Hydraulic Steering Leak?

[Paulz01]

I have a 1997 Johnson 175 with hydraulic steering and the cylinder seams to be leaking fluid and in turn, the boat is becoming more difficult to turn. I just replaced the missing fluid with Lucas power steering fluid in hopes that it would buy me some time but would you guys know how I would go about resolving the issue? Can I disassemble the unit and replace the seals or do I need to just buy a whole new unit?

 

[CatTwentyTwo]

Re: Hydraulic Steering Leak?

If the cylinder rod is still in good shape you can install a seal kit and be good as new. I installed a seal kit on my 175 a few years ago and the hardest part is just breaking the end caps loose. From the picture though it looks like your rod might have a ding there on the left side. If that's the case or if there is any scoring or wear on the rod, you will need a new cylinder. It looks like the iboats store carries both the kit and cylinder.