Hello all,
First time boat owner here. I purchased a used 2014 Monterey 234 SS with a Volvo Penta 270 V8 engine. Everything has been working flawlessly until a couple of weeks ago. I docked the boat like normal and the next time out, I had barely any power steering. It seems to have some at slow speeds, but it's basically non existent. The fluid reservoir is full, there are no leaks. The serpentine belt is in great shape at proper tension. There are no odd engine noises. The power steering pump pully spins smoothly with no noticeable issues. I removed the pins holding the actuator and outdrive steering linkage and the outdrive moves side to side by hand smoothly. The steering cable moves freely with the wheel input. It's a gear driven single cable. I removed the cable from the helm and I can push/pull it by hand relatively freely, but I don't have any reference. The helm helm gearbox rotates smoothly with no odd noise.
Any thoughts on the next step for trouble shooting? Maybe install a pressure gauge on the power steering pump to see if it's making pressure? The actuator appears to be moving as it should. The shuttle valve (I think it's called) moves side to side with steering input. There's no obvious signs of an issue.
Thanks,
Ray
First time boat owner here. I purchased a used 2014 Monterey 234 SS with a Volvo Penta 270 V8 engine. Everything has been working flawlessly until a couple of weeks ago. I docked the boat like normal and the next time out, I had barely any power steering. It seems to have some at slow speeds, but it's basically non existent. The fluid reservoir is full, there are no leaks. The serpentine belt is in great shape at proper tension. There are no odd engine noises. The power steering pump pully spins smoothly with no noticeable issues. I removed the pins holding the actuator and outdrive steering linkage and the outdrive moves side to side by hand smoothly. The steering cable moves freely with the wheel input. It's a gear driven single cable. I removed the cable from the helm and I can push/pull it by hand relatively freely, but I don't have any reference. The helm helm gearbox rotates smoothly with no odd noise.
Any thoughts on the next step for trouble shooting? Maybe install a pressure gauge on the power steering pump to see if it's making pressure? The actuator appears to be moving as it should. The shuttle valve (I think it's called) moves side to side with steering input. There's no obvious signs of an issue.
Thanks,
Ray
