Mercruiser Alpha One power steering reservoir frothy pink

[Bt Doctur]

there are 2 low pressure lines hose clamped to the cooler, remove them and connect them together with a hose barb or a section of tubing

 

[achris]

The cooler only had 4 hoses. 2 big water house, about 1-1/2", and 2 small oil hoses, about 3/8". Pull the 2 oil hoses off, get a bit of copper tube the right size, and join them together...

Chris....

 

[trooper1954]

Thanks everyone.....
The thing that gets me is that even after sitting overnight, there's no water/oil separation in a glass jar. Could I be overthinking this thing and making work for myself? I've decided to take the cooler out tomorrow and have it tested at a rad shop. Worse case scenario I'll leave everything drained over the winter and fix in the Spring when I have two good arms.:joyous:
Local Boat yard wants $500+ to fix this. I'll just be scratching my head if the cooler turns out to be okay.
Thanks

 

[achris]

Looking at your photo, that oil is definitely emulsified... It won't settle out overnight. Emulsified oil takes DAYS to separate... Connect the 2 oil hoses (from the cooler) together and flush the oil again. If you don't, the water in the oil in the actuator will settle out over winter and rust the shuttle. That's pretty much a guarantee...

But, it's your boat and money, you'll do what's easiest for you...

Chris....

 

[Scott06]

Looking at your photo, that oil is definitely emulsified... It won't settle out overnight. Emulsified oil takes DAYS to separate... Connect the 2 oil hoses (from the cooler) together and flush the oil again. If you don't, the water in the oil in the actuator will settle out over winter and rust the shuttle. That's pretty much a guarantee...

But, it's your boat and money, you'll do what's easiest for you...

Chris....

Take this advice bypass it and flush until clean ten u can replace cooler later if you like

 

[trooper1954]

Thanks Guys...
Just so I'm dead clear....I have both low pressure PS lines off the cooler. I'm connecting them together, then after emptying the reservoir I'm refilling and running the motor. Several turns each side to full lock on the steering, then shut off, drain reservoir and repeat until oil is clear?
Thanks

 

[Bondo]

Thanks Guys...
Just so I'm dead clear....I have both low pressure PS lines off the cooler. I'm connecting them together, then after emptying the reservoir I'm refilling and running the motor. Several turns each side to full lock on the steering, then shut off, drain reservoir and repeat until oil is clear?
Thanks

Ayuh,..... Welcome Aboard,...... This, ^^^, might work, but is not how I would do it,.....

The way I would do it is,......
Unhook the 2 lines from the p/s cooler, put a 3/8" bolt into the end of the line that goes back to the pump,.....
Usin' a hose barb union, extend the line comin' from the actuator, out to a waste oil catch can,.....
With a helper, you be ready at the pump with a couple quarts of fresh oil, have the helper start the motor, 'n slowly turn the wheel lock to lock, as you pour fresh oil into the pump,.....
Continue til ya see fresh clean oil comin' outa yer extension hose, into the catch can,......
At that point, shut it down, reassemble, 'n top off the oil level,.....

 

[trooper1954]

Thanks Bondo....unfortunately I was in the middle of it when I came in and read this....of course this is the least messy and most practical (for next time). Update is....I have now run 4 liters of PSF through the system in total, the last 2 being with the cooler disconnected. I'm at the point where I've run out of PSF and cant get any till tomorrow, but here's a photo of the Rasberry milkshake I started with, and what I have now,. There is improvement, but I think it will take quite a bit more PS to run absolutely clear.....I guess my question is ....should I keep going? I'm at the point where I'm beginning to wonder if it will ever clear.
Thanks everyone for the advice and help....please keep it coming.

 

[achris]

If you do it the way Bondo suggests, then you should only need to run a couple or three litres through... Rather than mixing with the contaminated oil and diluting, as you do when you leave it connected, flushing to an empty container uses new fluid to displace contaminated... The new fluid doesn't mix with ant of the old.

Chris..

 

[trooper1954]

Hi Guys,

Still working on this. Did the power steering the way Bondo suggested....all good. Now have clear fresh oil in the system. In my rush to try and fix this, when I took the PS lines off the cooler I didn't mark them. The cooler is mounted vertically, and I've run the line from the reservoir to the top outlet/inlet on the cooler...is this correct? The line from the ram I have deadended with a bolt for now so I dont loose any of the fresh PS fluid,but can I assume this goes to the bottom inlet/outlet on the cooler?

Also, while doing this suprise suprise, I noticed the trim reservoir was also milky pink. I disconnected the up line at the ram and ran the trim up to evacuate the line.this didn't seem to draw much out of the reservoir, and when I checked the leg, it hadn't gone up at all.
I re-connected the up line at the cylinder so that we are back to normal, and now neither up or down will move the leg. Both pumps are working. How Have I screwed this exercise up??

Thanks....Just not very savvy around boats and appreciate any help.

 

[Bondo]

The cooler is mounted vertically, and I've run the line from the reservoir to the top outlet/inlet on the cooler...is this correct? The line from the ram I have deadended with a bolt for now so I dont loose any of the fresh PS fluid,but can I assume this goes to the bottom inlet/outlet on the cooler?

Ayuh,..... It doesn't really matter,..... Where ever the hoses look "comfortable",.......
Either nipple can be in, or out,.....

Which trim pump do you have,..?? late model with the plastic tank, or an older one,..??

 

[trooper1954]

It has a plastic tank Bondo.

 

[trooper1954]

BTW....can someone give me a link for engine serial numbers? I've tried a few, but none of the sites I've visited seem to cover the number I have. Mounted on top of the air cleaner is the following:
OC458325430B100BR
This is in what I believe to be a 1990 SeaRay if that helps.
Thanks

 

[trooper1954]

Hey guys....just an update. Finally resolved the trim issue....must have had an air lock as after awhile it started working both up and down. I now have fresh oil in both PS and trim systems and have finally winterized the boat. Let's hope the first run out next Spring doessn't produce milky fluid again else we're back to square one
Thanks for all the help from everyone....any takers for my engine number question?

 

[wahlejim]

Where did you get that number? Try on the valve cover or on the block by the starter.

As far as the milky fluid in either system, water doesn't magically appear and disappear at will. There is a failure somewhere. I would put money on the cooler for the steering.

Now to the trim, you most likely have a leaky ram. Milky fluid with air lock symptoms all point in that direction. If there is no sign of fluid on the lines or connections, definitely the ram. They are relatively easy to re-build and kits can be found to do so. A more expensive yet easier fix is to just replace the ram. To find the faulty ram, disconnect them one at a time from the outdrive and run them through the trim cycle. You should be able to tell which one isn't pulling its weight, no pun intended. Alternatively, you can disconnect both and compare how they operate side by side with no load, however, in my experience the failure is much more pronounced when they are subject to a load of some sort.