Modifications, repairs and improvements, 28TE

[Norseman]

More projects: Discovered hydraulic fluid leaking from the steering cylinder, removed it and sent to Five Star Marine in Florida for overhaul, $260 plus shipping and taxes. http://www.trimandtilt.com/index.html?g ... D8QAvD_BwE

While the cylinder was out I discovered lose or missing green bonding cables, got them back on with new terminals, but the garboard drain plug was not easy, need longer arms..

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2 bonding cables had corroded at the terminal attached to the rudder log and
broken off. Easy enough to cut the cable and attach a new terminal, but did not dare unscrewing the nuts holding the rudder log onto the hull, fairly high risk of breaking the seal and getting a leak that can only be repaired on the dry. Instead ran the bonding cables to an attachment on the rudder stock, should be plenty connection to the sacrificial zinc on the rudder.

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[carolmarie]

Appears to be a serious crack in the actuation arm near where you made your new connections. Don.

[Tree]

If you’ve any doubts and know your way round a meter - just earth the rudder back to a skin fitting. The whole system should be connected and that’ll confirm you’ve no resistance with any corroded cable.

[Tree]

Appears to be a serious crack in the actuation arm near where you made your new connections. Don.

That’s where the arm clamps the shaft.

[Norseman]

Appears to be a serious crack in the actuation arm near where you made your new connections. Don.

The crack is built in..

If you’ve any doubts and know your way round a meter - just earth the rudder back to a skin fitting. The whole system should be connected and that’ll confirm you’ve no resistance with any corroded cable.

Yeah, will do that next time in the yard. I cut the corroded part of the cables, should have changed them to tinned wire, maybe next time..

Cylinder is back, and installed.
A bit heavier on the steering now, perhaps because the seals are brand new and tight, or because I changed steering fluid from West Marine Synthetic to AW ISO 32, as recommended by the overhaul place.

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[Norseman]

And the newly overhauled cylinder is leaking, back to the shop it goes, damn...

[RobS]

Unless you can do it yourself for nothing more than the cost of the kit, money is better spent on new rather than on someone else's labor (which already has proved problematic) especially considering Teleflex discontinued that cylinder replacing it with an updated model. Does the tiller move free when disconnected from the cylinder?

[Norseman]

Unless you can do it yourself for nothing more than the cost of the kit, money is better spent on new rather than on someone else's labor (which already has proved problematic) especially considering Teleflex discontinued that cylinder replacing it with an updated model. Does the tiller move free when disconnected from the cylinder?

Well, I was not planning on doing it myself, probably need special tools for removing the end caps. The shop I am using has a good reputation and has overhauled hundreds if not thousands of these, 2 year warranty, all good.
I have no doubt they are doing a good job, I was just lucky to be the one that got a bum cylinder back. https://five-star-marine.myshopify.com/ ... gJ4uvD_BwE

Did not try to move the tiller when the cylinder was removed, but I used the boat for a cruise Monday, removed the cylinder and shipped it the same day for overhaul, got it back Friday and re-installed.
No reason the rudder/tiller should have jammed in the meantime, but will certainly push on the tiller when I remove the cylinder once more this coming Monday.
What is the advantage of the new cylinder?

[Nancy]

And the newly overhauled cylinder is leaking, back to the shop it goes, damn...

Bummer, Dag. When our steering cylinder went bad a few years ago, our mechanic thought it would be easy to rebuild. As he started to take it apart, he realized it was too far gone. We put in a new one.

Good Teleflex thread here: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3724&hilit=steering

[Norseman]

And the newly overhauled cylinder is leaking, back to the shop it goes, damn...

Bummer, Dag. When our steering cylinder went bad a few years ago, our mechanic thought it would be easy to rebuild. As he started to take it apart, he realized it was too far gone. We put in a new one.

Good Teleflex thread here: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3724&hilit=steering

Thx Nancy, good thread.

My cylinder is (was) in fairly good shape, no rust, no gushing oil, no lost steering, just a small leak before the rebuild and a small leak after the rebuild ( ) and has worked without a problem for 20 years and 1200 hours of running.
Will send it back for another rebuild, if that won’t work, I will ask for my money back and buy a new and bigger cylinder.

[Nancy]

>>Will send it back for another rebuild, if that won’t work, I will ask for my money back and buy a new and bigger cylinder.<<

Sounds like a plan.

[RobS]

Good Teleflex thread here: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3724&hilit=steering

That was a good one and those are the type of threads that add real value to AOG - it involved over a dozen members and was on/off eight years running.

[Norseman]

Good Teleflex thread here: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3724&hilit=steering

That was a good one and those are the type of threads that add real value to AOG - it involved over a dozen members and was on/off eight years running.

Yup, agree 110%

Looked at my steering cylinder after wiping it clean and running the wheel both ways a few times today.
No leak

What are the odds the seals need to “swell up” or be pressurized a few times before doing the sealing..?

A bit more background: I also own a small boat with hydraulic steering, a Cobia 175, (17’ with a heavy 90 four stroke)
I changed hydraulic fluid on it, to a West Marine Synthetic steering fluid a few months ago, the helm felt much easier to turn, as in less friction or something.
Great idea so I did the same on my Albin 28TE, same effect, easy to turn, like the system was lubed..
After a month or two I noticed the Uflex cylinder on the Cobia started leaking, removed the cylinder, bought a new one and got a $225 core charge for the old cylinder, total cost $280. All good.
Then I poked around on the Albin, sure enough, It had started leaking just like the Cobia. Bummer..

Called up the overhaul place, they promised to make it as good as new for $260 plus shipping and Florida sales tax. Also asked them what steering fluid they would recommend?
They said AW 32 Hydraulic Oil, which is what I switched to after having drained and flushed the system of old West Marine steering fluid.
Now it is day 2 after I got the old but overhauled cylinder back.
It leaked a few drops yesterday after a 30 min test cruise with lots of twisting and turning. Today it seems dry, but will go back to the boat every hour and turn the rudder both ways. Maybe there is a God and the thing will stop leaking?

Moral of the story, be careful using synthetic steering fluid on old boats, even when the bottle says “Approved for all hydraulic steering systems»

[Nancy]

>>Moral of the story, be careful using synthetic steering fluid on old boats, even when the bottle says “Approved for all hydraulic steering systems"<<

I'd never be brave enough to use anything other than what Seastar specs: Seastar Hydraulic Steering Fluid, HA5430H.

[Norseman]

>>Moral of the story, be careful using synthetic steering fluid on old boats, even when the bottle says “Approved for all hydraulic steering systems"<<

I'd never be brave enough to use anything other than what Seastar specs: Seastar Hydraulic Steering Fluid, HA5430H.

Yeah that is the idea, SeaStar says their $100 per gallon fluid is the only one that is safe, but in reality simple hydraulic fluid is the same thing,
Quite a bit of discussion about it:

The sea star steering system is a very simple hydraulic system. Any hydraulic fluid in the viscosity range of ISO 15 oil plus or minus 30% will work. It will work without any ill effects to yor steering system. You will not notice a difference because there is none. Your boat will not explode.

Everytime this topic comes up most on here always go back to the mill spec. Sea star spec'ed the mil spec as an alternate to their $2 oil equivalent to justify a silly mark-up. Sea star brand oil is not mil spec and you don't need it in an outboard steering system.

The above from another another boat bulletin board.

I am still suspicious of the Synthetic fluid, but is also meets the ISO 15 specs:

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