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Can anyone tell me what brand of dripless shaft seal I have?


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I hope I'm even asking the right question....

Last week I noticed my center bilge pump in my 2014 Axis A24 coming on a couple times during the day, which it has hardly ever done before.  So upon further inspection I found that the water supply tube to the dripless shaft seal was crimped (the whole seal had rotated over and crimped the supply line against the bottom of the bilge).  The supply line had worn a hole in it and started leaking slowly into the bottom of the bilge.  I have only had the boat about a year so and I don't know how long that supply line has been crimped.  Anyway, I loosened up the hose clamps on the seal, rotated it 180 degrees, reinstalled the supply line, and retightened the 3 hose clamps.  Took it to the lake yesterday to test it out.  No leak with the boat just sitting in the water.  No leak with the engine running,  and the boat idling around (had my wife drive us around slowly while I watched the driveshaft spinning in the seal).  no leak on acceleration or sustained cruising.  However, on deceleration, there was a little leak that came out the front of the seal.  It wasn't a huge amount- just an ounce or 2.  Interestingly, the shaft seems to move in and out within that seal about 1/4" when either accelerating or decelerating.  But I am not sure if that is normal or if that means my shaft seal is worn from lack of cooling/lubrication from the crimped tube which has been crimped for who knows how long.  Then, when I pulled the boat out of the water, I noticed a fair amount of water kept draining from around the driveshaft where it goes through the hull.  I assume this is because the water supply line to the shaft seal comes from the heat exchanger and all that water from the exchanger takes a while to drain down and out.  Anyone know if this is true?  I have never paid attention before, and I'm not sure if it is normal to have water draining from the driveshaft/hull area for 5 minutes after pulling the boat out and getting up onto level ground. 

My bigger question is this:  How would I find out which brand of shaft seal Axis installed in my boat originally?  I want to look it up and find out what all is involved in replacing it so that I know what and how to do it in the future.  If it's not a terrible job, I would consider doing it now for peace of mind.  I am headed to Lake Powell in about 3 weeks and I am always trying to do everything I can to prevent problems while at Lake Powell....   I am guessing that the worst part about the job is separating the driveshaft from the coupler.

Edited by atropine
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  • 1 year later...

I have a 2014 A24 also and this is my first season. The boat runs great and we really enjoy surfing, but it have been taking on scary amounts of water while sitting at the dock (like 6-8+ inches in the center bilge) so I’ve pulled the boat out for now. The engine compartment stays dry until the water level crests that divide between the center  and rear compartments, then the water level gets even higher, I assume because the weight of the water pulls the boat down further.  Like I said... it’s scary.  Yesterday i manually bilged it dry and then it had about 4” in less than 8 hours when a I checked again.  

 I’m trying to diagnose the problem to see if it’s DIY before involving the dealer for repairs. 
when I pulled it out today I noticed gallons of water pouring out from where the shaft meets the hull too. 10-15 mins of draining before the water stopped. 
Any recommendations or guidance is EXTREMELY appreciated. 

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Really depends where the leak is coming from. Do you see the shaft seal dripping while the boat is sitting in the water?

The shaft seal can be DIY'd but it's a pain the butt. It's difficult to fit tools in that space, and you there are a few tricks to getting it done. I installed a Glide seal and it worked very well. It was just a pain in the a**. If you're not mechanically inclined, and not prepared to hack up tools and "make it work", just take it to a dealer or independent boat mechanic and have it done. It's really solid peace of mind.

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Thanks @Boardjnky4.  I’m pretty handy with general tools but not specific to mechanical engines. I’m contacting my not-so-local Axis dealer to see about timing of service.  Don’t want to lose anymore sleep thinking about my A24 at the bottom of the lake!  
Happy surfing! 

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17 hours ago, RyGuyCPA said:

Thanks @Boardjnky4.  I’m pretty handy with general tools but not specific to mechanical engines. I’m contacting my not-so-local Axis dealer to see about timing of service.  Don’t want to lose anymore sleep thinking about my A24 at the bottom of the lake!  
Happy surfing! 

So the difficult part is that you need to separate the shaft from the coupler, and it's pressed on. You have to unbolt the coupler from the trans, slide it back and then get a socket onto the nut holding the shaft to the coupler. The space is so tight that usually a normal sized socket and ratchet doesn't fit. I got a fairly slim 1/2" ratchet from the store, then had to use an angle grinder to grind down the socket and get it to fit into that space. THEN, you need to sandwich a smaller socket in between the shaft and the transmission flange, then get some longer bolts and bolt the coupler back to the transmission flange and tighten all the bolts down to press the shaft out of the coupler. Once all of that is apart, it's easy to swap out the shaft seal. That's the hard part. And again, it's a tight space and difficult to get your hands and tools in there.

  • Like 1
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2 minutes ago, boardjnky4 said:

So the difficult part is that you need to separate the shaft from the coupler, and it's pressed on. You have to unbolt the coupler from the trans, slide it back and then get a socket onto the nut holding the shaft to the coupler. The space is so tight that usually a normal sized socket and ratchet doesn't fit. I got a fairly slim 1/2" ratchet from the store, then had to use an angle grinder to grind down the socket and get it to fit into that space. THEN, you need to sandwich a smaller socket in between the shaft and the transmission flange, then get some longer bolts and bolt the coupler back to the transmission flange and tighten all the bolts down to press the shaft out of the coupler. Once all of that is apart, it's easy to swap out the shaft seal. That's the hard part. And again, it's a tight space and difficult to get your hands and tools in there.

The 2 authorized repair shops within 4 hours of my boat are backed up for 2+ weeks with jobs.  They cant even fit my boat on their lot until further notice (so they say).  I am on their waiting lists, but my plan for now is as follows: 

Hook up the fake-a-lake and run it for a bit while inspecting everything to make sure the leak isn't "active" or a hose/line/tube issue.  Seeing as it takes on water mostly while just sitting I expect it to be shaft-related. 

Once I can be reasonably sure the leak isn't active, ballast or engine-related, I will fill the mid-bilge area with a few inches and see where the water pours out from.  Assuming it will be leaking through the hull around the prop shaft then I can focus my attention there. 

Skidim.com has been very helpful via email and asked for a pic of the shaft seal (which I wont have until tomorrow at the earliest).  Because it is a drip-less shaft seal and therefore can't just be re-packed, what are the chances it requires an adjustment or tightening and not a full replacement?  What else should I focus on around that area that might be loose or not sealed properly?  Mounting hardware?  Plates?  Other?

Any idea of the OEM size, part number or details of the shaft seal?  I cant find a good repair manual or info about Malibu's original dripless shaft seal for the 2014 Axis A24 (or drive shaft size, etc...).  Just hedging my bets about ordering parts ASAP versus waiting to see.  I have accepted that this weekend will be a bust, but really want to be on the lake for 7/4.  

One thing I just remembered... The transport company that delivered the boat to me in Illinois (from Texas) had a flat tire on the trailer along the way.  I had him replace all 4 tires at that time.  There was some damage to the trailer fenders from the flat but I didn't see any visible damage to the hull, prop or shaft.  Could that event have loosened the mounting hardware or something similar?  The prior owner is a stand-up guy and he said he never had this problem, but he also didn't keep the boat in the water.  Just trying to provide as much info as I can about the circumstances and events to date.  

Also I had the prior owner in Texas winterize the boat in February at his marina prior to shipment.  I de-winterized it myself in Illinois in April with the help of a mobile mechanic near me.  

Thanks again for your input.  

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There is no way to tighten or adjust a dripless shaft seal. I wouldn't count on filling the bilge with water to really indicate a true positive or negative on shaft seal. Best bet is to drop the boat in the water and look for water dripping out of the seal. Is there a lake nearby?

There also is no OEM part # for a shaft seal that you need. You simply need a shaft seal for a 1 1/8" shaft. Glide is hands down the best. I got mine from Ski Dim, so they should be able to help you.

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Also, here is ski dim's instructions are here:

http://skidim.blogspot.com/ . Again, just note that it's not as accessible on a v-drive as it is in a direct-drive, so it's going to be harder than what they show. As noted in the blog post, ski dim sells slim sockets to make life easier.

This is the part you need. https://www.bakesonline.com/glide-drip-less-shaft-seal-kit-for-1-1/8-inch-shafts-1-1.html (didn't see it on ski dim's website)

Edited by boardjnky4
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  • 1 month later...

Having a similar problem with mine on 2014 Axis t22.  Noticed it yesterday and checking out  now to see if it’s a simple hose clamp problem or failed shaft seal.  A couple questions:

1). How often should we consider replacing it for regular maintenance or is it just something to replace If/when it fails?

2). What other problems could I have if it’s been leaking for 50-100 hours?  We have had mystery water in the bilge for 50-100 hours and finally was able to track this down yesterday to the shaft seal under surfing load (no drips at idle or low rpm).

 

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Just took a look and tightened up all the clamps and now going out for the water test.  Hose from the tranny cooler is definitely linked and it looks like the whole dripless shaft seal has turned clockwise at some point from original install.  The hoseclamps on the seal part are on the bottom between the shaft and the hull, so I’m assuming it rotates because I don’t k ow how the heck anyone could tighten those things at the angle they are and I think it’s what kinked the line.  New boat for me, got it in June, so not sure on original owners history.  

778788B3-5135-4ADA-8665-284AC2C9AB04.jpeg

40F86688-F9D6-413C-B845-8B3A9E69B32F.jpeg

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  • 2 months later...

That's the same dripless (until recently) shaft seal I have.  It is from marine hardware.  Mine is leaking at the front seal.  I am planning to replace with the Glide or OJ Flex gland.

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  • 1 year later...
LouisianaAxis

2017 Axis A22

Shaft Seal - 3418151.1
Water Impeller - RP061022
Drive Belt Replacement # R066033

Water Impeller change instructions:

Take two bolts off in back for cover. Pull it back towards rear of boat, then push down to get off (2 pins holding it in)
15mm socket off to relieve Tensioner. Take belt off.
3 long 10mm with extension bolts then take housing off. Mark the housing cause it has to go on same way.

Engine monsoon 409 6 liter
Model 12-652VC-02
Serial 770052

Oil 15w40
8-9 quarts
Oil filter 302/351 - R077001
Wix 51515

 

Alternator Upgrade (Stock is 95 amp, upgraded for sound system that is pulling over 300 amps)
ALTERNATORS | HP-B7127-3-320A-6GPULLEY
Order ID : 12582 | Transaction ID : 63821556259

Note :  Must upgrade wire size from alternator to batteries!!! 

AWG(mm²)Copper

2/0-175 amp rating

3/0-200 amp rating

4/0-230 amp rating


Prop ~ $780
ACME Serial # 1-888661
2277 1"1/8 shaft. Diameter 15"/15&3/4" pitch (General use prop, if want bigger wake with less speed, go with 13" pitch)
https://www.wakemakers.com/collections/propellers?filter.p.m.product.sku=64006 or 

https://www.propshoptn.com/

Prop Repair - Tennessee Propeller ($230)

Online manual for Crusader Challenger Series 2017 Engine:
http://challengerengines.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/2017-Challenger-Owners-Manual-min.pdf

Fuel pump
Malibu boats pn: 3020516.2
Millennium industries pn:3616-01

Fault code 169620
Fmi 4
(Knock Sensor)

Fault code 1
SPN 94
FMI 1
(Fuel issue)

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