The Boating Forum - steering issue

At higher speeds I have to turn the steering wheel many times to get the boat to turn. Then suddenly it will make a relatively sharp turn. I have been advised that i need to purge and replace the hydraulic steering fluid but am not convinced that this is the issue.

Any thoughts?

The first thing you need to do is check for leaks. If the system is full, bleed it, or better yet replace the fluid. How old is the fluid that is in the system?

The boat is a 2007 that I bought used in 2009, so I assume it is the original hydraulic fluid.

I have checked for leaks and found none. Going to bleed the system and replace the fluid over the weekend and hope this solves it.

The boat is a 2007 that I bought used in 2009, so I assume it is the original hydraulic fluid.

I have checked for leaks and found none. Going to bleed the system and replace the fluid over the weekend and hope this solves it.

It's definitly the cheapest thing to try before you start looking at parts replacement. Hydrolic fluid tends to get moisture and other contaminants that changes the fluid dynamics, causing it to not be effective. The same thing can happen in your break lines of a car, which is why a car with old fluid will have brakes that are not as effective.

What brand steering system do you have?

Think about what all is involved in your steering. A pump, lines and a ram. If you have to turn the wheel multiple times and then it makes a sharp turn... that sounds like the system is struggling to build pressure and then all of a sudden it gets a "burst" of line pressure. If there are no leaks, then I would start looking into the helm... is it having trouble pushing fluid? Then look into the ram... could it have a blown seal allowing fluid to pass by until it just hits a certain point and starts to move. Break it down into components and trouble shoot it that way.

I had the same problem a couple of weeks ago. I found a loose bleeder fitting. I refilled and bled the system several times...problem solved. Check youtube I found a video for bleeding seastar steering sytems and followed it. The fluid isn't cheap I paid $25 a quart.

What kind of boat,brand of system,how many rams, how many helms?
Also what is the speed?

I had the same problem a couple of weeks ago. I found a loose bleeder fitting. I refilled and bled the system several times...problem solved. Check youtube I found a video for bleeding seastar steering sytems and followed it. The fluid isn't cheap I paid $25 a quart.

If it's seastar, you could use most mil-spec H5606. Find a local airport or go online and buy it for under $28 a gallon or about $8 or $9 a quart

http://www.skygeek.com/royco-756-aircraft-hydraulic-fluid.html

http://www.skygeek.com/60421.html