Vetus steering seals replacement

[pattormey]

Has anyone had the experience of changing the seals in a Vetus steering cylinder? Sadly, this is the only documentation Vetus in Europe could provide

I bought the seal kit and the tool to open the cylinder.

Appreciate anyone’s experience.

 

[BeeJay]

I have no experience with your particular steering cylinder but I have seen similar retaining methods on other equipment I have worked on. So WFIW - I believe that the shaded end cap (fig 1) has an internal groove that corresponds with a matching groove on the outside of the cylinder barrel covered by the shaded end cap. Mating these two items is the black band shown in figures 2 an 3. This band may be a hard round section nylon material (or spring metal) and it could be that it is supplied in the kit you have. Using the pin spanner I would slowly rotate the shaded cap until the access port opposite the pin spanner dimple lines up with the end of the retaining band.(if you have managed to identify the retaining band in your kit you will better know what to look for at this stage).Then gently coach the end of the band out of the access port (as in fig 2) and once started continue to simultaneously rotate the cap. After almost a full rotation of the cap you should be at the same stage as depicted in figure 3 allowing the band to be fully removed from the unit. Now that the band is removed there is nothing retaining the shaded end cap to the cylinder and the cap can now be removed from the cylinder by sliding it towards the end of the piston rod. I hope this has been helpful. Oh - and I hate it when instructions say this so I’m going to tag it on the end........... “To reassemble simply reverse the above procedure”

 

[pattormey]

Steel pin turns to ring

Thanks so much for your feedback. The end caps come off exactly as you state and exactly as the diagram depicts.

There is a steel pin in the kit which becomes a ring forms by turning the end cap on to it.

Removing the end cap is as you described where the end of the ring is eased out ( I attached vise grips to iit after wedging it out with a screwdriver) then turning the cap to allow more and more ring to come out and simultaneously bending it out with the vise grips.

 

[BeeJay]

Thanks so much for your feedback. The end caps come off exactly as you state and exactly as the diagram depicts.



There is a steel pin in the kit which becomes a ring forms by turning the end cap on to it.



Removing the end cap is as you described where the end of the ring is eased out ( I attached vise grips to iit after wedging it out with a screwdriver) then turning the cap to allow more and more ring to come out and simultaneously bending it out with the vise grips.

Well done - here’s hoping it goes back together easily.