Water pump packing

[Rock2001]

I have a bit of a leak on a Super M water pump at the tip. I guess the packing is not doing the job anymore. I was looking online and if I understand what I need, I see that a piece of packing is about $25 and you need 3 of them? Really, $75 to repair it? Is that right? Is there any cheaper option for packing rope?
Also while I'm confident this is a bad idea (I don't even know the history of the pump) is there any chance I could just tighten the packing nut and have it seal?

Thanks

 

[wore out]

I have a bit of a leak on a Super M water pump at the tip. I guess the packing is not doing the job anymore. I was looking online and if I understand what I need, I see that a piece of packing is about $25 and you need 3 of them? Really, $75 to repair it? Is that right? Is there any cheaper option for packing rope?
Also while I'm confident this is a bad idea (I don't even know the history of the pump) is there any chance I could just tighten the packing nut and have it seal?

Thanks

One would start by greasing the water pump, then snug the packing nut down a bit and a bit more after running the engine 'til the leak stops.

If the packing nut is "bottomed out", undo it and insert a couple of wraps of graphited packing from the plumbing department at a hardware or big box store.

Repeat as necessary to stop the leak without the nut bottomed out.

 

[Rock2001]

I've looked at the hardware store previously and the only packing I've seen is around 3/32 width. What size would I be looking for?

 

[MM-TX]

I got some at a belt/pulley/pump supply house. I don't remember what size. I walked in with the old in my hand. They had several sizes. We matched it to what we figured it used to be. IHS5686 Water Pump Packing says it is 0.330" thick. Like @wore out says you can probably just add some of the smaller plumbing packing. You just need enough volume in there to be able to tighten down the nut without bottoming it out.

 

[caterpillar guy]

You just wind in enough of the packing so it tightens up and has some more adjustment for future tightening. IT may need more tightening after you put it back together where the new additional needs to settle in some depending on how much you have to add. Your goal is to be about half way in with your packing nut then you can just tighten it a bit more later if it seeps in a few years. was made to be adjustable like that.