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John, I had our steering cylinder rebuilt a few years back. We started by sending in the helm pump, which was acting up - it turned out it needed replacing, and the mechanic indicated that I would most likely find the cylinder rod pitted as well, since that is the most likely place for water intrusion. It was pitted, so I had it rebuilt, with a new rod and seals.

After all that, the cost ended up being pretty close to a brand new system - and our system was only 7 years old at the time. For your much older unit, you may want to consider simply replacing it.

The mechanic recommended changing the steering oil every 2 or 3 years to avoid a recurrence of the problem we had.


Tim