Grease flying everywhere ?

[RobD527]

I have grease flying out of the shaft. I've never seen this application but it looks like there are 2 rubber boots that are clamped on the shaft and the shaft spins in them. It only happened at high RPMs

I think the boot was not crimped hard enough and it's letting the grease out. That's my guess

If I'm wrong or right please tell me

[Lepke]

Many boats have a light metal shield. shaped like a U with feet, over shaft grease points. You could be using too much grease or greasing too often.

[Sailmonkey]

Looks like you’ve got a python drive with failed seals.

http://www.pythondrive.com/

[RobD527]

Originally Posted by Lepke

Many boats have a light metal shield. shaped like a U with feet, over shaft grease points. You could be using too much grease or greasing too often.

I just bought the boat. It was a charter boat from the moorings so I don't know the maintenance history

[RobD527]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

Looks like you’ve got a python drive with failed seals.

Pythondrive The ideal flexible and vibration-free drive unit

That's exactly what it looks like! Thank you I will try to contact the manufacturer and figure out what can fail on it

[boatman1]

Looks like a superb installation - a thrust bearing which allows the equivalent of a universal joint for the engine/transmission to drive shaft connection. Hopefully you can get specs from the manufacturer. Can’t have grease flying all over the place, but with a new seal or boot it should be a real smoothly operating system.

[sailormed]

+1 This is really a quality installation. The thrust from the drive shaft is nearly always transferred to the hull by the engine supports. With this setup the thrust is transferred through the Python drive and the engine supports only have to cope with the engine vibrations and torque.

[johnn33]

Other possibilities
Aquadrive possibly not available in USA https://www.walterscheid-group.com/the-aquadrive/
Vetus https://www.vetus.com/en/stern-gear-...couplings.html
John

[Copacabana]

Looks like an Aquadrive (photo 2) that is missing the rubber bellows that keeps the grease in the unit. Try to take a few more photos if you can to help identify the unit. In photo 2 it looks a lot like my Aquadrive.

Agree with others that you have a quality installation.

[RobD527]

The rubber bellows are there. It looks like it is clamped around the shaft and I think it wasn't clamped hard enough. I would have to cut the clamp off because it's just a crimp clamp and put another one on (without cutting up the rubber)

There might be a fine line between too tight and too loose. I left the boat in the Dominican going back In a few weeks so I can't take more pics now. I will follow up with the fix

[skipperpete]

Originally Posted by RobD527

The rubber bellows are there. It looks like it is clamped around the shaft and I think it wasn't clamped hard enough. I would have to cut the clamp off because it's just a crimp clamp and put another one on (without cutting up the rubber)

There might be a fine line between too tight and too loose. I left the boat in the Dominican going back In a few weeks so I can't take more pics now. I will follow up with the fix

Mackboring in the US shows em in their catalog, if that’s where you are, give them a call.
Mechanics have a habit of putting a screwdriver between the head of the Allen screw and the thin metal housing that has the soft “rubber” seal to rotate the propeller shaft.....this often punctures the seal housing.