www.iFourWinns.com

Went out today for one final pass before we pull out the water sports arsenal and noticed the steering was making a whining sound when we turned the wheel. I opened up the engine hatch to find a large amount of power steering fluid (pink stuff) in my bilge and the reservoir was completely empty. I checked around to see where it could have leaked from, but couldn't find an obvious point where I could track the fluid down into the bilge. The only thing that seemed suspect is that the reservoir had some on it.

At this point, I'm considering refilling the reservoir and taking it out another day to see if I end up with fluid in the bilge again. Or is this not such a smart idea?

Edit: This is for a Volvo SX

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-Rob.


Current boat: 2011 Yamaha AR210
Previous boat: 1998 Horizon RX 4.3GL SX

I know my pump has a silly little rubber cap on an extra return port that isn't used for anything. Maybe check to see if yours has this and see if that cap came off. Mine is only held on with a sping hose clamp.

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1998 Baja Boss 252 7.4L MPI Bravo 1 (SOLD)
2007 FW H200SS 5.0GXI (Sold)
2004 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew 6.0L (tow vehicle)
1991 FW 170 Freedom 4.3L (SOLD)

I have had power steering problems on both of my Fourwinns. My first boat a Horizon 220 kept blowing a hose at the back of the engine and filled the bilge with the fluid which is a real mess to get cleaned up. The hose would fail right at a hose clamp and the turning action seemed to aggravate the problem. After several failures I took the piece completely off the engine and had a new part made at a high end auto parts store.

I also had a power steering actuator fail on my new Vista 278 but that was covered under warranty. This was not as easy to find the leak. I would guess that if you fill the reservoir up and turn the engine on you will find the leak very quickly. You might start the engine before you get on the water again. This could save you some grief when you have a full day of boating planned.

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2008 Vista 278 Volvo Penta 8.1 Gi 375 hp
1999 Horizon 220 5.7 GSi

Thanks, I'll look for any loose connections. It's not the easiest to see under at that point, but I could only see one hose coming from the pump area.

To refill, this may be a stupid question, but do I just use standard power steering fluid? Any recommended brands/types?

Worse comes to worse, I'll bring it in for service, but I like to at least try to troubleshoot and understand the problem before I call.

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-Rob.


Current boat: 2011 Yamaha AR210
Previous boat: 1998 Horizon RX 4.3GL SX

I'm having the same problem on my Funship - After the dealer replaced the power steering pump, which cost me $$ but didn't fix the problem, I now have dye in the fluid which should be visible under black-light to see where it is coming from. On mine, I suspect it is leaking from the back of the actuator...

Good luck!

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe

EvilZ that sounds like the same problem I had on my new V278. I had a hard time finding the problem and finally felt under the actuator and came up with fluid on my hands. Mine was replaced under warranty so I can't tell you what the cost was. Open your boat up and run your hand along the bottom of the actuator and if it's oily you probably have the same problem. I think I took a photo of mine that I might still have if you need to take a look.

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2008 Vista 278 Volvo Penta 8.1 Gi 375 hp
1999 Horizon 220 5.7 GSi

I spoke with my mechanic today and he told me to fill up the reservoir and throw it on the muffs to see if I can locate the leak. He said it sounded like a blown hose and that if I can locate the hose, he'll get the part ordered to save time. He's an independent that can only hold so many boats in his garage, but will squeeze me in as soon as the parts arrive. Hopefully with some flashlights I'll have some luck at locating the problem, but since we blew out all of the fluid yesterday it may not be a problem.

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-Rob.


Current boat: 2011 Yamaha AR210
Previous boat: 1998 Horizon RX 4.3GL SX

If you have the same problem I had on my H220 you might be able to fix it yourself and get back on the water. I was able to cut off a few inches of the hose and put it back on the hose barb and in fact did this in the middle of KY Lake on a family vacation. If the failure is somewhere else the situation might be more complex and require more skill or work than you want to do.

Let us know what you find when you run it on the muffs.

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2008 Vista 278 Volvo Penta 8.1 Gi 375 hp
1999 Horizon 220 5.7 GSi

Thanks for the info!

If, by chance, the problem is towards the back of the motor, what's the best way of reaching back there? I can reach and see the connections beneath the pump, but as they go further back, it becomes a little difficult.

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-Rob.


Current boat: 2011 Yamaha AR210
Previous boat: 1998 Horizon RX 4.3GL SX

It's been a couple of years ago but I think I was able to actually stand in the bilge area on my H220. It can be a challenge. On my Vista I end up putting a mat on top of the engine and laying across it. Not very comfortable. You might have a different problem than I did but I'm guessing that you just might see it spray when you start it on the muffs. I would have somebody at the switch because the leak on my H220 would really gush once the engine started. The leak on my Vista was much harder to find but it would also take a longer period of time to leak out.

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2008 Vista 278 Volvo Penta 8.1 Gi 375 hp
1999 Horizon 220 5.7 GSi

Hooked up to the muffs tonight and ran it for about 30 minutes (working the wheel back and forth) with nothing leaking out...frustrating. Here I'm expecting fluid to come shooting out of somewhere and I get absolutely nothing. I talked to the mechanic for a while on the phone as he had me check out specific joints and everything was dry.

Under where the actuator is, there is a ledge in the hull that I assumed would have some residue if fluid was leaking at that point and there was nothing near the cooler. The only guess he had was that the cap had loosened up, but was confused how so much would have leaked out.

So far, the verdict is that I take it out and run with the cover open and see if I can find anything.

_________________
-Rob.


Current boat: 2011 Yamaha AR210
Previous boat: 1998 Horizon RX 4.3GL SX

Follow up on this... I finally took it in and it turned out the low pressure hose had a crack in it close to the power steering cooler, which is way on the backside of the motor and very difficult to see. The crack was close to where it connected, so he trimmed off the bad hose and re-connected with real hose connectors (plastic ones were previously on).

_________________
-Rob.


Current boat: 2011 Yamaha AR210
Previous boat: 1998 Horizon RX 4.3GL SX

maybe is is a dumb question but... will the boat steering work if the power steering pump is disabled (engine belt removed )? like a car, would it still be driveable but extremely hard to turn or what?- bk

Yes, at least in theory.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic