1995 200HP Black Max - stiff steering

[hardcore23]

Hi All,

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I have a '95 200hp Merc Black Max on a 21ft Sea Ray Laguna walk around. It has hydraulic steering.
I've only used the boat twice, and sadly and shamefully smoked a shoal first time out. It did a number on the skeg, and I've since had it rebuilt. Looks new. The first time I had it out after the new skeg was put on, I noticed the steering feels almost indexed under load/speed of 30mph or so. Every few inches the wheel gets sticky/tight but you can muscle through it back to smooth steering until it tightens up again.
It feels completely smooth from left extreme to right extreme when stopped or at slow speeds, trimmed up or trimmed down.

Could this be caused by the skeg rebuild, or does is it something to do with the hydro steering system? Could it need fluid or a bleed?

Any advice would be helpful.

Thanks!
Darren.

 

[hardcore23]

Re: 1995 200HP Black Max - stiff steering

This past weekend I had the opportunity to get to the boat and have a friend/mechanic take a closer look at the steering system. It's a Teleflex Seastar system, and the seal on the starboard side of the outboard cylinder is on it's way out. Thus, fluid was low. We added fluid and bled the system as best we could (without replacing the seal) and it was an incredible improvement. Needless to say, if you are experiencing similar issues, check the fluid levels and seals.

Here's the link to Teleflex's PDF:
http://www.teleflexmarine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/120720-E.pdf
Seal kit part # HS5157

Hopefully somebody else can benefit from this.

Cheers...
Darren.