Hydraulic steering leak

J

Jeanie P

New member
Until now, I have had no warranty problems. I just discovered a small leak in the hydraulic steering of my 2006 22 C-Dory. Nothing big, just a few drops that ran down the v-berth wall.

I called Frank Walters in th C-Dory factory warranty dept. and left a message.

Has anyone had any experience with this kind of problem ? Did you correct it yourself and, if so, how hard was it?

I have no info on the hydraulic steering except that it came standard on my boat new.

Allan
 
Funny you should mention it! Ha ha - I have been posting on my steering challenges for a few weeks.

So far my warranty experience has been just fine. I'm supposed to pick up my boat tomorrow after round 2 of an attempted fix. Teleflex wanted to figure out if the source of the leak was a bad (or non-existent bleed), bad pistons introducing air, or a bad helm pump. The shop has been testing for item 2 this week. I will run it to see if the fluid sprays out again. If yes it will require a helm pump replacement.

In my case, fluid sprays out when I make way in reverse. Somehow there is a back pressure that blows out some fluid.

Have you figured out when the fluid leaks out or did you just notice fluid on the floor? If no, see if there is anything you do under normal operating conditions that makes it come out. (Turning back and forth, making way in reverse, etc.)

Greg Mitchell has been the steering tech support rep at Teleflex with my issues.

Good luck. Carry some spare fluid in case you have a bad leak mid-voyage. In one instance I lost a lot of fluid and struggled with the steerage getting back to port.
 
Mine will ooze some out the vented fill cap at the helm and run down the v-berth wall during the summer time. I just replace the tiny amount lost in the fall. Expansion is the culprit most likely. Just wipe it all off and verify it's coming out of the vent/fill cap on top.
 
I find that a little of that orange extract hand cleaner on a wet sponge does a great job of cleaning up the fluid spillage and leaves a much nicer smell in the cabin than the smell of the hyd. fluid.

Chris
 
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