Replacing External Steering Hose
 

I recently just purchased 2 replacement IMCO external steering hoses. One of the current hoses has got a hole in it. How bad of an issue is it that water is now in the hydraulics? I'm really hoping for nothing too serious. Should I do anything before I simply change the hoses out? How difficult is it to change these hoses? I'm by no means a mechanic so I don't want to dig into it and really mess things up! What do you guys think? I appreciate your help!

-AC

I assume you are talking about the hoses that go to the rams on the rear of the boat. They are very easy to swap out. You will lose some fluid when you take them off. Be sure to have a container to catch it. You will also need to bleed the steering after they are changed. You should just be able to turn the wheel lock to lock multiple times until the fluid stops going down. Just be sure to keep the reservior full so you don't introduce more air into the system.
If you got water in the system then there will be some milky looking oil in it. If so, you need to flush the entire system out. The water will cause damage to the pump, helm, etc. It won't be easy or quick to flush it out. You will probably need to do it several times to get all of the water out. If there is no milk, then just swap out the hoses and bleed it.
Eddie

Thanks for the reply! Yes sorry I did mean the 2 external hoses that are connected t o the hydraulic ram on the back of boat. I figured swapping them out would not be difficult but water in the system is what I am worried about. I will check the fluid that drains out from hoses and see if it looks milky. I called to check on when the hoses will be delivered and I asked the guy at IMCO about this situation as well. He seemed to think that water should not have got into the lines. I'll reply with an update after I pull the hoses off tomorrow to swap out.

-AC

also.....What do you recommend for the steering fluid?

Stick with whatever is in there. If it's red, then it's ATF. If it is basically clear, then it is P/S fluid. You can use either.
Eddie