hydraulic steering - The Hull Truth

catdawg · 03-06-2005, 09:44 AM

I have a 266 worldcat. The steering is Sea Star and goes from the helm to two separate cylinders for the engines. We have had increasing problems with air or poor steering. In the past we have been able to bleed each cylinder and regain most of the performance. Recently the steering got worse and after purging the lines once, we repeated the process. When we did the steering wheel got locked. The starboard cylinder was stuck all the way to starboard and the wheel lost control of return. I could go the other way but it would not move the cylinder. Is this a helm pump issue or is it still in the cylinder. THe bled material out of the cylinder was clean and after releasing the valves on the cylinder we could manual move the cylinder. What's up? Does it seem like a helm issue?

horseradish · 03-06-2005, 11:17 AM

I don't think you're bleeding the cylinders correctly. My twins share one cylinder but as you've got two you probably have twice the chance of leaving an bubble somewhere in the system. While you have two cylinders you still have one pump and reservoir and somewhere there's a bubble.

Get (1) several lengths of 5/16" (you may need 3/8&quot

fuel hose , (2) some good adjustable injector/hose clamps*(3) a full qt. bottle of SeaStar fluid (don't be cheap and buy anything else!) and (4) the tubing kit to connect the bottle to the SeaStar threaded* reservoir fill.

Connect the bleed valves together with the hose (I don't know why you couldn't "cross connect" the two cylinders?) and open the bleed valves. Connect the full bottle of fluid*to the reservoir and have someone hold the bottle upside down. Start cranking the wheel full left then full right until bubbles stop coming up into the bottle. When they stop, close the valves, remove all hoses and you're ready to go!*

Harry Brosofsky · 03-06-2005, 11:38 AM

There is only one correct way to bleed the cat steering and that is in accordance with the Worldcat instructions. Don't use the Teleflex instructions because on some models Worldcat reverses the routing of the lines. When I swapped all my steering compnonent out, I set mine up like Teleflex recommends...previously it was not the same and if I had followed Teleflex's directions, it would not have been possible to bleed the steering.

If you are having a very hard helm, you may not have the bleed screw open enougn, the alignment valve opened, you may be using the wrong instructions or you may have introduced more air into the helm.

Doing as Horseradish recommends will not remove all the air (trust me, I tried it

). It may work on a single cylinder setup, but does not work on our cat setups.

Harry

Mud Runner · 03-06-2005, 01:01 PM

Aside from the other good info yo've already gotten, I found that Seastar steering does not hold seals very long.* Take a white rag and wipe around the shaft where it goes into the cylinder.* I couldn't see any leak*but found that the shaft seal leaked and air got in.* The result was sloppy and loose steering.* I would bleed it and go out OK but later it would be the same.* Since I replaced the seal (which is easy), all is normal.* Good luck.*

catdawg · 03-06-2005, 03:17 PM

Harry I follow the world cat instructions, I don't use the telex ones. I'm just not sure this time. Maybe we did not have the bleed valve open or maybe the bleed valve is the issue. I've done this a dozen or so times over five years but have never had the steering lock. Remember we could move it manually but only with the valves open. As far as the release in the center of the inspection plate that is not the issue.