2004 Sailfish Hydraulic Steering Question

[Legend]

I notice some hrdraulic fluid on the deck under the helm area - When I removed the cap on the sterring column I filled the resevoir to the top and then notice another ounce or two of drips on floor. It appeared to be coming out from behind the glass where the wheel is mounted - is it possible to overfill the resevoir or is there a seal tha may be broken - The wheel is a tilt one. Thanks for any thoughts

 

[Daman858]

You may have a leaking seal on the helm pump. You can get a replacement seal kit here.
http://www.teleflexmarine.com/support-2 ... helm-pump/

 

[BobP]

Can try to snub up the hydraulic line connections firts to be sure it's not there.

 

[grady33]

Leaking seal or two sounds like. Replaced mine earlier this year. Had to bleed the lines a few times afterwards. The grady dealer has a pump that does it and forces fluid through the line and then collects it and filters it so it isn't wasted. It might be easier to remove the helm pump to make all the changes. Tight squeeze when we did it and wished we would have gone ahead and removed etire pump.

 

[reelserious]

You asked if it is possible to overfill......the answer is yes. If you do overfill, when it gets hot in the helm (especially if you have the enclosure closed) the fluid will expand, be forced out the vented cap and end up running down the back side of the unit due to gravity.

 

[Legend]

Thanks everyone - I've checked the lines and they are all snug - the leaks occured last weekend and it was pretty cool so it probably was not from the heat - I will check this weekend, but I am leaning toward it being a seal issue - Bet removing that Steering wheel fro the post is going to be a lot of fun since it has not been off since it was new in 2004!

 

[grady33]

Good luck. I broke 2 steering wheel removers trying to get my wheel off. Finally a super duper one + two hours of sweat worked! Lets hope you have an easier time with it. Replacing that seal is fairly easy. It was the back one that had a ton of screws and is a pain in the A--.

 

[wdlfbio]

You can get avaition hydraulic fluid much cheaper from a local airport. I paid $36 for the gallon H5606A was the spec for it. Nice thing (other than sooo much cheaper) is it was red (not sure if they all are that way). But, it makes finding leaks very, very easy.

As long as you're gonna bleed the whole system, might as well add an autopilot to it now too.... 8)

 

[dduflo]

I bought a gallon of Aeroshell 41 MIL-PRF 560H from www.aerocraftspruce.com 877-477-7823 for $30 plus shipping.
I also carry on board a set of Tube Wrenches I got from Sears. They make it much easier to get a better grip on those very hard to reach fittings. Also in the tool box are extra fittings you can get at Home Depot, PVC cutters and hydrolic fluid. A few years ago I lost my stearing when a fitting let loose and it is virtually impossible to stear from the stern

 

[Legend]

Actually lucked out on this one - when I got it open I could see that there was no leak - the drips were the result of overfilling and the fluid running down the back of the steering whell wall - once in a while you win and easy fix!

 

[grady33]

I would replace the front seal since it will probably start leaking soon at some point soon. Cheap fix and will buy you another several years.

 

[GW VOYAGER]

I would make sure the cap is vented before I would change any seals. I went through this about a 18 months ago and replaced the seals just to find out I still had a leak. Turnes out the vented cap was plugged
building pressure and forceing the fluid out. Bought a new cap and problem solved.

 

[Legend]

That is a great point - the leak may have been caused by too much pressure - when I took the cap off this past weekend I did notice a little pressure release when it open - For a few bucks it is worth it