leaking hydraulic steering cylinder

[gully27]

Hi all

I was out the others day and found a leak in my steering cylinder on my motor it is a hydrive cylinder. I can get the seal kit on line. Has anyone changed the seals on one of these or should I get it done in the shop any info would be great thanx

[Crossfire63]

Mate

If you haven't done it before and /or don't have the right equipment to do the job ie cylinder honers etc Id be getting it done by a specialist. Nothing worse that a major failure when out at sea. Especially when there isn't a backup system

[batfishing]

As crossfire said above.

My background is a plant mechanic (earthmoving machinery) army trained, and also 9 years as state service manager for the big orange hire company.

So I may not of done a hydrive, but have repaired and supervised a lot of hydraulic cylinder repairs.

The first concern is .....what caused the seal to leak?

They don't just normally wear out.

So, you have to inspect the ram when it's apart.

The actual ram (or rod) needs to be inspected for rust, chips, dents etc, as that is possibly what has cut the seal as it has passed through that point. If that is damaged it needs to be re chromed or replaced

Then the cylinder needs to be inspected the same, and as said above, honed out.

The actual seal replacement as a job is not hard, white grease or Vaseline on the seals, correct tool to remove the gland nut, ensure the ram nut is tight.

Remember there are two seal sets to replace, the set you can see, which I'm presuming are the set that are leaking, and the set that are on the end of the ram inside the cylinder, the set that actually move the ram in and out.

As I said the job itself is not hard, and I'm sure there's probably a you tube clip on it, or a service sheet with fastening torque values etc.

However.....the most important part is that you inspect the ram and cylinder and correct any wear or damage. Otherwise your new seal set will prematurely fail.

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