Hydraulic steering

[Basfis]

Has anyone put a seal kit (or had one put in) a SeaStar cylinder and/or helm unit? Non tilt helm, 200 on a tr20.  Really needs tight steering  

i have some softness. Do the lock to lock bleed idling out. I’d hate to call the oily film a leak but at the end of the day I am slowly gaining air and losing oil. 

Like to hear experiences, especially DIY. 

Wrench, I searched and saw your dislike of servicing and can appreciate your position. I’d like to hear your $.02 on biting the bullet and replacing the cylinder versus a seal kit. If I’m 80% likely to be unhappy with freshening the seals, I’d rather spend a little more and be done once. 

[fishinwrench]

What you have on the end caps is 2 O-rings, a scraper, and a vacuum seal (lip facing outward).  The scraper acts as both a scraper to keep bits of grit from getting to the outer o-ring, and a shim for the vacuum seal.  It is the same way that tilt/trim cylinders are constructed, but the difference is that tilt/trim rams are installed through the caps from the opposite direction during assembly, so the scraper can spread out of the way.

Where you run into trouble resealing steering rams is the edge of the ram has to be forced past the scraper...and only one in ten times will you get lucky and have it clear the scraper without chipping off a microscopic piece of it.  Without the scraper doing it's job 100% the O-rings are gonna be short lived.   This is why so many develop leaks, the factory that makes them can't do it consistently....and neither can I.

Steering is big-time important business, it's not to be tinkered with unless you know for certain that it all goes together like it needs to.  For pretty much the cost of parts&labor for me to reseal it until I'm 100% satisfied that I got lucky and the scraper didn't get a bite taken out of it, you can almost buy a new ram.....so when a leaky one comes in here I replace the whole ram assembly, it's the only option I'll offer.   They are a poorly designed hydraulic POS to begin with, and I'd rather the folks that manufacture them be responsible instead of ME.  

[Ranger520vx]

I just replaced the cylinder seals on my boat and the ones on a friend's boat last year pretty straight forward and easy to replace.

[fishinwrench]

5 minutes ago, Ranger520vx said:

I just replaced the cylinder seals on my boat and the ones on a friend's boat last year pretty straight forward and easy to replace.

The cap "seals" job is merely to keep air and water out.  The O-rings seated inside the end caps are what keep the system pressurized.  The scraper (behind the seal) protects the O-rings. 

[Basfis]

Are the scrapers Teflon or?  Something that warming would aid in the forgiveness during installation? I’ve warmed Teflon in hot water on other PIA seal arrangements to help.

Your description of the directionality makes sense. Hadn’t thought about that. They really don’t have much choice thinking about how it goes together  and probably have a cope at the factory to help. 

[Ranger520vx]

I replaced the seals and o-rings I bought the repair kit with the new end caps and o-rings. After reading your post I may have been better off getting a new cylinder. But installed mine last spring with a lot of run time since then and so far no leaks and steering is still tight.

[fishinwrench]

No they are a carbon fiber material.  Uneffected by heat, pressure, and every chemical known to man.    Their kryptonite is the edge of the cylinder ram 

[fishinwrench]

2 minutes ago, Ranger520vx said:

I replaced the seals and o-rings I bought the repair kit with the new end caps and o-rings. After reading your post I may have been better off getting a new cylinder. But installed mine last spring with a lot of run time since then and so far no leaks and steering is still tight.

Good Job !    You may have hit the lottery.    Sadly my success rate is 1/10 of yours.

[Basfis]

11 minutes ago, fishinwrench said:

No they are a carbon fiber material.  Uneffected by heat, pressure, and every chemical known to man.    Their kryptonite is the edge of the cylinder ram 

https://www.amazon.com/SeaStar-Front-Hydraulic-Steering-Cylinder/dp/B06ZZCM72J

i see guide pins in this kit which helps. If they suck, at least I’ll have the initial design done for me and alter based on their work. I may regret it but I just have to try. 

That said, I do believe I’ll remove it from the boat, take it to work, clean in ultrasonics and assemble there. 

[fishinwrench]

You'll get it.  It isn't a difficult project by any means, just getting the end of the rod past the scraper without taking a little sliver off of it can be a pain.  

If they really loved you, and understood, they'd give you 10 scrapers per kit.    But Noooooo, if you trash a scraper you gotta find and retrieve that sliver (or else it will eat the O-ring)...then buy a whole new seal kit.