Hydraulic autopilot pump reservoir??

[Toutvabien]

Good evening, I have tried to install a new Raymarine X10 autopilot with my elderly Wagner hydraulic steering system, the electronics seem ok, apart from a slight issue with the compass but I think that there is a problem with the hydraulic set up as the wheel turns when the pilot is working and the boat goes heading off in the wrong direction when the pilot tries to correct the course. I get the sense that this is a good indicator that it is plumbed in incorrectly and some how the hydraulics are reversing the way that the pump is working the helm, when I was experimenting today with using the autopilot to move the rudder ( while tied up to the pontoon) somehow the helm reversed and when I turned the wheel to Stb the helm quadrant move to Port. When I turned the pilot off the wheel helm pump returned to normal.

The Raymarine type 1 autopilot hydraulic pump installation has the electrical hydraulic pump lines teed off from the manual hydraulic lines with no return pipe to the helm, I have read somewhere about the need for a third hydraulic line back to the helm (but I do not think that my Wagner helm pump has a third inlet) or a valve that needs to be operated when changing from hand steering to autopilot but I cannot find the reference again, any ideas or suggestions??

 

[rogerthebodger]

I have a Simrad autopilot on my hydraulic steering system and one of my steering pumps id also Wagner.

The third inlet on the autopilot pump should be connected to the lower drain in the of the Wagner steering pump to allow oil from the Wagner pump to feed the autopilot pump.

The autopilot pump should be mounted lower then the Wagner pump and the Wagner pump needs check valves to prevent back feed of oil from the autopilot pump to the Wagner pump when the autopilot pump is operating.

I have twin wheel steering so I have an outside pump as well and the lower drain of my cockpit pump is connected to the top up point of my inside Wagner pump.

On my system the order of the pipe connections of the autopilot pump to the cylinder dose not matter as my autopilot computer determines that out during set up.


http://www.simrad-yachting.com/Root...English/20220422N_RPU80_160_300_manual_EN.pdf

Page 17 for description

Page 21 for diagram

Are you in East London UK or East London South Africa.

 

[Toutvabien]

Thanks for the speedy reply, I am in East London UK, (Leytonestone), check valves may be the missing part of the jigsaw.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Have a look at the manual I posted will answer most of your questions.

SWMBO used to live in Streatham (the wrong side of river)

 

[Cardo]

It certainly sounds like you need non-return valves (check valves) on your Wagner helm to stop the autopilot from turning the wheel instead of the rudder. The autopilot pump will have these built-in, so you won't see the problem the other way around.

Also, you will need to to connect the Wagner reservoir to the autopilot pump reservoir, so the entire system has one "big" reservoir. I recently overhauled our hydraulic system and had to replace the helm pumps with new ones, as the old ones had no way to link reservoirs.

 

[PCUK]

Yes, you need check valves and to reverse the cabling on the pump.

 

[Toutvabien]

Thanks for the responses, I think that we have a way forward.

Paul