Hydraulic Steering Burp?

[Osprey69]

So first night out with new boat heading south (last fall), we had more than a bit of a following sea in LIS and so lots of steering. Boat had been effectively sitting for 3 or so years with occasional outings, but nothing appreciable.

Wake up next morning with leaked steering fluid out of steering hub. Not leaking but leaked and had stopped leaking. Might have happened whilst underway, but it was dark and did not think to look. Not a lot but enough to cause concern. Added fluid to reservoir (could still see fluid in lowest window before adding) and pumped it up to 20+ lbs. Steering seemed fine so off we went.

All of a sudden, abut 7 running days later, on the quiet intercoastal, it started again. And quickly stopped (maybe a of 1/2 cup of fluid?).

Get to JAX and all told just the two brief leaks in 22 days of running.

Could those 2 brief leaks be a result of steering sitting so long and it was working its kinks out?

Steering seems fine otherwise and pressure has only dropped a few pounds since that pressurizing in late November.

Can do a hub seal re-build but would rather not take something apart that is not broken. Watch it and see is my current strategy for the next run of going around the bottom of Florida to Punta. Maybe rebuild then.

So long story for a short question...just a "burp" or suck it up and replace seal now?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

 

[Njlarry]

As someone who lost hydraulic steering at critical point I would not leave the dock till fixed 100 percent. Sorry I can't say what needs to be fixed but I think it can't be that big a job once you find it. Great video on youtube to easily and completetly bleed the system. The title has the word. ..easy...in it. Good luck with it.

 

[TJM]

Good advice, I have also lost steering underway and it will make you nervous the next 5 yrs while underway. As a safety measure, have you looked for a manual tiller ? My President has a beautiful teak tiller mounted in the aft cabin that works awesome in a pinch. As far a a burp ? Not sure but I do know that sometimes people pour some Lucas power steering juice in the fill to slow leaks presale. This would be undetectable in a survey

 

[Lepke]

You have a bad seal that's distorting at some rudder movement, maybe when the wheel is hard over. It will only get worse with time. While you may continue your trip topping off the fluid, you risk catastrophic failure. Have some secondary steering plan. At least keep a rebuild kit on board.

Any decent hydraulic shop should have seals and be able to rebuild the helm pump.

 

[rgano]

I am with the fix-it-now crowd.

 

[Comodave]

Also check all the hydraulic lines for leaks through out the boat. Paper towels, particularly the blue ones, placed under the fittings can help you find slow leaks. I would definitely fix it immediately. You could be in a dangerous situation when it quits next time.

 

[Osprey69]

Thanks, but it did not quit at any time and there was only a leak at the hub while the wheel was barely moving the second time it briefly leaked.

Has not leaked since.

Will pull it apart.

 

[Mischief Managed]

Thanks, but it did not quit at any time and there was only a leak at the hub while the wheel was barely moving the second time it briefly leaked.

Has not leaked since.

Will pull it apart.

It will keep leaking and get worse, Buy the rebuild kit and use it. Follow the bleeding instructions precisely. None of this is hard work or particularly expensive, though the rebuild kit for the helm is a lot of money for what you actually get and that steering fluid is $80 to $100 a gallon. The rebuild and bleeding process will give you a great opportunity to inspect and fix any other issues in the system too.

 

[Gdavid]

Thanks, but it did not quit at any time and there was only a leak at the hub while the wheel was barely moving the second time it briefly leaked.

Has not leaked since.

Will pull it apart.

I would order the seals that you need prior to pulling it apart. There are only a few common models so it is pretty easy to determine what you have. My upper helm's hynautic was leaking last year, there are a couple different varients of the same pump, based on the years, my kit included both styles. Replacing the seal was straightforward and it has been leak free since. Removing the pump was the biggest hassle, and even that wasn't too bad.

 

[Osprey69]

Thanks all. Saw the video and will a do rebuild. Thanks for the perspectives.

 

[Portage_Bay]

It will keep leaking and get worse, Buy the rebuild kit and use it. Follow the bleeding instructions precisely. None of this is hard work or particularly expensive, though the rebuild kit for the helm is a lot of money for what you actually get and that steering fluid is $80 to $100 a gallon. The rebuild and bleeding process will give you a great opportunity to inspect and fix any other issues in the system too.

Steering fluid doesn't need to cost $100 / gal. If your manual states that MIL H5606 is OK then purchase at a small aircraft service shop for about 1/4 the price of Seastar fluid.