Lost Steering

[Keith_274]

I believe I am low on power steering fluid and asking for input on clearing air and or refilling.

Today I was out on my 1998 Tournament 225 which has a Yahama 2016 200 HP engine, in the afternoon and everything was fine with the steering wheel and engine. Went to move boat back to mooring ball before dark and when I went to turn engine, it would not move. I could turn the steering wheel to the right but engine would not rotate. When I tried turning to left, it would make about four turns of wheels and lock up. Either way the engine would not turn. Not sure if I have air in the system. It appears the power steering fluid box, (in cabin right under steering wheel) is about half full and I believe I have a leak. A small amount of red fluid was sitting on top of can in corner of cabin which is right in front of steering wheel.

I was going to get some Sea Star power steering fluid. What is the best way to add to the system?

Thanks,

Keith

 

[Hookup1]

I'm not aware of power steering on smaller boats. Also SeaStar fluid is yellow. It's possible someone filled it with ATF which is red. Also, I have not seen a reservoir installed but it's possible. This is my experience...

Remove the screw in cap on the helm station. Use a small squeeze bottle to add fluid. Slowly turn the wheel one way and slowly back. Burp the air out. Add more fluid. Hopefully you didn't get any air into the lines otherwise you will have to bleed it. Usually though no air gets in.

Check the hoses at the well in the back and the ram. Check under the helm and on the floor for evidence of leaking. I use paper towels tywrapped in place to help troubleshoot leaks.

I had a slow leak for a while. I kept the my fill bottle in a plastic bag at the helm. Checked it and topped it off when needed.

 

[Keith_274]

I'm not aware of power steering on smaller boats. Also SeaStar fluid is yellow. It's possible someone filled it with ATF which is red. Also, I have not seen a reservoir installed but it's possible. This is my experience...

Remove the screw in cap on the helm station. Use a small squeeze bottle to add fluid. Slowly turn the wheel one way and slowly back. Burp the air out. Add more fluid. Hopefully you didn't get any air into the lines otherwise you will have to bleed it. Usually though no air gets in.

Check the hoses at the well in the back and the ram. Check under the helm and on the floor for evidence of leaking. I use paper towels tywrapped in place to help troubleshoot leaks.

I had a slow leak for a while. I kept the my fill bottle in a plastic bag at the helm. Checked it and topped it off when needed.

thank you, I will try that.

 

[Parthery]

That powering steering box in the console is the trim tab pump. It's not connected at all to your hydraulic steering.

You likely have a leak somewhere. Open the round cap on the top of the helm and top off the fluid. See if that brings your steering back.

 

[seasick]

Filling and bleeding the hydraulic steering system is not as simple as many suggest. There are instructions on the Seastar web site for the process. Not only do you need fluid, you need the fill port adapter and hose that screws onto the bottle ( you will need a spare bottle since you have to make a pin hole in the bottom of the fill bottle. The bleeding process is a two person job. If you such the fill bottle dry while turning the wheel of when opening the bleed valves, you have to start over. When done, the level in the reservoir (attached to the front of the helm unit should be about 3/8 inch below the lip. If you fill too full, in warm weather the oil will expand out into the vent cap and leak down your dash. No big deal, just a bit messy. That seeping fluid does not generally mean the helm is leaking but it could if the wheel shaft seal is shot.

 

[Fishtales]

Some things to check
- the sea star power assist unit has less on it. Ensure it is green. If red check the fuses I believe 30amp near the battery. If still red there are 40a fuses in the unit itself. I’ve had fuses blow if I hit the stops hard. So when driving avoid the stops if you can. Boat will still steer if the unit goes out but it will be harder.
- get the sea star bleed kit off Amazon or boat store if you can. Get sea star fluid. Keep both on the boat going forward.
- add fluid and bleed working the wheel back and forth stop to stop. This will work out most of the air. You may have to bleed at the motors too but you should get steering back at the helm. There are good instructions in the manual on how to bleed. CN get off the net if you don’t have. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Hookup1]

When the fluid gets a little low the air interferes with the valves in the helm. As long as it doesn't get too low filling and moving it back and forth will usually work (at least it has on my boat). If you let it go too far or it is a serious leak you will get air in the lines. At that point you have to fix the leak and bleed the system - which is a royal pain!

 

[Keith_274]

Thanks for everyone's great input and help. I bought a quart of SeaStar steering fluid and the marine store suggested using a small funnel to add fluid to the fill right behind the wheel to see if that gets the engine to start turning again. It didn't take much more than a few ounces but it did need some so that solved the immediate problem as you all said it would. I will watch the videos on the SeaStar webite and try bleeding it at some point to make sure there is no air in there.

 

[blindmullet]

Get the fill hose kit or make your own. Use the 2 person method in the bleeding instructions on the Seastar site. Doing it by yourself takes a lot longer because you can't pin the motor to one side. You can also make a one person bleeding system, were both nipples on the ram go to a tee that deposits fluid in container you are filling from. Again, takes much longer.

 

[Hookup1]

As I said - bleeding the system is a pain. You may not need to do it now. If the steering is smooth in both directions all the way to the stops I wouldn't bother. Get a small flip-top bottle and keep some SeaStar fluid near the helm. Check it before you go out. The bottle is much easier than a funnel for topping off.

Before bleeding you should first look for the leak. I would put some paper towels under the helm unit and around the steering ram - both ends. Find the leak and fix it before bleeding.

There are procedures for one-man-bleeding on the internet and on this site. That is the way to go. You hang a bottle of SeaStar fluid like an IV bottle over the helm connected to the fill port. You need a piece of clear hose to "jumper" the bleeders on the ram. The idea is to turn/push the ram to one side, open both bleeders and turn the wheel. This will pump air free fluid thru the one hose and the ram. Close both bleeders. Move the ram to the other side and repeat. This will get all the air out of the cylinder and hoses. Make sure you don't run out of fluid at the helm and bring air back in. This method recirculated the steering fluid.