Hyd. Steering tools

T

tsturm

Active member
https://marinetech.com/ Bought a Seastar bleeder kit from these
guys for a whopping $28.00 Works fantastic :wink:

Check out some of their utube vids on seastar seal replacement , trim & tilt cylinder rebuild. Great tools, Great video & great info. :thup
 
mine was low on fluid, and steering seemed wanderery. I filled a little, ran wheel lock to lock slowly a few times, topped off, repeat. It quit taking any more after about 4 tablespoons. Seems to work great now. Is it likely I bled it?
 
Scuppers":frr7pqc2 said:
mine was low on fluid, and steering seemed wanderery. I filled a little, ran wheel lock to lock slowly a few times, topped off, repeat. It quit taking any more after about 4 tablespoons. Seems to work great now. Is it likely I bled it?
Click to expand...

Easy check is, how far you can move the wheel in either direction before the motor moves. Without any air in the system when you move the wheel at all the motor moves. Where did the fluid go that you replaced? I would check the seals at either end of the steering cylinder for any oil, also the shaft the wheel is attached to. :thup
 
Most boat hydraulic steering units will loose very small amounts of fluid. If the seals are bad, you should be able to see a leak. I recently had to rebuild my ram seals. The leak was not noticeable at first. I have a feeling that the motor moving when trailering is an issue--forcing pressure back against the seals. I had been keeping the motor all of the way on one side while trailering, after I discovered the minor leak .

When there was enough fluid loss to be really noticeable, with the steering usually the leak is noticeable. I have helms leak and replaced those seals also. Both are fairly easy to do. For the ram, you have to have the correct pin wrench (or make one). The helm, a wheel puller is often necessary.

I have a set of rubber blocks to keep the motor centered and from moving when trailered now.
 
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