To Replace Hyanutics Steering or Not????

[peterb]

All, I bought my 1978 23' SF two months ago. At the time I noticed that I was leaking hydraulic fluid from the Hynautics 425 helm pump. I had a local guy open it up and he said that the housing was falling apart. I shipped the unit out to Charman in Indiana. They replaced the housing and the shaft.

When i got the helm pump about two weeks ago I noticed a little up and down play in the new shaft. I installed it. It is holding the pressure just fine. Unfortunately, the steering only works when you push down on the streering wheel (I think that this is due to the play in the new shaft setup). Operating the boat with this setup scares me.

I am wondering how much further I should be pushing this (such as shipping back the unit to Charman) before saying screw it & buy a new setup.

FYI, I have twin 150 Yamaha's and have received a price estimate of $1,900 from a local marina for installing a SeaStar unit.

The idea of spending close to another $2k does not thrill me. However, I also want to feel safe out there and am somewhat concerned that even if Charman comes through for me, that i am just putting a band aid on a 27 year old system.

Your thought and input would be greatly appreciated.