Seastar Seal Replacement

[journey on]

I just got through replacing the hydraulic cylinder seals on Journey On’s Seastar steering. This post is as much for me if I have to do it again, as to assure others that it’s an easy thing to do. Journey On will celebrate her 9th birthday (OK, build day,) this summer, so some things need maintenance.

So, if the question is why, the answer is that there was a discussion on Baystar vs Seastar and several mentioned that they had blown seals on their Seastar unit. So, Journey On’s steering needed bleeding and I didn’t want any surprises this summer. At least in the steering dept.

I ordered the Seastar Seal Kit HS5157, which includes seals, pin wrench and guide for $83 and it arrived complete with instructions and an assortment of small o-rings.

This picture shows the seal as well as the nuts and arm one has to remove. Looks straightforward and it was.


First I replaced the seal, and they came out and went in without any trouble since the supplied tools did their job. Next, I bled the steering. I have the Seastar Fill Kit ( HO5438, $16,) which consists of a piece of hose with a bottle cap on one end and a fitting for the fill port on the helm. I also had enough on the MIL-spec fluid to do the bleeding per the procedure in the Seastar installation manual. Two comments. First and most important, if you have a clean can one can dump the fluid form the cylinder bleed valve and reuse it. That way you only need 2 quarts of fluid and it isn’t cheap. Second, as to why it needed bleeding, I feel the temperature change from summer to winter (120F to 40F) shrunk the fluid volume so that the helm wasn’t filled to the proper level. Anyway, using the manual bleeding procedure, I now have a solid steering system.

The only problem is the fact that I'm not too coordinated and had several oil spills in the cabin, including a tasteful red stain on the helm seat. That fill hose kept coming apart on me and away we went.

References:
Seastar Manual
http://www.seastarsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/296784AT.pdf
For bleeding and checking helm oil level.

Seastar Seal Kit HS5157 Instructions:
http://www.seastarsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/120720-E.pdf

Boris

[Socrateur]

Boris - What kind of lubricant should be applied to the exposed piston shaft that slides into and out of the hydraulic seal? Is applying some hydraulic fluid sufficient?