31FlyCruzr
Active member
- Joined
- May 17, 2006
- Messages
- 130
- Hatteras Model
- 31' CRUISER (1967 - 1971)
Over the last 22 years I have only needed to bleed the system three times. The first was a long time ago, and then I had to do it last year due to seal leak in the helm.
I had trouble getting the air out, turning much more than the instructions said was necessary.
I replace the seals over the winter and thought about the problem, the cylinder in my boat has hydraulic lines half way up the horizontal cylinder, so it was very hard to get the air out of the top half. I have the fluid control system, and the rudders move when bleeding even though the fluid is being bypassed.
My solution was to tie the rudders hard left while bleeding to the right, and hard right while bleeding to the left.
This holds the piston at the end of the cylinder that the fluid is bleeding through and there is no room for air.
I just tied a line to the rudder arm and ran it to the cleat on the stern to keep the ram from moving while bleeding.
By doing this, the instruction value of 30 turns actually worked pretty well.
I had trouble getting the air out, turning much more than the instructions said was necessary.
I replace the seals over the winter and thought about the problem, the cylinder in my boat has hydraulic lines half way up the horizontal cylinder, so it was very hard to get the air out of the top half. I have the fluid control system, and the rudders move when bleeding even though the fluid is being bypassed.
My solution was to tie the rudders hard left while bleeding to the right, and hard right while bleeding to the left.
This holds the piston at the end of the cylinder that the fluid is bleeding through and there is no room for air.
I just tied a line to the rudder arm and ran it to the cleat on the stern to keep the ram from moving while bleeding.
By doing this, the instruction value of 30 turns actually worked pretty well.
