Page 52 - Lady Bass Digital Magazine Classic 2022

Tips for Regular Maintenance

Part 5: Power Steering (Hydraulic)

This is just a good maintenance thing to do, especially if your power steering is a bit sluggish, or if on land with the mo-
tor down, there is a lot of play when trying to move the motor back and forth.

Be sure to select the appropriate power steering fluid. Sea Star is the most common. If
your boat is equipped with power steering, it too can be checked and filled. The process
is like that of bleeding the brakes. On my boat there is a cap in the center top of the
steering wheel. Your boat owners’ packet should have included a screw cap and hose for
filling this and the bleed fitting is located on the trim. If you do not have a filler tube,
there are kits that can be purchased. If you can find the kit with hose with fittings that
connect the port and starboard bleeder nipples, this is a super easy process. In general,
this is a “spill to fill”, but with the connector hose, the spill part is mostly contained!

Start by removing the caps from both port and starboard bleeder nipples. Attach the connecting hose and then loosen
the bleeder nipples on both sides using a box end wrench. Once attached, move to the helm of the boat and you will
remove the cap. Next, screw in the filler hose into the opening. Next you will attach the power steering fluid bottle. Posi-
tion the bottle higher than the helm opening.

Now it is time to turn your steering wheel all the way to
each side, port to starboard and back again. As you are
doing this, you will see bubbles in the hose connecting the
bleeder valves.

Keep turning the motor from port
to starboard and back again. As
you do this, you will see bubbles
begin to appear in the hose at the
helm.

Continue turning the motor back and forth until no air bubbles appear in the tube at the helm.
Now that no bubbles are appearing, go to the stern and close off the bleeder valves. Have a con-
tainer handing to capture the fluids when you remove the connecting hose. Replace the nipple
covers and move back to the helm.
Lower the bottle to below the helm and remove the filler
hose from the bottle and then from the helm filler cap.
Clean up and replace the cap on the helm.

50 Lady Bass Anglers Association
Maintenance Tips- Part 5: Power Steering