Seastar Kicker Cable Tiebar Install Question

[seahorse]

Well I decided to buy myself a birthday present as I‘m tired of leaning over the transom to connect the kicker to the main engine for trolling. Everything was going great today until I got to step 8 and needed to remove the stem washer, no go, does anyone have any advice? I tried hitting it with Moovit and and then some gentle prying with a set of small common screwdrivers. I called Seastar tech support but they haven’t gotten back to me yet. I don’t want to over bang and break something, it’s a 2 year old hydraulic system so relatively new, here’s a picture, thanks, Don

 

[FisherTim]

Well I decided to buy myself a birthday present as I‘m tied of leaning over the transom to connect the kicker to the main engine for trolling. Everything was going great today until I got to step 8 and needed to remove the stem washer, no go, does anyone have any advice? I tried hitting it with Moovit and and then some gentle prying with a set of small common screwdrivers. I called Seastar tech support but they haven’t gotten back to me yet. I don’t want to over bang and break something, it’s a 2 year old hydraulic system so relatively new, here’s a picture, thanks, Don

I had to do it once. Its not fun. I ended up removing the entire ram assembly and using a 12 ton shop press with a series of weird jigs to keep everything held in place.

 

[ship happens]

Your trying to add a tie bar to an existing ram? Trying to remove the 5/16 bolt from the pivot plate?

Map gas hand held torch and fluid film. Goddammit giving away all the secrets

Take the bolt 3/4 way out, heat up the casting, propane won't work, take a punch and punch the bolthead back in. This will push that machine bushing (washer) out or at least get it started. Might **** the bolt if it's really seized. It will come out.

 

[seahorse]

This is the kicker steering I’m trying to install, it can’t be this hard, the stem washer needs to come out so that the drive bracket can bolt onto the cylinder ear. I must be over thinking it.

 

[seahorse]

Your trying to add a tie bar to an existing ram? Trying to remove the 5/16 bolt from the pivot plate?

Map gas hand held torch and fluid film. Goddammit giving away all the secrets

Take the bolt 3/4 way out, heat up the casting, propane won't work, take a punch and punch the bolthead back in. This will push that machine bushing (washer) out or at least get it started. Might **** the bolt if it's really seized. It will come out.

The bolt comes out fine but the stem washer is stuck, the existing bolt slides through the stem washer then threads into a circular sleeve on the pivot plate that bolts to the motor above the steering cylinder. There is an extension sleeve that replaces the stem washer that is needed for the drive bracket. I can’t believe Seastar would make it this difficult of an install, their engineers must be smarter.

 

[ship happens]

It's like that for safety reasons.

Not hard to come apart. Takes about 2 minutes. Undo the bolt about half way and then hit it with a punch and a hammer.

Hire a pro?

 

[seahorse]

It's like that for safety reasons.

Not hard to come apart. Takes about 2 minutes. Undo the bolt about half way and then hit it with a punch and a hammer.

Hire a pro?

Ok I’ll give that a try, although I get your advice but almost impossible to hire a pro, everyone is swamped, I’ll let you know how it goes, thanks.

 

[seahorse]

Ok I’ll give that a try, although I get your advice but almost impossible to hire a pro, everyone is swamped, I’ll let you know how it goes, thanks.

Well Sir you were correct very easy, a little over 2 minutes for me, I threaded the longer bolt that came with kit and gently tapped the threaded collar out and then used a 1/4 inch deep socket to tap the stem washer out from the other side, can’t thank you enough. I guess it pays to be a pro like yourself as I’m a lowly logging engineer. Still begs the question why Seastar doesn’t put that process into their install documents for us want to be marine mechanics…

 

[ship happens]

It's a long conversation on engineering on that one. Honestly they did it the best. They might call it a washer but it's really a hinge pin. It's a safe hold for the assembly. They lock tight the fasteners for their liability and that completely understandable. Anyway glad you got it out. Once you understand it it makes sense