Volvo Penta shaft seal replacement
As the launch cradle dropped us in, Bruce called out his usual, “All OK?” before disconnecting us from the slings. We’d splashed our Beneteau 381 after a lift and antifoul at Bruce’s yard in Faro this summer and I’d performed my usual dash below to check for any leaks and to burp the Volvo-type seal.
I noticed the shaft seal didn’t immediately stop dripping when I released it as it usually does, but as it did stop dripping after a few seconds it wasn’t a major concern. I made a mental note to grease it again and to keep an eye on it.
My engine is a Volvo Penta MD22 with an MSE2 gearbox and a shaft drive through a Volvo Penta dripless seal and a rubber cutless bearing – a system is commonly used on Beneteaus and other French boats.
The dripless seal is sold by Volvo Penta but is used on other boats for other engine combinations.
