Bleeding my steering system

[blackhawk]

Last fall I removed the motor and gimbal assy from my boat. I have put everything back together. I lost some power steering fluid in the process. I filled the resevoir and it seemed sucked quite a bit of that down which I immediately re-filled again. The problem is I still don't have any steering. It seems like it has air somewhere in the system. It is not external steering. It is the stock system, I believe it is Hynautic. I think that the cylinder itself needs to be bleed. Can anyone help?

[Rootsy]

hmmmmm seems i encountered this trouble on the last day of AOTH... was hard steering, unresponsive and low on fluid, so i added some, musta sucked air in it somewhere saturday or sunday morning.. pushed air out.. was finger pressure easy to turn wheel at dock then once in gear it got considerably more difficult but a heckuva lot more responsive.. turn the wheel kinda lugs the motor down at idle a tad... least i hope it is just a big gulp of air somewhere and not the pump, maybe i am just being a bit anal or paranoid.. heck i havn't even had a chance to clean the boat up since i got back... what a shame that is!

[MOP]

Does the ram(clyinder)have allen head screws, one on each end sticking out from the side? If you have that type thats your bleed screws, need a helping hand to turn wheel. If you do not have the bleeder screws then you have to turn the wheel about ten to fifteen time past the stops to push the air through the ram check valves and back to the helm. Hynautic has a nice plastic tube with an attached reservior that you fill for bleeding that screws into the helm filler which keeps you from introducing more air into the system.

[blackhawk]

Thanks MOP. Yes I did see the allen head screws and realized they were bleeders yesterday. Unfortunately, I was by myself. I also noticed two caps in the helm that have o-rings in them. It looks like you could also bleed there too, Maybe that is where the plastic resevoir for bleeding goes. I called Marine Control Systems and left a message. Hopefully thety can fax me a "procedure"!

[MOP]

Glad I remembered that stuff, gray matter is getting nummer by the year!

[blackhawk]

Actually, it was very easy. Just fill the resevoir at the helm! Geeez, do I feel like a moron. I never even realized there was a resevoir there! :rolleyes: