Over the past few months I have been noticing a problem developing with my steering… first… when the boat is being trailered (5 miles) the motors will fall to one side or the other… never did that the first year and a half… second… there is more play in the steering while running very noticeable… third… there is some pitting on the rails that the cylinders run along… I had a Dealer look at it but they said “ohh that pitting is normal and we couldnt find a leak anywhere” I dont see how that can be true but who knows… I think that the pitting on the shafts has something to do with this problems but the dealer says no… I noticed the pitting at the same time the steering was having these problems… and the pitting is getting worse… boat was purchased in may of 2008 it is a 2007 26 cape horn with twin f200 yamahas and twin sea star cylinders… thanks
Have you filled the fluid in the helm and bled the air?
Rick
The dealer did it…was good when it left the dealer but only took a week to get back to the same problem…
26 cape horn 200 yamahas
pitting is due to electrolysis, and isn’t “normal”. the “play” may be caused by a broken check valve at the helm. your motors shouldn’t shift (at anytime) without rotating the steering wheel. the pitting and the excess play probably aren’t related though.
If they purged the air out of the system and it seemed to correct it. Then the issue came back; it is obvious that you need to have it re-sealed. The pitting is not common. Check the shaft on your ram for any knicks, & inspect the seals if you see any fluid around them you have a leak.
sounds like you have air in the lines
dealer probably bled it, now its leaked down again.
pitting is common, but it causes this problem
if you reseal the cylinder, and the pitting stays on the chrome shaft, the problem will come right back, and you will have paid for something that will have to be redone.
if you have pitting, the cylinder is going to have to be replaced to permantly fix this problem
I’m now at www.teamcharlestonmarine.com
Those pits can “knick” the gland seals on the end of your cylinder as it wipes over them. But if that were an issue, I think you would see it dripping on the cylinder ends. Do you?
Rick
So what can be done to prevent the pitting on such a new boat/motor? Mine, an '06, has some pitting and I wash it after every trip with soap and fresh water. I’m beginning to think these newer SeaStar cylinders aren’t holding up very well, based on the few reports I’ve read here.
got word from Teleflex today … looks like a stray current problem… Electrolysis is causing the pitting and in turn messing up the seals and inners of the cylinders… seem to be a very good company to deal with… they are helping rectify the problem with bonding jumpers…
26 cape horn 200 yamahas