Anjea has a
Raymarine ACU 200 driving an Octopus 1212
pump with a Hydrive 313 actuator. The system was leaking
oil and I could not see where from so I called a local hydraulics specialist to remove the whole system,
service it, and reinstall.
After reinstalling, the technician was unable to bleed the system and now seems to have abandoned me saying he is unable to get
parts, so I am attempting to solve the problem myself. I am not sure
parts are necessary as the system worked before it was removed and serviced.
The technician stated that they replaced
seals in the
pump and that that was the cause of the leakage. Here is what I have done since he left:
1. Removed the bypass valve and tested it. The valve clicks and spits
oil when connected to 12V. It draws 1 amp and measures 10 ohms, both as per spec. I can freely blow thru the valve when it is not activated, but not when it is activated. I checked the bypass valve output from the ACU200 and it reads 12 volts when the
autohelm is activated, 0V in standby. To me it seems that the bypass valve works 100%. Does it matter which way round the wires go?
2. I reassembled the system and filled the reservoir with oil. I connected the bypass valve directly to 12V then connected the pump. The pump runs but the actuator does not move. After 60 seconds or so the oil needs to be topped up. I reverse the pump every now and then. After a few topups the oil in the reservoir has turned to foam from all the aeration. I wait for the foam to subside, top up and run it again. But the oil foams again and I still get no response from the actuator. I have done this for maybe half an hour with no response at all.
Can anyone suggest what the problem might be?