Hynautic how-to

[Paul45c]

Can anyone post a concise primer (pun intended) on how to bleed out the steering system? A friend was helping me the other day, and it seems it didn't really accomplish much. He was loosening what he thought were bleeder screws on top of a little manifold box mounted on the transom as I was turning the wheel. The helm seems to have a rhythmic thump as you turn the wheel. We thought bleeding was the answer.

 

[Bill Allen]

There are very good instructions on a website "southern charm" they repaired my cylinder on my topaz I don't remeber the excat adress.

 

[Paul45c]

Thanks. Actually, I did a search on this here and found the link to the "Tips & Tricks" section of the Sam's home page that was exactly what I was looking for. I'm just hoping that the "thump" I'm getting is consistent with air in the line and not needing to replace my helm head pump unit.

I'm familiar with the feel of a normal Hynautic system, and you feel the steady smooth pulsing of the pumping action as you roll the wheel across. This is different. Where you normally feel all those pulses at roughly the same pressure, this is more like soft-soft-soft-HARD-soft...

Hate to say it, but I'm fearing it will turn out to be a bad helm. Hope they're not pricey.

It occurs to me that the wrong fluid might be in there. How would you totally remove the old fluid if you wanted to be sure?

 

[Bill Allen]

Break the lines and rotate the helm. You can run atf but the steering a little hard. I think if you search the archives theres been quite a few posts on this. Bill

 

[REBrueckner]

I posted on this several years ago but it's worth repeating:

If you ever lose steering while underway, as I did, do to a popped hydraulic line, and your rudders are hard over, they cannot be straightened to midships by hand unless you open those two little bleeder plugs on the side of the maybe 3" x3" manifold box.

Once opened you can pull your rudders by hand to midship (straight ahead) position, then close the plugs and they will stay aligned.

 

[Brian Degulis]

Thanks. Actually, I did a search on this here and found the link to the "Tips & Tricks" section of the Sam's home page that was exactly what I was looking for. I'm just hoping that the "thump" I'm getting is consistent with air in the line and not needing to replace my helm head pump unit.

I'm familiar with the feel of a normal Hynautic system, and you feel the steady smooth pulsing of the pumping action as you roll the wheel across. This is different. Where you normally feel all those pulses at roughly the same pressure, this is more like soft-soft-soft-HARD-soft...

Hate to say it, but I'm fearing it will turn out to be a bad helm. Hope they're not pricey.

It occurs to me that the wrong fluid might be in there. How would you totally remove the old fluid if you wanted to be sure?

I had the wrong fluid in mine I repalaced it with shell Aerosill. Charge it with air and crack the lines on the upper help pump. Keep an eye on the resevoir don't let it run out. Keep re filling the res with the new fluid let plenty run out like a gallon or more. Then do the lower let maybe 1/2 gallon run out. then follow the normal bleeding procedure again let plenty run out. This will leave you with very little of the old fluid. Don't use ATF the lines Hat used are to small to pass the thicker ATF your steering will be hard.

Brian

 

[Nonchalant1]

I posted on this several years ago but it's worth repeating:

If you ever lose steering while underway, as I did, do to a popped hydraulic line, and your rudders are hard over, they cannot be straightened to midships by hand unless you open those two little bleeder plugs on the side of the maybe 3" x3" manifold box.

Once opened you can pull your rudders by hand to midship (straight ahead) position, then close the plugs and they will stay aligned.

Rob,
That's a good thing to know. Where is the little 3" X 3" box? At the helm pumps? At the rudder hydraulic ram?
Doug

 

[Fanfare]

Mine is on the port aft cabin bulkhead, just ahead of the steering ram. As mine is the very first Hynautic steering ever installed by Hatteras there may have been adjustments in subsequent models. It was then the Hynautic division of the Fluid Controls Corp.

As we approach 42 years I am considering the first preventive rebuild of the steering ram. Anyone know what may be inside it, or how difficult this could be? This is about the only thing not rebuilt--and so far trouble-free--on the whole boat!

 

[yachtsmanbill]

Mine is on top of the aft water tank. ws

 

[captddis]

There is no need to crack lines to bleed a Hynautic pressurized system. Just put about 35 psi on the resevoir, fully open the relief valves on the aluminum block. Then turn the wheel about 50 revolutions each way, this allows the air to be pushed into the resevoir. Run the autopilot back and forth as well. Tighten the valves back down and you are usually good. Once and a while it takes a second try.
Yes Paul, the helms are $$$. Unless they are real bad a kit is usually all that is needed. Dave

 

[Angela]

Last Friday, Pascal mentioned that my steering was much more stiff than his. Do you think someone before me put ATF in there? I did find a quart of AFT onboard when I bought boat and didn't know what someone would have used that for. I do not remember whether the bottle was opened. I got rid of it, having no use for it. No, it was not in the trannies!

I'm all for the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", but do you think we should change the fluid given we don't know what's in there and Pascal noticed the steering to be stiff? We've never known any difference in the steering, so we never thought of it as being stiff - nothing to compare it to.

 

[Brian Degulis]

Yeah I would change it out I described the procedure earlier (thats what cracking the lines was about) It's not much diffrent that bleeding except for the lines. It will probably make it easier to steer and it can't hurt to change the fluid either.

Brian