Dripping dripless

M

mjmason1

New Member
Oct 19, 2013
533
Fall River, MA
Boat Info
1996 400 Sedan Bridge
Engines
3116ta Cats
I have the Strong dripless seal on my starboard shaft. It is no longer dripless, causing the bilge pump to come on occasionally. Can I fix this in the water and how do I do it? photo 1 (3).JPGphoto 2 (3).jpg
 
I just had mine replaced. My cutlass bearings required replacement as well. I spoke to Tides Marine and they suggested replacement of both and was willing to give credit for one with return of all parts. Have you used the spare seal located just in front of dripless. The guy from Tides was not real impressed with this series of dripless, perhaps a sales pitch. In any case the day for replacement in my opinion is coming, these things don't last forever. I actually went to a different type, PSS units, stainless, no plastic at all.
 
That is a Tides "Strong" Seal and from what I know, it cannot be fixed in the water. Probably can wait until fall haul out to replace. To replace with new tides sure seal, PSS, or Lasdrop type seals will take some research based on your boating environment.
 
Make sure you add cross over water connection to your new Tides seals... This way you can run with one engine with out damaging the seal on the engine not running...
 
Port engine has the PSS seal. There isn't a spare seal on the shaft. The leak is very minor so it's ok if I have to leave it. Doesn't seem like a good design if you have to pull the boat.
 
The PSS seal has its weak points as well, and you will not repair them in the water either.

On your boat, you can easily ass one or more extra seals and carriers to the shaft with Tides seals which can easily be replaced on a DB in the water in the future. You have the old Tides design....the new Sure Seal is a much better design and lasts a lot longer.
 
There has been some good discussions here about various shaft seals. Basically, the Tides is a "lip" seal remaining stationary while the shaft spins within the rubber lips. The PSS is a mechanical seal where a collar is fixed to the shaft and spins against a fixed collar. Each design has its pros and cons. The general consensus seems to be that the Mechanical Seal is preferable but ONLY if you boat mostly in clear water. If you have a habit of stirring up the sand or silt while manoeuvring, the lip seal system is more forgivable.

Also, with the newer Tides lip seals you can add multiple spare seals on the shaft (space permitting) that can be replaced while the boat is in the water. I've done that with my boat without issue, but some have found that when the lip seal leaks, the problem is more than the soft lip seal - the main plastic body has become worn, allowing the entire seal assembly to move. Putting a new lip seal on in this case would not last very long at all.

This reminds me. I should check my water supply to both seals. Sometimes debris may block the water supply lines...
 
I had the Tides system, after verifying I had flow before my fist launch this season some zinc became jammed into my water line and the unit was destroyed after a one hour run. I replaced the seal with spare seal, but the unit was distorted from the heat. Spare seal ready to go, but had to head to the travel lift for a good beating. The PSS units can run without water for a period of time and from what I see are just much more robust. I do like the idea of the spare seals ready to go, I did that on the other engine two years ago, but was advised by my mechanic don't use plastic parts when trying to keep the Ocean out. In any case, not a fun start to the season.
 
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