ST4000 Autohelm wheel pilot

[ParaHandy]

Has anybody tried to repair the wheel drive? Mine gives all the signs of dropping a tooth or two ...

i have obtained the ST400+ workshop manual which is at least a help because splitting the wheel is not straightforward but the ST400+ has a belt drive whereas my, older, ST400 has a different arrangement, I think.

help much appreciated ...

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[jimi]

Yes .. extensive experience resulting in failure in this department .. now using a fully functional MKII .. much better. What are the signs .. Tips .. don't use WD40 just was well, don't force, perhaps a new belt?

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[ParaHandy]

ah but ... is the older one belt driven? there was a distinct death rattle when it gave up (the driven and fixed rings opened up to reveal loads of plastiky bits and then closed) and I half expected to see a load of plastic teeth on the cockpit floor ...

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[owen]

what are the symptoms?. the wheel splits v easily with a large screwdriver or u can buy hardwood wedges from raymarine for splitting .. the raymarine site is v hepful you can type in your question and get a selection of previoous replies on that problem. if not useful you wiull get a personalised reply.

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[ParaHandy]

thanks for info about splitting ... have checked raymarine site and nobody has written about repairing one ...

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[MedMan]

I have two and have repaired and serviced them both several times during my years in the Med.

There are two items for which you may well need to buy replacements: the belt and the sprocket that drives the belt. If you buy a belt replacement pack it comes with a plastic lever that is designed to help you take the ring assembly apart. It is nothing more than a plastic wedge about 25mm wide. You insert it between the two parts of the ring and twist them apart. There is nothing more than the elasticity of the rubber tyres on the retaining wheels holding the whole thing together.

If the system has been put under severe strain such as when I was caught in a 40kn squall off the Portugese coast under full sail, it is most likely that some of the ribs on the belt will have been stripped off. As a short-term fix you can work these around away from the sprocket but sooner or later they will work their way back again and your self-steering will fail. If this happened, you need a new belt.

Early models of the 4000 had a plastic sprocket which was useless and soon replaced with an alloy one. Check yours. If it is plastic or if it has teeth missing or worn you need a new one.

This year I had a further problem. Three of the plastic mountings for the retaining wheels sheared off and the whole thing fell apart. I drilled through the centre of the mountings and re-mounted the wheels with through-bolts. It has worked a treat.

Good luck!

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[steve_cronin]

The open belt 3000 drive unit is much easier to maintain and disconnect in a hurry if you have to. Also the motor unit can be detached and taken below to protect it when the boat is left. The 4000 head on our Bav42 drives the 3000 motor unit perfectly yet our neighbour on the pontoon regularly comes back with yet another story of failure. The problem comes, often when someone grabs hold of the wheel just as the unit is reversing direction.

One charter company in Athens has changed all the 4000 drive units for the 3000 on the grounds of durability and ruggedness.

Steve Cronin

<hr width=100% size=1>The above is, like any other post here, only a personal opinion

 

[ParaHandy]

all sounds ominously familiar ... and many thanks. I will have a go at getting the belt replacement pack ....

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[Robin]

On our old W33 we broke 5 x 4000 wheel units and they told us we needed a 7000 inboard pilot. The last of the 5 broke off Penmarc'h after motoring in flat calm for the previous 2 legs of our holiday only, it was new before we left! The temporary cure was done in Concarneau to convert to a 3000 drive with the 4000 head, it was so good we kept this arrangement and Raytheon made us a brand new hybrid on our return FOC. Under excess load the 4000 breaks the wheel unit whereas the 3000 belt just slips, one of the 4000 breaks we had jammed the wheel with the spinnaker up in the shipping lanes north of Cherbourg!

<hr width=100% size=1><font size=1>Sermons from my pulpit are with tongue firmly in cheek and come with no warranty!</font size=1>

 

[steve_cronin]

You got it! AND if the 3000 belt DOES break - very rare - you can sew it together again to get you home. I have done this and it lasted all season in the Med.

Steve Cronin

<hr width=100% size=1>The above is, like any other post here, only a personal opinion