Crazy but true-Seastar/Teleflex

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seasick

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I have run into some strange issues at my yard but last week I heard a new one. Add this to my 'hard to believe' list.

I ran into a friend who was getting his boat ready for the season. He mentioned that he had to bleed his hydraulic steering since he had to turn the wheel many times to get the motors to move. I commented that bleeding is a bit of a pain for one person typically. He said," No it's not, my system gets bled at the helm just by turning the wheel 3 turns to port and three times to starboard. I mentioned that just moves the air around and that the air has to be bleed at the ram.
He said, " No, there is no bleeding needed at the ram".

I pointed to the bleed valves on the ram and his response was " Those aren't bleed valves, they are grease fittings". I looked in shock and said "No they aren't" They aren't zerk fittings, how would you possibly add grease?"

He said " It was a challenge the first year I had the boat. I had to gerry rig a bunch of fittings to get my grease gun to attach to the valves" " Every year I squeeze marine grease into those fittings"

I just smiled and started to wonder what the inside of his hydraulics must look like. Who knows, maybe marine grease and Seastar fluid like each other.
 
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  • Wow
Reactions: Ridge Runner
Wow! I just replaced my helm and my son and I bled the system at the ram. It's a good thing I didn't put my grease gun on that !

On one hand grease is a petrol based thing and so is steering fluid. I suspect the steering fluid would act as a solvent and thin the grease out . On the other hand grease doesn't behave like the fluid. It compresses differently for starters and maybe it would behave like cholesterol in the arteries. Lol. His helm by the way seems to be gone or is going as mine was behaving just like that last summer.
 
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Wow. It's good you walked away. You can't argue with ignorance.

So... if he uses the bleed valves to pump grease into, what does he pump into the actual zerk fittings? Blinker light fluid?
 
Wow!!! See what you could have done if I hadn't helped you Smoky!!!

Some of the keyboard mechanics over on THT probably directed him on that.
 
If
DennisG01 said:
Wow. It's good you walked away. You can't argue with ignorance.

So... if he uses the bleed valves to pump grease into, what does he pump into the actual zerk fittings? Blinker light fluid?
Click to expand...
I am still trying to figure out how he made a gizmo to connect a grease gun to a pneumatic quick connect coupler.
I would like to be around when he finally bleeds the cylinder just to see what comes out.
 
Ky Grady said:
Wow!!! See what you could have done if I hadn't helped you Smoky!!!

Some of the keyboard mechanics over on THT probably directed him on that.
Click to expand...
I was about to put either hot sauce or Lysol in there KY. Good thing I phoned a friend and you saved me from myself. Lol
 
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Be careful with what you say. People may start a run on Seastar fluid.
 
Funny story. Some people are just persistent. They will find a way to do anything incorrectly.
 
If he was so confident, shoulda bet him some money and see if he changed his answer... or was "persistent" enough (that's a nicer term than ignorant!) to take the bet.
 
seasick said:
He said " It was a challenge the first year I had the boat. I had to gerry rig a bunch of fittings to get my grease gun to attach to the valves" " Every year I squeeze marine grease into those fittings"
Click to expand...
Gold...
 
CRAZY!!

You did play it well seasick!
 
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