Bravo One power steering leak, somewhere...
#11
OP - I just had one go bad and bought from PSC. They were great. You can actually pull the pump out of the housing and just replace the guts. I think mine was only about 200 bucks.
#12
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Joined: Oct 2000
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From: Lake Ozark, MO USA
Isn't it so wonderful that Mother Mercury takes a GM part and puts a 10 valve in it and charges their customers 9x the cost? Must be one hell of a labor charge for that. They are right up there with the Motor Company, Harley Davidson.
Last edited by Helmwurst; 07-24-2022 at 08:16 AM. Reason: Forgot to add last comment
#13
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From: Wichita, Kansas
I will definitely NOT be buying an OEM Mercruiser or even Sierra pump, lol! Will go the automotive route and do the mod.
I've had a lot of people suggest that the leak is almost certainly from p/s system oil cooler, so I'll be checking that out next time I use the boat.
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Baja 252 Islander
Baja 252 Islander
#14
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From: Wichita, Kansas
Ok, thanks for all the good info. I got the pump, and am looking ahead to what it would take to change this out if necessary, reviewing the Service Manual. It appears there is a fairly involved process to remove the pulley from the old pump and install on the new and getting the serpentine belt alignment correct. Of course Mercruiser references a couple of special tools for pulling the pulling and re-installing. For those that have done this, am I over-thinking the process? Obviously the serpentine belt has to be dead-nuts on alignment...
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Baja 252 Islander
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#15
RX-7 is 1993 year.
I will definitely NOT be buying an OEM Mercruiser or even Sierra pump, lol! Will go the automotive route and do the mod.
I've had a lot of people suggest that the leak is almost certainly from p/s system oil cooler, so I'll be checking that out next time I use the boat.
I will definitely NOT be buying an OEM Mercruiser or even Sierra pump, lol! Will go the automotive route and do the mod.
I've had a lot of people suggest that the leak is almost certainly from p/s system oil cooler, so I'll be checking that out next time I use the boat.
Definitely check with PSC if your pump burned up. They were great. Could be leaking in the cooler. PS coolers are small and relatively cheap to replace....
#16
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From: Wichita, Kansas
I brought my boat home from Table Rock to work on a few things, including fixing the power steering fluid leak. Gave it a thorough inspection, found NOTHING...no oil on hoses, no "smoking gun"...I had convinced myself it was going to be a low pressure line on the oil cooler. I believe my next step is to put some ultraviolet dye in and run it for a while and then check again.
Frustrating.
Frustrating.
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Baja 252 Islander
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#18
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From: Wichita, Kansas
I did the ultraviolet dye test and was rewarded with an abundance of fluorescing oil on the starboard side bottom of the power steering cooler. Yay, thinks I, so I take the power steering cooler off (footnote: major PIA!) and pressure test it and...crap, it's perfectly fine. So, the p/s fluid has to be spraying up underneath the cooler, evidently? The starboard rear engine mount is awash in p/s fluid...so the leak is somewhere in that area. Is there a possibility of a seal out in the steering unit itself? Next step is I am making a bypass for the power steering cooler so I can see what is going on there better, and I'll fire it up and have my wife turn the steering wheel and see what I can see.
I had the engine running for about 30 minutes during the test, as I wanted to warm it up so I could change the oil...and probably lost 2 oz. of fluid in that time from the reservoir. 7.4 Bravo One.
I had the engine running for about 30 minutes during the test, as I wanted to warm it up so I could change the oil...and probably lost 2 oz. of fluid in that time from the reservoir. 7.4 Bravo One.
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#20
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From: Hemlock, MI
I did the ultraviolet dye test and was rewarded with an abundance of fluorescing oil on the starboard side bottom of the power steering cooler. Yay, thinks I, so I take the power steering cooler off (footnote: major PIA!) and pressure test it and...crap, it's perfectly fine. So, the p/s fluid has to be spraying up underneath the cooler, evidently? The starboard rear engine mount is awash in p/s fluid...so the leak is somewhere in that area. Is there a possibility of a seal out in the steering unit itself? Next step is I am making a bypass for the power steering cooler so I can see what is going on there better, and I'll fire it up and have my wife turn the steering wheel and see what I can see.
I had the engine running for about 30 minutes during the test, as I wanted to warm it up so I could change the oil...and probably lost 2 oz. of fluid in that time from the reservoir. 7.4 Bravo One.
I had the engine running for about 30 minutes during the test, as I wanted to warm it up so I could change the oil...and probably lost 2 oz. of fluid in that time from the reservoir. 7.4 Bravo One.




