end cap removal from a trim cylinder dp-e kad 44

simonfraser

simonfraser

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 Mar 2004
Messages
7,609
Location
Outboards 4 mobo’s, unless you do a lot of miles
Visit site
hi all, just thought i'd do a thread on this as i have been struggling to get mine off and eventually succeeded

ebay and other suppliers, two prong spanners were not strong enough to turn the cap and they popped out of the existing holes in the end caps the same moment any major torque was applied, i have got 3 T shirts for those

i then ordered an end cap removal tool from the USA and had this silver soldered to an old spanner
if you put a socket wrench in the hole on the SS tool you do have the torque, but same as above it pops out of the holes on the end cap as you can't control the alignment of the SS tool

so this is what i had made:

end cap tool.jpg

you can see the SS tool silver soldered in the jaw of an old spanner

then you have to hold it in position somehow:

end cap tool in position.jpg

the sacrificial wooden U shaped sections are there to accommodate the different profiles of the tool and the end fitting of the cylinder to lift the DP-E leg

then you give it some serious heat from a heat gun or similar, i checked the external temperature and stopped heating at 100C

i weight lift at the gym, took some serious welly to free them, but once unstuck the end caps rotated no prob
 
k, part two, end cap / seal replacement:

initially i ordered two seal kits only, then also end caps including seal kits

lifted the leg, rested it on a solid box, and unscrewed the caps, have a bucket ready
AFT fluid contaminated with water, i found no corrosion in any of the internal ram parts
then its easy to undo the pins by the end of the rams and drop them down, manually lift the leg up

the seals in the caps were very worn, plenty of slack, so best to replace them, ? 20 yrs old ?

here is a the rod with a new cap, anyone know what the springs do ?
there was some corrosion internally in the rod where the big nut goes, cleaned that up and loctited it back in

rods with new caps.JPG



the pic below is with the old caps still on and an arrow to the troublesome piston seals, they are BIG trouble to insert
if you just push them in they warp and get messed up, for the bin
some one did a youtube vid where they used the skin of a drinks can to help with insertion, but it still was not clear to me exactly what to do, i know now:
cut the skin to fit just round the seal, tape it up with some black electricians tape
you want the end of the DIY sleeve to fit tight around the seal and finish just at the forward end of the flat grey / brown seal
then insert, make sure you dont move the sleeve
push it in quite hard, then tap in the rod, done
if you mess up you wreck the seal, i had 4 by accident, needed them all

rods with old caps out.JPG


problems:
the replacement end caps / seals are not quite the same as Volvo Penta, would be great if they did a kit :(
they did not go on at first with the fatter seals on the forward groove as suggested in the instructions, i just could not get them tightened fully up, tried twice
put the smaller seal on the front and the fatter seal on the external lip, now it went in, but it still leaked :(

stay calm, have cuppa, reversed the seals on the caps again, fatter ones at the front, thinner ones at the back, bingo, this time it all went together and no leaks

and just cos your pin tool fits the old caps, don't assume the pin tool fits the new caps, had to squeeze the pins together just a fraction, tnx to the boatyards workshop for the use of their vice
 
Glad it all worked out for you. Let us know how the replacement seals hold up in the longer term. I have another set of RAMs to do.
 
tnx Bruce, now i know how to replace the seals and get them back into the cylinders its no major ache.
the boat is on a trailer, i can soon see if they start to leak again.
for the cost of the caps its worth doing this as needed, every year or whatever.
i can't get to the pins to replace the whole cylinder without removing the KAD44.

if anyone knows where i can get the flat 'rubber band like' plunger seals from, see arrow in previous pic, that would be helpful.
 
Seals should be available from any hydraulic cylinder manufacturer/service agent....... I used Ranger as we use them at work, but Pirtek may help. It helps to drop them into hot water before fitting.
BTW.... when rebuilding the piston
1. Dont lose or misplace the little balls, they act as non return/pressure relief valve if you hit a submerged object.
2. Use a new 'O' ring to seal the piston
3. Fully tighten (and loctite) the hex head bolt that retains the piston.... otherwise it can/will come loose.
 
you can get anything on a trailer :)
depends if your yard is able to handle it and trust the skipper with the craft when recovering .....
i can go up to 26ft where i am based.
the yard themselves move much bigger mobos in and out with their trailer.

much easier to fix / maintain / service.

p.s. recon the caps were just stuck round the external flange where it meets the end of the cylinder.
the threads of the 20 yr old caps were clean and i could just about spin the caps on / off by hand once they were loose.
if you can't tool up and generate the torque you could just remove the flange to unstick the end cap.
 
Last edited:
simonfraser said:
you can get anything on a trailer :)
depends if your yard is able to handle it and trust the skipper with the craft when recovering .....
i can go up to 26ft where i am based.
the yard themselves move much bigger mobos in and out with their trailer.

much easier to fix / maintain / service.
Click to expand...

Ditto... My Cranchi Smeraldo 37 is on a trailer! Use the yards tractor to pull her around.... so handy
 
Maybe that's what I'll do when I retire.


Could you get a Windy Mirage 25 or a Nimbus Nova 26 on a trailer?

When you Retire Young Man
I have a perfect Cradle to suit a Nimbus 26
The Trailer I 'trailored ' Her on is now defunct and suffering numerous dunkings in the Briny
So I can't help there
However said Cradle is in fine fettle
Be right good for you to tittivate your Retirement boat
Don't get a Windy
Thems for young people:D
:eek::D




Pete[/QUOTE]
 
k, hopefully final bit to this sage
one of the rams was tough to get back in with a new seal and i had a subsequent minor bit of slippage on the trim

have just taken the suspect ram back out, yes the seal was split
replaced the end ram seal again, its part number PC34-28-3.2-210-B-DK108 from Dragon Hydraulics

if they are tight and you press too hard they split = leak = slip on the trim position
the front edge of the seal is ok, it's the rear part that pops off the rim and then splits

i busted another 2 trying to get the ram in, then very gently wet sanded the outside of a further brown seal whilst on the ram
rinsed it all off, after the third 'treatment' it all fitted in ok

some one posted that the rams and cylinders are paired, that is possibly the case, but i don't understand how one side goes in with a new seal no problem and the other side is too tight
 
wet sanded? Next time cut up a 2l plastic bottle and try slipping them in much the same way you'd sleeve piston rings before trying to pop the piston into a cylinder. (not that I've tried it with rams but that would have been my first port of call)
 
BruceK said:
wet sanded? Next time cut up a 2l plastic bottle and try slipping them in much the same way you'd sleeve piston rings before trying to pop the piston into a cylinder. (not that I've tried it with rams but that would have been my first port of call)
Click to expand...

yeh tried that too previously, very thin can to hold the brown outer seal.
there are various youtube vids to show how this is done, but this is all for seals that need support as they come split from new.
still rolled over the aft lip of the groove that holds the seal.

the entry for the rod / seal has a tapered opening and this should just guide it in.
if you look at other youtube vids for rod /seal replacements they 'just' slide in with no support.
 
Last edited:
simonfraser said:
k, hopefully final bit to this sage
one of the rams was tough to get back in with a new seal and i had a subsequent minor bit of slippage on the trim

have just taken the suspect ram back out, yes the seal was split
replaced the end ram seal again, its part number PC34-28-3.2-210-B-DK108 from Dragon Hydraulics

if they are tight and you press too hard they split = leak = slip on the trim position
the front edge of the seal is ok, it's the rear part that pops off the rim and then splits

i busted another 2 trying to get the ram in, then very gently wet sanded the outside of a further brown seal whilst on the ram
rinsed it all off, after the third 'treatment' it all fitted in ok

some one posted that the rams and cylinders are paired, that is possibly the case, but i don't understand how one side goes in with a new seal no problem and the other side is too tight
Click to expand...

I have the same problem Simon, thought everything was going too well, got the end caps off no problem, re-fitted the right side no problem but the left was really tight and I trashed the thin brown seal and don’t have spares :-(

Are Dragon Hydraulics local to you or do they mail order?

I’ll order a few I think!
 
yep they mail order in a fashion, you have to be v clear about this, else the seals will be sitting on a shelf waiting for you to collect, guess how i know.

once you have trashed a few you will get the feel for how hard you can push them :(
cheaper than replacing the whole ram ....

carefully wet sanding the seal with AF fluid gets them in, rinse the residue off with AF fluid.
bet this is not the 'official' advise, but i could not see what else to do.
 
Just spoken to Billy at Dragon Hydraulics and they’re made to order as not a stock item and will be mailed to me direct from the manufacturer in about 3 days.

He’s told me to:

Pop the seal in boiling water for 5 minutes prior to fitting it, fit it, put on a sleeve and compress lightly with a jubilee clip and put the whole lot back in the boiling water for 5 minutes to reset the seal and then let cool before removing the clip/sleeve.

This sets the seal down in the groove apparently.

Then fit to the cylinder using the sleeve.

I’ll post how it goes ��
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top