, just turn the prop by hand once and a while.
 
Why would you have to shift in gear? NEVER run the shafts dry. If your worried, just turn the prop by hand once and a while.
Thanks for the comments mnm, actually I'm not worrying about the Shaft Seal (which should work by turning the prop by hand!) rather than the transmission itself...
 
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Older generation Tides dripless did not have a cross-over. My original 2001 seals, which I changed since getting this boat did not feature a crossover. Look under the engine and if there are two hoses coming off each shaft log you have a crossover and the crossover may be clogged. If you have only one hose coming off each shaft log you have the old style and you wont get water coming out of the other non-running engine.
 
How long did it take to replace the tidewater dripless seal- take out the old and replace witth new please?. I have 1997 330 sundancer. thanks ed
 
Thank you cfd, searching the YouTube I can find video concerning the replacement of SureSeal but not the StrongSeal. In the SureSeal I can understand that the Seal may be changed by removing the Face Cap which is fastened by 5 screws. The face of StrongSeal, (as seen below), is totally different, without any screws, so I can't realize how to remove the face in order to replace the lip seal! By the way I changed the picture in my previous post, hopefully it showed up...
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I have a 2000 Sea Ray 310 that I just took out the port engine hitting a sandbar. (Putting a beach in the middle of a river does not make for a fun day on the water.) I have the Strong Seals in from what I can tell. To change to SureSeals is very pricey. What is the downfall of the Strong Seal? I found LasDrop Elite Dripless while looking. the price is about half of a SureSeal. $543 compared to $281 each. I guess the big question is what make SureSeals worth the money. I am replacing so much including the Starboard motor, both transmission input and output seals, drive plates, all hoses, and so much more that the checkbook is feeling the pain. There's nothing wrong with the parts I am changing it is the old " since you're in there"
 
Are they blue or black? I have tides seals and could replace them if there leaking while in the water. Never heard of lasdrop. If your going that far don’t skimp. Sorry for your pain.
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I think the Lasdrop seal is a better seal. First, it's a mechanical seal like a PSS seal which doesn't rely on a "lip seal" that can wear and leak. Second, unlike the PSS it doesn't rely on a compressed rubber bellows to supply pressure between the two contact points of the mechanical seal - it uses spring loaded ball bearings to supply the required pressure. Rubber bellows can become hardened with time which reduces its ability to provide the right continuous pressure between the seal parts. The Lasdrop spring/ball bearing system will not have such an issue.

Next time I have to replace seals I'm going with Lasdrop!
 
I think the Lasdrop seal is a better seal. First, it's a mechanical seal like a PSS seal which doesn't rely on a "lip seal" that can wear and leak. Second, unlike the PSS it doesn't rely on a compressed rubber bellows to supply pressure between the two contact points of the mechanical seal - it uses spring loaded ball bearings to supply the required pressure. Rubber bellows can become hardened with time which reduces its ability to provide the right continuous pressure between the seal parts. The Lasdrop spring/ball bearing system will not have such an issue.

Next time I have to replace seals I'm going with Lasdrop!
Jimmy,
Thanks for the response.
 
Are they blue or black? I have tides seals and could replace them if there leaking while in the water. Never heard of lasdrop. If your going that far don’t skimp. Sorry for your pain. View attachment 97160View attachment 97161
mnm,
They are blue and there is no spare seal on the shaft so if they are the OEM the spare may have been installed I would guess. I do want to upgrade them during the engine swap and since I had to run the boat 2 hours on the starboard engine to get back to the dock there may be damage from no lubrication. The shafts have to come out to be checked anyways.
 
mnm,
They are blue and there is no spare seal on the shaft so if they are the OEM the spare may have been installed I would guess. I do want to upgrade them during the engine swap and since I had to run the boat 2 hours on the starboard engine to get back to the dock there may be damage from no lubrication. The shafts have to come out to be checked anyways.

The spare is there. You can’t see it at the angle I’m at.
 

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