anyone use the aftermarket p/s actuators sold on ebay and amazon? looking for feedback

[pae0332]

For Volvo Penta 3812269 Power Steering Actuator Ram Cylinder Assembly US | eBay

For Volvo Penta 3812269, 3850244, 3854878, 3856710, 3856716, 3858128, 3860726,3860883,3862210,3862513. For Volvo Penta 21910902. 1× Power Steering Actuator Ram Cylinder Assembly. For OMC 3850244. XDP-B, X-B, X-BLT, XHP-B, XHP-BLT, XXP-A, XXP-ALT, XXP-D3, XDP-B 1.78, XDP-B 1.95, XDP-B 2.32...

www.ebay.com

are they any good?

 

[rolmops]

You get what you pay for and there is a reason why they are much cheaper.....
For that sort of gear, you may want to check a place like Craig's list. There are often things like that for sale that come off boats that are being scrapped. However, these actuators do not usually malfunction while the cheap new ones often have irregularities and would not pass quality inspections.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Just rebuild the one you have with a new seal kit

 

[Lou C]

I know the Volvo OEM ones were like a grand or so, these are like 1/4th that price?
I bought a couple of nice used ones for my Cobra, the one I installed in 2021 is still working well. Those are the older Bendix style units that both OMC and Merc used, you can rebuild the control valve but the cylinder, I don't think is rebuildable. I also have a NOS control valve and cylinder (I think I bought the last 2 OEM ones in the country, lol). Lots of Cobra spares in my garage.

 

[dingbat]

Nothing special about rebuilding a hydraulic cylinder. Finding replacement seals is the toughest part if a kit isn't available

Simply remove old seals and replace with new. Worst comes to worst and you end up with some corrosion around the caps, a common brake hone and an electric drill works wonders well to remove condition the surface.

Have made a couple from scratch using pipe