Leaking Raymarine Autohelm Type 2 hydraulic pump...

[skipgundlach]

Leaking Raymarine Autohelm Type 2 hydraulic pump...

Hokay...

Time to reach into the collective knowledge base.

Picture shows my leaking (Raymarine) Autohelm Type 2 ( the Type has to do with the volume it will push, and the tonnage of the boat, not a style) hydraulic pump. It's certainly decades old, as I don't believe that the prior owner installed it, making it at least 25 years old. Yet, it worked just fine until this leak.

As a side note, we had the same sort of leakage, which was (at that time) simply a matter of the bolts holding it together having worked loose; tightening it up and adding fluid and pressure got another 8 or so years of usage from it. The leak(s) seem to be coming from the bolts at the pump end; tightening did not cure it this time. I'm hoping it's as simple as an o-ring or grommet around the bolts, as there does not appear to be any gasket material visible between the housing parts. Close examination of the picture shows the spacer next to the pump body; the leak(s) come from the notch where the bolt may be visible. The notch is similar in size to the one at the sealed end next to my left hand. Why they'd make it that way instead of solid so the bolt was entirely inside is beyond me, but it is what it is.

As a hydraulic leak means that my hydraulic steering doesn't work, especially as we're parked (it didn't fully fail until we'd anchored, following a twisty-turny path to get to Treasure Cay -Thank you, Lord!) sort of in the middle of nowhere, this has my full attention of the moment.

Research shows that the current pumps don't look much like this one, so likely any parts will not be interchangeable. I don’t have a Raymarine part number to go with this unit, so can't even be intelligent in asking for help with P/N xyz.

So, two questions:

From the picture, knowing that there is a label saying "Autohelm Type 2) on it, does anyone have a proper part number for this?

and

Has anyone rebuilt one of these for the same reason, or, if not the same, know what to do based on the above symptoms?

Thanks for any assistance!

L8R

Skip, currently stranded

Morgan 461 #2
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