in a world so fast to throw things away, its great to see a craftsman rebuild something the way it used to be done. I got here trying to diagnose steering issues on my boat - I am pretty sure its the helm pump relief valve - I will send to an expert for a rebuild - good for a small business that employs craftsmen, good for the environment and good for the pocketbook - win - win - win !
Dear Paul , many thanks for your perfect video, you have save my seastar hh52713, with your detail info . you should be employ by seastar as a expert teacher . No one of seastar expert I had on the phone give me a solution to my problem : all say , DO NOT OPEN THE PUMP . only you have show us how easy it can be done . Many thanks , great video
Great video !!!! I wish i had a look before i pulled mine apart. I could do with your opinion on a problem i have ..... that is one of my pistons was accidentally pushed in too far, and now its stuck down tight. Would you have any idea how to free it so I could pull it out ??
You need to be careful so as not to score the piston and im assuming you have soaked the piston is releasing fluid like WD40. If you are going to replace the seal then you can warm the hub in the oven to increase tolerances then gently tap with a rubber mallet to see if the piston moves. Remember the spring will assist the piston to move. If this does not work then the best option is to use compressed air to force the piston out, but be aware this is dangerous as the pistion could fly out under pressure so make sure you wrap the hub in lots of heavy fabris like towels before you attempt it and ensure nothing is in the way that the pistion shooting out could hit. Good luck.
Great video Paul. I think I'm going to rebuild my helm pump after watching your video. I have a SeaStar sport tilt model # HH5291. Is the rebuild for this similar to the one you did in the video and would it be the same kit? Thanks
I took the pump completely apart including the 90 fittings for the port and starboard lines. In these ports are valves that weren't tight and I think they are meant to regulate pressure. I'm thinking they need to be screwed in a certain amount of turns like the idle adjustment on a Carb. Any advise?
Screw the originals in all the way to the stop and count # of revolutions to all the way in before you back them all the way out. Install new ones all the way in and back out correct # of revolutions
Hi paul great video. Can you please tell me what symptoms this helm had before the build. My steering is a lot stiffer than it was originally. It’s a sea star 1 helm from 1990
The steering became vague, it was responding slowly and erraticallly to the helm. Checked for air in the system first, and then decided to rebuild the pump. If yours is feeling stiff it may be worth draining the hydraulic fluid, if it is showing signs of brown rust deposits then it is likley one of the seals has broken down and allowed moisture to enter into the pump and rust the internals. They are mostly made of what looks like cast iron so need to be fully immersed in oil or they rust and the pump pistons start to stick.
@wapsac This video is A1 sir!! My steering has been drifting to starboard recently even after I replaced all cylinder seals.. from what I have gathered my issue is likely a stuck check valve in the helm for that starboard side, but the sea star tech said not to open the helm and replace. I think I have found the seal kit on Amazon with the correct pieces and may try it out, looks like it contains 11 total seals and the blue gasket. Does that sound like an accurate diagnosis to you?
Yes, sounds right based on what you have detailed. Make sure you replace the ball bearings with new to give it the best chance of working. When you dismantle it if its full of rusty fluid, clean it thoroughly and check the valve seats. Sometimes they get a bit corroded and will not seal properly. Its then a difficult task to clean them and put the best surface on them that you can.
Hi - brilliant video. Were you happy with the parts supplier? Getting the little tool looks to be very helpful. Please could you share the name of the supplier you used for the parts and did it all work 100% back on the boat? Only want to do the job once (actually I don’t even want to do it once!) You hear about some suppliers where the seals aren’t exactly to size and then one has wasted a lot of time. Many thanks again….
Hello sir, i thank you for this video, i opened my HH5272 and struggled to put it back together. When i opened up the helm, the 1 of 2 c. Pack fell off and I didn’t know where to put it them. Then I watch your video and I followed your steps and then I put them together. Those 6 screw, what torque did you put on?
Paul thinks for reply, my helm is ok, I had a problem with my cylinder for inboard. Gaskets were leaking so it kept collecting air, i looked on CZcams for rebuilding video of Seastar hc5319 so I had to buy new cylinder. We will be happy to see from you a video about how to rebuild Seastar hc5319 cylinder. Thank for your time
Each piston whould be retained in its original cylinder to avoid variances in wear which may caiuse a piston to stick or be too loose if in the wrong cylinder. If its no possible to identify which piston fits into each cylinder then ensure, through trial and error which piston has a good sliding fit in each cylinder and go with that. Not ideal but as good as you can acheive.
If therer are no obvious steering fluid leaks, then open the bleed valves one at a time on the outboard steering ram and turn the helm, try both ways testing to make sure steering fluid is coming out of the bleed valves. If this is working then cover the bleed valve to see if it has some pressure behind it. If you can feel the fluid has some pressure then it may be a seal in the steering ram itself that has failed.
Dear Paul, I have got a Seastar 1.7 hh5217. When turning the weel is feels like the pump is stuttering. Like every time it gives some resistance. Before I open it up, and change all the seals like you did, (thanks for the video by the way), do you have any idea what the issue could be? Appriciate your input!. Best regards, Jan from the Netherlands!
It could be air in the system, these need bleeding quite a lot to clear all the air bubbles. There are a number of videos on youtube on how to do this, on somr occasions I have had to rebleed the system 3 times after the new seals have bedded in. It could be some sticking pistons i the pump itself, but this is unlikly if you have just rebuilt it. Also take a look at the hydraulic Ram end on the motor to see if the seals need replacing. Good luck
I am rebuilding my helm pump but the fluid filled cushions are missing, do you have a part number and soarce for purchasing them?????, Reply here please
Sorry, dont have the part numbers, the Sea Star is an american made helm pump so I'm sure you will find a PDF manual with parts and numbers on the internet. Very few boat yards will offer to rebuild these units they only do replacement units so its well worth spending some time to source parts.
May be a piston in the helm pump seized up. Slacken off one of the bleed nipples on the hydraulic ram that pushes the motor and see if the helm turns. If not then its likely a fault with the helm pump
very good explanation,, I have a problem with my boat helm,. just work for un side,. when spin for the other side just have a noise in to pump ( helm) @3qsoutboard484
...it entirely depends how far yours is gone...the one in this video looks to be in near perfect condition...mine was full of rust and I had to degrease and polish everything except the piston caps...you will definitely need the o ring pick...I was stuck on that until I could find one that worked, it's recessed and very difficult to pull...
in a world so fast to throw things away, its great to see a craftsman rebuild something the way it used to be done. I got here trying to diagnose steering issues on my boat - I am pretty sure its the helm pump relief valve - I will send to an expert for a rebuild - good for a small business that employs craftsmen, good for the environment and good for the pocketbook - win - win - win !
Amazing, not planning to do it myself but lovely to know the ins and out of it. Thank you.
Agreed, he’s done terrific work here. Much appreciated!
Thanks for the video. Getting ready to rebuild my helm pump from Seastar
Thank you for the support and help. This happened to mine. Perfect rebuild and explanation 👌 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you! This is an incredibly helpful video.
This is a great video! Well done sir. Very detailed and to the point. Just what I needed. Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Im about to do this, thank you!
Dear Paul , many thanks for your perfect video, you have save my seastar hh52713, with your detail info . you should be employ by seastar as a expert teacher . No one of seastar expert I had on the phone give me a solution to my problem : all say , DO NOT OPEN THE PUMP . only you have show us how easy it can be done . Many thanks , great video
yeh very easy to follow
Great video.
very intresting now i can rebuild my new pump yes new
Great video !!!! I wish i had a look before i pulled mine apart. I could do with your opinion on a problem i have ..... that is one of my pistons was accidentally pushed in too far, and now its stuck down tight. Would you have any idea how to free it so I could pull it out ??
You need to be careful so as not to score the piston and im assuming you have soaked the piston is releasing fluid like WD40. If you are going to replace the seal then you can warm the hub in the oven to increase tolerances then gently tap with a rubber mallet to see if the piston moves. Remember the spring will assist the piston to move. If this does not work then the best option is to use compressed air to force the piston out, but be aware this is dangerous as the pistion could fly out under pressure so make sure you wrap the hub in lots of heavy fabris like towels before you attempt it and ensure nothing is in the way that the pistion shooting out could hit. Good luck.
Great video Paul. I think I'm going to rebuild my helm pump after watching your video. I have a SeaStar sport tilt model # HH5291. Is the rebuild for this similar to the one you did in the video and would it be the same kit? Thanks
I took the pump completely apart including the 90 fittings for the port and starboard lines. In these ports are valves that weren't tight and I think they are meant to regulate pressure. I'm thinking they need to be screwed in a certain amount of turns like the idle adjustment on a Carb. Any advise?
Screw the originals in all the way to the stop and count # of revolutions to all the way in before you back them all the way out. Install new ones all the way in and back out correct # of revolutions
Hi paul great video. Can you please tell me what symptoms this helm had before the build. My steering is a lot stiffer than it was originally. It’s a sea star 1 helm from 1990
The steering became vague, it was responding slowly and erraticallly to the helm. Checked for air in the system first, and then decided to rebuild the pump. If yours is feeling stiff it may be worth draining the hydraulic fluid, if it is showing signs of brown rust deposits then it is likley one of the seals has broken down and allowed moisture to enter into the pump and rust the internals. They are mostly made of what looks like cast iron so need to be fully immersed in oil or they rust and the pump pistons start to stick.
@wapsac This video is A1 sir!!
My steering has been drifting to starboard recently even after I replaced all cylinder seals.. from what I have gathered my issue is likely a stuck check valve in the helm for that starboard side, but the sea star tech said not to open the helm and replace. I think I have found the seal kit on Amazon with the correct pieces and may try it out, looks like it contains 11 total seals and the blue gasket. Does that sound like an accurate diagnosis to you?
Yes, sounds right based on what you have detailed. Make sure you replace the ball bearings with new to give it the best chance of working. When you dismantle it if its full of rusty fluid, clean it thoroughly and check the valve seats. Sometimes they get a bit corroded and will not seal properly. Its then a difficult task to clean them and put the best surface on them that you can.
Hi - brilliant video. Were you happy with the parts supplier? Getting the little tool looks to be very helpful. Please could you share the name of the supplier you used for the parts and did it all work 100% back on the boat? Only want to do the job once (actually I don’t even want to do it once!) You hear about some suppliers where the seals aren’t exactly to size and then one has wasted a lot of time. Many thanks again….
Bought from Amazon Uk
Hello sir, i thank you for this video, i opened my HH5272 and struggled to put it back together. When i opened up the helm, the 1 of 2 c. Pack fell off and I didn’t know where to put it them. Then I watch your video and I followed your steps and then I put them together. Those 6 screw, what torque did you put on?
I did not apply an actual torque setting, just nipped them up. I suppoose as they are roughly 6mm threads then a torque setting of 20Nm would suffice.
I didn’t fill my helm at the bench but I filled after I installed it, is it ok to do this way?
Yes it will work just takes more time to bleed all the air out of the system
Paul thinks for reply, my helm is ok, I had a problem with my cylinder for inboard. Gaskets were leaking so it kept collecting air, i looked on CZcams for rebuilding video of Seastar hc5319 so I had to buy new cylinder. We will be happy to see from you a video about how to rebuild Seastar hc5319 cylinder. Thank for your time
Does the piston position matter? Mine went everywhere when I took the housing off.
Each piston whould be retained in its original cylinder to avoid variances in wear which may caiuse a piston to stick or be too loose if in the wrong cylinder. If its no possible to identify which piston fits into each cylinder then ensure, through trial and error which piston has a good sliding fit in each cylinder and go with that. Not ideal but as good as you can acheive.
how do you know when it is bad? I "think" my lines are bled, but it still only turns to one side. Sort of lost as to what to check next. Thanks
If therer are no obvious steering fluid leaks, then open the bleed valves one at a time on the outboard steering ram and turn the helm, try both ways testing to make sure steering fluid is coming out of the bleed valves. If this is working then cover the bleed valve to see if it has some pressure behind it. If you can feel the fluid has some pressure then it may be a seal in the steering ram itself that has failed.
Dear Paul,
I have got a Seastar 1.7 hh5217. When turning the weel is feels like the pump is stuttering. Like every time it gives some resistance.
Before I open it up, and change all the seals like you did, (thanks for the video by the way), do you have any idea what the issue could be?
Appriciate your input!.
Best regards,
Jan from the Netherlands!
It could be air in the system, these need bleeding quite a lot to clear all the air bubbles. There are a number of videos on youtube on how to do this, on somr occasions I have had to rebleed the system 3 times after the new seals have bedded in. It could be some sticking pistons i the pump itself, but this is unlikly if you have just rebuilt it. Also take a look at the hydraulic Ram end on the motor to see if the seals need replacing. Good luck
Thanks. Haven't rebuild it yet, but am going to. You might have a point with airbubbles. I will keep this in mind!
I am rebuilding my helm pump but the fluid filled cushions are missing, do you have a part number and soarce for purchasing them?????, Reply here please
Sorry, dont have the part numbers, the Sea Star is an american made helm pump so I'm sure you will find a PDF manual with parts and numbers on the internet. Very few boat yards will offer to rebuild these units they only do replacement units so its well worth spending some time to source parts.
No hydraulic leaks but steering has locked up. Any thoughts? HH5271h
May be a piston in the helm pump seized up. Slacken off one of the bleed nipples on the hydraulic ram that pushes the motor and see if the helm turns. If not then its likely a fault with the helm pump
very good explanation,, I have a problem with my boat helm,. just work for un side,. when spin for the other side just have a noise in to pump ( helm) @3qsoutboard484
How do u bleed these hell pumps?
There are a number of videos on youtube detailing how to do it, just takes a long time to fully purge all the air out of the system.
How much time should I plan to rebuild?
Takes a couple of hours if it all comes apart without any issues
...it entirely depends how far yours is gone...the one in this video looks to be in near perfect condition...mine was full of rust and I had to degrease and polish everything except the piston caps...you will definitely need the o ring pick...I was stuck on that until I could find one that worked, it's recessed and very difficult to pull...