Greasing stern shaft packing gland

[Curt233]

Ha! It's been on my mind since you said it. 14 hours off, then back up north for another load. We had our roast last night actually.

[Merlyn]

See you anchored off the pier head ABC , done it already then?
Wonder how many sea miles to blow the remaining gasket out.
Have a raffle to pass the time how far it will be blown across the engineroom.

[Curt233]

Well only time will tell.

[Merlyn]

You got a vernier gauge on board with a depth gauge in the end of it?
Together with a coarse ( bastard file ) and a smooth cut file?
Any crew members who think the vernier is an adjustable spanner should be told otherwise.
Still remember those hours and hours at the bench with the job in the vice attempting to file flat so you pass the straight edge test?
Reckon you can still do it? ( file flat that is )
If you are wondering what all of the foregoing relates to I have over here monies riding on bets taken as to how deep those flame damaged parent metal exhaust faces are.
Owing to the length of time the blowing has gone on for I bet you have a channel marking in one or more
of the four joint faces.
So your simple stop, strip, emery up the faces could be maybe a drill and tap out job and a few hours back on the old file.
When stripped please let me know the depth measurements in feet and inches and not Mickey Mouse measurements ( MM ) as I am a prominent member of the fight the metric measurement club over here.
Remember the liner flame ring damage caused by running the engine on with the headgasket sealing ring gone?
Blew a channel across the flame ring necessitating a liner change.
( see my earlier postings re this )
If really bad the block face could also be damaged ( Mr Belzona jobby )
Cut you in on my winnings if you come up with the right depth figure )
I'm awaiting.

[Curt233]

Well I'd love to get you all that, and to do the job. This boat doesn't sit for more than 3-4 hours at a time. When it's at the dock, the boss will tell me it's not worth it. The actual leaks are not out of the heads at all. They are all tight. The leaks have progressively gotten worse on the exhaust pipping them selves after the turbos to the silencers. I was looking at them last night. As for filing, yes I'm still good at it, since it was driven into my head when I was in the Navy.

[Curt233]

Sorry reread your post. Yes I'm sure the flanges are quite gouged out from the leaks that have been persistent. I'm putting it on the list again to see what comes of it.

[Merlyn]

Sounds more like an exhaust bandage wrap round job maybe.
Bandage and fire gum cement maybe that cures with heat?

[Curt233]

Ya there are some joints that aren't dealing, that's for sure.

[Merlyn]

Curt, just had a horrible thought re your exhaust blows now you mentioned piping.
Don't tell me you have that horrible flexible convoluted metal tubing/ trunking with the asbestos filled crimped over metal U sections interlocked and sprayed with galvanise?
You know the type, the maximum bendable radius is controlled by all the sections bottoming out on each other.
Repairs?
Mini flux A with its solid brass rod serrated throught its length with flux, the easiest of all to use just kicks off like two dissimilar magnetic poles.
Grind off the galvanise? Not possible even with a small grinderette as the material is waver thin.
MIG it?
Biggest birdshit ( and from a great height ) weld you ever saw.
Amps up, Amps down, still a bad mess.
The only way over this is out with the hacksaw and on with a new section.
Still encounter it from time to time on the smaller stuff, never ever managed a proper repair, only a get U home bodge.
It really is Kack

[Curt233]

No, all the piping from what I have seen is all solid steel piping. No flex piping. All the asbestos was taken off in the late 80's. I'll take note of your get home joby.

[Merlyn]

Well , all I can say in conclusion is try not to look on the black side of things.
Humour over here that means " don't look in the mirror " when you come up after being down below.

[Curt233]

Haha

[Big Pete]

Hi Curt 233,
I am sorry to hear about the the State of your ship, if you can't get the owner to maintain the ship in a safe condition to work on board, I would find another job and then tell Transport Canada etc about the problems.
You could be seriously damaging your long term health. "Vote with your feet" as we say over here.
I am surprised that there isn't some sort of flexible expansion piece in the exhaust line after the Turbo, the expansion in the exhaust line from cold to full power is considerable, I don't think that I have ever seen a Marine Engine of any size or type without one. Sometimes the bellows pieces are enclosed in a sleeve that is welded to the flange at one end and free to expand at the other. You can usually find the expansion piece easily because the bore is the same but the outside diameter is larger. If there isn't an expansion joint I should imagine that the repeated stress would cause cracking in the exhaust pipe due to metal fatigue.
Good Luck, and if you can't fix it, get the Hell out, and if you don't tell Transport Canada about the problem, you will be putting your replacements health at risk because so long as he is working there he won't be able to "Shop" the owner either.

BP

[Curt233]

There is a flexible bellows after the turbos. From what I have seen, it seems every gasket is leaking. Yes long term health is an issue. Which is why I don't spend any time down there at all, unless we are shut down for short oeriod of time while we are off loading, or loading. I would love to get out of here, but with only a 4th class ticket, it's pretty difficult to find another job. Thanks for thoughts.

[Merlyn]

Further thoughts on your continuing black looks you may well inadvertently be giving folks I reckon you are going to have to get out those old short trousers you wore all those years ago and get back to school and get some tickets.
I am not aware of the modus operandi over there but I am sure it will be somewhat of a parity to over here in UK perhaps.
Get with PV/T remains a constant and all the rest of it.
You can do it on line here but I am not familiar with how exactly that is done but it's all on the net.
Just think, when you get your tickets you can then send someone else down below to report on the excessive exhaust smoke emmission in the engineroom.
Bet you already have a suitable subject in mind already? A