anyone taken apart a imco steering ram?
 

i ended up buying a imco steering setup, single ram and i am doing full hydraulic from helm back. anyways the guy i got the ram from said he thinks it needs a seal kit which is like 22 bucks from imco. my question is how do i take the cylinder ends off without damaging anything? i have taken cylinders apart before but there is usually a way to hook a tool into it and spin it off. i really just need the side off that the rod goes through so i can swap seals. thanks

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It just unscrews like most hydraulic cylinders. 1 ram cylinder and 2 end caps. Use rubber in between the wrench and cylinder parts.

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http://www.imcomarine.com/nvcatalog/imco_catalog.pdf

i tried using some rubber strap wrenches, they were slipping on the stainless :(. i am wondering if a pipe wrench with rubber of some sort might hold. i hate to send it off to imco for something so simple

Yes with the pipe wrench. Try to hold an end cap and try to unscrew the other end cap. You do not want to crush or distort the cylinder barrel.

I noticed the same thing on my cylinders. Let me know if you find a way to do it without scuffling the cylinders.

No 1 never hold the cylinder with a vise or anything like a pipe wrench.Take the end that you want to remove.Place it on a piece of wood laying horizontal to the cylinder. Take a good heavy dead blow and hit the end cap were the cylinder threads in careful not to hit the cylinder. Do this a couple times or so,this shocks the threads and they usually come loose. Been doing this for years to loosen all types of cylinder caps at the shop.A-Tech hydraulics.Some times it takes a while but you won't damage the stainless steel or the tube. JOHN SR

thanks, i am going to try that today :)

doesnt seem to be working with the dead blow

cylinder
 

Then take a piece of oak and put it in the end and hit it with a steel hammer just make sure you don't crack the wood. Also the dead blow needs to be the kind with the hard plastic head not rubber,also a leather dead blow works. JOHN SR