Sea Star System.... replacing, bleeding etc...

[esfishdoc]

As I knock around today to get the boat in the water early in the AM I find I need to top off the hydraulic steering. I'll use the dreaded dextran III or whatever it is today but I want to plan on replacing the fluid and going over the whole system.

Questions: How much Sea Star and where do you buy it?

Is there a link to the bleeding process? (I know I could search but if someone has it at there fingertips it would be appreciated)

The tog are biting.... the sun is shining... the turkeys are starting to gobble... time to start dumping money in the boat.

Richard

 

[DaleH]

FWIW I find these units can leak from the OB steering ram tubes when the OB is stored and trimmed up in the HARD OVER position. So I always store her a touch turned but enough so that BOTH ends of the steering arms remain above my OB bracket mounted off the full transom. In this way ... if/when I see yellow stains on the bracket, I know she leaked some.

Also do a search under my name and use BOTH terms of seastar and bleed and you'll get a few posts of helpful info.

 

[grouperjim]

nothing to do with bleeding.........but the folks at SeaStar sent me this handy dandy diagram that may be of some use in the future.

 

[MaxOut]

Note - If you have more than one helm you may need more. Get your wallet out I paid $18.00 a quart for it last time I purchased but well worth it.

 

[Porkchunker]

Mine had a very slow drip over the last couple of years. Was going to fix it myself, but I'm doing so much business travel this year that I decided to let Tri-State Marine in Deale, MD replace the seals in the ram.

Dave

aka

 

[Parker]

Doc - here is the link to the teleflex site.

http://ww2.seastarsteering.com/OUTBOARD ... urge.htm&1

I just replaced my outside help pump and had to purge the system.
good luck.

Brad

 

[Phil]

The fill vent on the Seastar is 1/4" NPT. I made a fill funnel with a 1/4" NPT barbed fitting, some tubing, and a fluid bottle cut in half. Makes the job much less messy.

 

[stonebuster]

If you find you have a drip from the end of the cylinder of the ram, you can buy the end caps that come with seals inside in a kit that includes the pin wrench. I got it from West Marine because I was in a hurry. I continued to have a problem with the same seals and it turned out the ram had some minor scoring on it which kept eating up the seals. This year I replaced the entire cylinder to the tune of about $500 bucks. Shop around, I know a freind of mine paid over $600.

 

[JET O_Wey]

Are there any tricks of the trade in locating a leak; general observation has not worked for me. I need to add fluid more than once a season. Maybe I need to look harder.

Porkchunker - How did you make out with the seal replacements?

Regards,

JET