Rebuilding outboard hydraulic steering cylinder

[JOE L]

Anyone ever replace the seals in an outboard steering cylinder. I was going to try it this weekend on a hynautic K-10 cylinder. Any advice? Thanks

[prockvoan]

Changing out the seals,be it inboard or outboard cylinders is not hard to do.If your hynautic system is one that has air pressure on the system,bleed it off first.Follow the instructions that come with the seal kit.If the system is leaking there,you might want to replace the seals at the helm too!Its no big deal to do that too!Just $25 more and some more oil,you will lose some.

[abfish]

A few comments based on dealing with hydraulic cylinders on construction equipment: make sure the cylinder rod is in good condition with no scratches or pitted chrome. If the rod is in bad condition, the new seals will fail in no time. We generally find it to be more economical to replace smaller cylinders, such as steering cylinders, than to pay someone to re-seal them. If your doing the work yourself, and the seals are reasonably priced, and the rod is in good condition, you may save some dough by re-sealing.