Tayana VANCOUVER 42, Operation And Maintenance Manual, Page: 63 / 70

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The alignment is considered acceptable if there is a gap less than .005 inches per inch of
face diameter of the coupling (.002 for a four inch coupling, .0025 for a five inch coupling).
The feeler gauge is inserted between the flanges at four points 90 degrees apart. Then check
again keeping the engine coupling stationary and rotating the shaft coupling 90 degrees at a
time. This checks the squareness of the coupling face to the shaft centerline. The engine
alignment is adjusted by raising and lowering the adjusting nuts at each mount. To make
lateral adjustment, loosen the mounting pad screws that anchor the engine to the bed. You
will note there are slots in the mount pad which allow a reasonable amount of adjustment
side-to-side.
After adjusting and re-tightening all mount screws and lock nuts, double check the
alignment.
In the absence of a feeler gauge, the alignment can be checked fairly accurately with a strip
of paper. Insert the paper between the two halves of the outer flange and rotate both together
360 degrees. The paper should remain in place through the complete turn.
b. Transmission
Periodically check the oil level in the transmission and inspect the control cables for signs
of damage, chafing, corrosion, or loose fasteners. Lubricate the moving parts with spray
lubricant or light grease.
c. Stuffing Box
The gland (stuffing box) should be tightened at least once per month to see that no more
than one or two drops per minute flow in. If new packing is required, packing materials can
be purchased at any marine supply. Repacking requires about ten inches of 3/16 inch
material. (There is some discussion about what size and how long - Another said 1/4 inch
and three 6" turns.) Remove the nuts from the two retaining bolts that hold the collar in
place. Pull the collar up the shaft toward the engine. Water will flow in, but should be easily
controlled by your automatic bilge pump or the electric bilge pump. Remove any old packing
material with a hooked piece of coat hanger. Wrap the new packing material around the shaft
just in front of the gland. Pull the collar down the shaft so that it tends to push the new
packing material into the gland. Using the nuts on the retaining bolts, force the packing
material evenly into the gland and tighten until there is a water flow of only about one drop
per minute. Then install and tighten the locking nuts, as you would tighten the nuts on an
auto wheel, tightening nuts on opposite sides a turn at a time after they are finger tight.
Incidentally, the rudder has a packing gland/stuffing box too. It should be checked for leaks
as well as the steering quadrant, in general, as long as you have crawled back into that part of
the boat! Consider replacing the rudder’s packing every ten years or so. Check and grease the
steering quadrant pulleys and cables annually. If you are fortunate, your stuffing box may be
of the PYI type which is the accordion rubber appearing shaft seal which requires much less
maintenance. Most boats delivered within the last ten years or so have been fitted with this
type. Check your instruction book for details on it.