Hydraulic Steering Win!

/ shellerina

I lucked out and found this first (easily accessible) gasket was crimped or kinked upon installation (probably 25 years ago). Actually, this may have been a mistake at the Teleflex factory where the ram was made.

Kink in moulded O-Ring.

The hydraulic steering system has had a slow “drip” since we purchased the boat 5 years ago. +/- 1 ounce of fluid was added at the upper helm every 2-4 weeks when underway.

Item #6 is the one I was able to easily replace.
Business end of the ram, reassembled with a new moulded O-Ring from the manufacturer’s re-seal kit.

NO DRIPS!

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Reseal Kit # HS5183 for the HC5319 ram.

Replacing this cylinder/ram or removing it to service it, would have been a major project because the nuts backing the four mounting bolts were blocked by both a fore/aft stringer and the starboard fresh water tank.

Being able to find the problem and solve it so easily was serendipitous fer sure!

Dometic is the new manufacturer of this ram.
Part # is the same. The new ones are made of aluminum, not brass. ((Never use the old brass fittings on a new aluminum cylinder! Nasty galvanic corrosion will result.))

I am so glad I did not have to buy a new ram.

One of my former & favorite Long Island NY marine parts vendors shipped me the Dometic Seal Kit from stock! Lighthouse Marine Supply, aka https://marineengineparts.com

Above: The yellow arrow shows the mounting bolts whose nuts are virtually inaccessible on the Mainship 390. Cutting a big access hole would be needed in the 3/4” plywood to get a wrench under there. This plywood platform is in very close proximity to the bottom of the hull.

Here is a pic of a new brass ram before Dometic/SeaStar changed to aluminum construction.

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Next Day:
Still no drips in the dishpan below!
All indicators point to a successful repair / maintenance project … which (DIY + Divine Providence) probably saved $2000 in parts and labor costs.

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