Garmin Check Valve Upgrade

LMRanger

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 3, 2019
Messages
48
Fluid Motion Model
C-26
Hull Identification Number
FMLR2514J415
Vessel Name
Puffin
Got fed up with and the steering on my R25SC and added the Garmin Check Vale Kit. The "kit" is not what it is hyped to be, because it comes with the check valve only. You have to turn around and buy $300 worth of fittings and additional hoses.
The hardest part of the install was the purge of the system afterward. For that I had a mechanic come over with the Power Pure Jr. and he was able to purge the system with the auto pilot in factory setting to purge the pump and check vale too.
The difference it has made in the steering is more than worth the extended cost of the addition of something that Garmin and Fluid Motion should have corrected years ago.

Ralph
 
If Fluid Motion installed the pump per Garmin's instructions this wouldn't be a problem. Garmin's Check Valve Kit is a bandaid to FM's improper installation. Nobody at FM could tell me why they install the pump the way they do, "It's just the way we do it" was the answer I got. Glad to hear the kit helped you out.
 
Ralph,
Can you describe what was going on with the steering that led you down the path of the check valve installation? I have a 2011 R27 and it has occasional hiccups in the steering. Wondering if you had the same.

thanks,
Brendan
 
Most common symptom is pull to port when autopilot is not engaged making you have to correct to starboard.
 
Irwine,
While motoring when I pressed the remote for Heading Hold the boat would wander to port about 30 degrees, the autopilot would bring it back to about 30 degrees the other direction to come back to course, once there it would go back 30 the other way. As bad as tacking our sailboat.
Now it holds fairly straight, it will pull to port a bit if there is wind, tide or waves on starboard but nothing like before.
I'll try to get a couple of photos of our install and add.

Ralph
 
Irwine,
While motoring when I pressed the remote for Heading Hold the boat would wander to port about 30 degrees, the autopilot would bring it back to about 30 degrees the other direction to come back to course, once there it would go back 30 the other way. As bad as tacking our sailboat.
Now it holds fairly straight, it will pull to port a bit if there is wind, tide or waves on starboard but nothing like before.
I'll try to get a couple of photos of our install and add.

Ralph
Any chance that low Hydraulic fluid would impact this? My C28 is doing this but I don't remember it doing this last year - I do however often run at speed with the autopilot engaged so I may just have missed it. I haven't checked my hydraulic fluid level yet this year - hard to access
 
Ralph,
Can you describe what was going on with the steering that led you down the path of the check valve installation? I have a 2011 R27 and it has occasional hiccups in the steering. Wondering if you had the same.

thanks,
Brendan
Brendan: I also have a 2011 RT 27 and have having lots of steering issues as others talk about. Found that the 0.8 Liter pump frame as cracked and leaking was the reason I was always adding fluid. Changed the pump to a 1.2 Liter pump and the reaction time is much faster and more accurate on Auto Helm, holds course better when I have the helm, and of course stopped the leaking problem.

Bill
 
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