Teleflex cylinder repair

Riplip · Post by **Riplip** » Mon Jun 04, 2012 12:56 pm

Anyone out there replaced the seals on the Sea star hydraulic cylinder (not the helm) ? Mine has been leaking slightly for some time...PIA to keep purging. Bought a seal kit, gonna try this week.

GW · Post by GW » Mon Jun 04, 2012 1:07 pm

I think there is a special tool you need to get it apart. I had mine done by Dave at Capital Boat and Trailer its a pretty cheap fix.

Tell him Gary sent you

Dave 916-853-1817 (he is off White Rock near Sunrise Costco

Riplip · Post by **Riplip** » Mon Jun 04, 2012 1:32 pm

Yeah, I have the spanner wrench. Looks pretty simple, just want feedback if anyone has done it before.

GW · Post by GW » Mon Jun 04, 2012 1:40 pm

saw mine when he had it apart, looks like only a couple O rings. Worst that can happen is it leaks again? I know its important to get the air out.

TeamBeefmaster · Post by **TeamBeefmaster** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 11:19 am

i just did this last year. much easier than i thought. my steering tube in the back was leaking hydraulic oil. fixed it 100% in less than one hr.

Buy the kit with the tube seals, o rings, and the installation tool. If you can find the tool from a buddy, it will save you +$50. All it is is a special wrench with two studs that engage the seal collar, allowing you to unthread it. You WILL need a buddy (or a mechanically inclined wife like me

) to help unthread it from the steering tube. also a set of sockets and wrenches to untorque it off...

the other thing. they sell "sea star" hydraulic fluid for this, its kinda expensive though. I was told to use ATF. It worked great with no issues still to this day.

Riplip · Post by **Riplip** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 12:57 pm

Thanks..that is EXACTLY what is was looking for. Sea Star says any other fluid will void the warranty, but my warranty is LONG gone.

jrbasspro · Post by **jrbasspro** » Wed Jun 06, 2012 4:52 am

fill it up just below full and as slowly as humanly possiable move the steering wheel left than right about thirty times to slowly work the air out, its painful but well worth it, it also help to fill it very very slowly this keeps the amount of air induced to a samlll amount.

walt

TeamBeefmaster · Post by **TeamBeefmaster** » Wed Jun 06, 2012 7:06 am

true- the instructions said to bleed the lines. the only air that got stuck was in the cylider where i removed the seals, only about 4 oz of fluid lost... minimal. i didnt bleed them the way they suggested, and just topped off the resevior and turned the wheel over and over again. each time i turned the wheel the level would go down, bleeding air from the lines. eventually the level stabilized.

also, 4 yrs ago when the leak first occurred (yes i bandaid-ed it for 3 years), i was told to top off the levels with ATF. mixing ATF and the Seastar fluid had no ill effects. the biggest issue was when i would let it leak for too long, and bubbles would form in the lines... this made steering ineffective. when u try to turn at 60mph and nothing happens, u realize its time to get it fixed!

Riplip · Post by **Riplip** » Wed Jun 06, 2012 9:26 am

Which type of ATF did you use?

TeamBeefmaster · Post by **TeamBeefmaster** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 6:54 am

just regular ATF from the autoparts store. color was red. enjoy!

drew · Post by **drew** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 7:10 am

The seals are actually the shaft bushings and seals. The kit includes a wrench and a installation sleeve. The steering should be turned to the side that you are replacing. This will minimize the fluid loss and make bleeding easier.

DO NOT USE ATF UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY. In cold weather ATF will become thick and make the steering very difficult. You will need a quart of the SeaStar hydraulic fluid or equivalent. In the manual it has a mil spec for an equivalent hydraulic fluid if the factory fluid is not available. The instruction manuals for the kit and steering installation are available for free in a pdf format on the manufacturers page.

Riplip · Post by **Riplip** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:37 am

I have a quart of sea star fluid. When you say turn to the side you are replacing do you mean turn to left, replace left seal looking back or right seal looking back? Turning to the left pushes the cylinder to the right, correct? Thanks, Wes

drew · Post by **drew** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 12:37 pm

The piston is on the center of the rod if you turn the outboard to the left with the wheel as if you were making a left turn the cylinder will move to the right. This means that the piston is close to the left side and will minimize the amount of fluid between the left seal and the piston.

http://www.teleflexmarine.com/wp-conten ... 0720-E.pdf

Riplip wrote:I have a quart of sea star fluid. When you say turn to the side you are replacing do you mean turn to left, replace left seal looking back or right seal looking back? Turning to the left pushes the cylinder to the right, correct? Thanks, Wes

TeamBeefmaster · Post by **TeamBeefmaster** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 12:54 pm

: yes it was that cold.JPG (40.53 KiB) Viewed 2167 times

I disagree with any negative coldweather performance. owned my boat in new england for 4 yrs before moving here, while using ATF. as you can see ive been out in some COLD conditions. never any noticeable change in performance. Its your boat, and ur decision. have fun!

Riplip · Post by **Riplip** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 1:09 pm

Got it...Thanks!

drew · Post by **drew** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 4:03 pm

Its a bad idea. I guess you know better then the manufacturer that specifically says not to use ATF. We don't know how much ATF to SeaStar fluid is your system or the temp other then its 32F or less. There is a right way to do it and a wrong way, its your decision.

TeamBeefmaster wrote:
yes it was that cold.JPG
I disagree with any negative coldweather performance. owned my boat in new england for 4 yrs before moving here, while using ATF. as you can see ive been out in some COLD conditions. never any noticeable change in performance. Its your boat, and ur decision. have fun!