Ongoing Trouble with Hydraulic Steering C-28

[asm777]

Hi TugNuts, is everyone happily boating with their Garmin GHP 10 autopilot pumps working normally?

Unfortunately, another pump has just failed this past weekend and I'm wondering how many times we'll need to replace the pumps to keep up our happy boating!

 

[Cutwater28GG]

I cant but think there has to be something wrong with the design or install on the cutwaters for these pumps to keep failing.

hardly any rangers have an issue... just look at this thread.

 

[NorCal]

Someone asked about the SmartPump. I was told by someone at Garmin that the Smartpump is an excellent unit. Of course they would say that. It is expensive.

We upgraded our boat about a year and a half ago to the Smartpump. It has been flawless. Apparently it is a much more powerful hydraulic pump and used on boats I think up to 60 feet in length.

The other thing that it provides that to me is a great benefit, is the ability to plug in the rudder position sensor very easily.

Is it expensive YES. But to me it was worth the money.

We have a 31CB. Sometimes I will notice that the steering on the flybridge gets a little notchy as described. So far the remedy has been to top up the fluid on the flybridge and the notchiness goes away.

 

[Cutwater28GG]

to top up the steering fluid do I just unscrew that little cap on the wheel? any tips?

 

[NorCal]

Yes, it is very easy to top off the oil. I bought the recommended oil and then bought a little squirt bottle with a small tip at Harbor Freight. I just keep the squirt bottle on the boat. Just unscrew the little cap in front of the steering wheel and fill it up. Once it is pretty full I work the wheel back and forth a few times to hopefully let any trapped bubbles come to the surface.

One way I was shown by Garmin to purge the lines if you have more than one steering wheel is to turn one wheel right continuously and the other steering wheel turn left. That pushes the fluid through the system. Of course you need two people for this.