2005 255 w/VP 8.1 gi Power Steering issue

[bterry88]

I have owned the boat for 17 years, and other than gimbal bearing replacements every 5-7 years, (I just installed a new one a month ago) it has run great, around 1200 hours on the motor. The boat has only seen freshwater lakes in the inland NW. Never been in salt water.
I recently had a slow power steering fluid leak, a little fluid in the bilge after a day on the lake. I could not 100% pin down the source of the leak, so I decided to install a new actuator due to the ago of the motor / boat. And the steering at times recently seemed harder that usual to turn. After replacing the actuator, (which was not a lot of fun) the steering is still not silky smooth, surges a bit, and it still seems to be harder to turn than previously. The pump is doing something, because it is easier to turn when the motor is running. I should also add, when the actuator was out, I tested the steering cable, it was super smooth, very easy to turn.

Could I be dealing with a bad steering pump? When turning, the pump does not whine or make any suspect noise.

I have not been able to get out on the water yet, this observation comes from running it on the driveway with ears attached. So far, so good on the leak. I had a white towel in the bilge and see nothing so far. I ran it for 20 minutes, and was turning it full left, then full right the entire time. (my son was )
But I still need to true day out on the water.

Thought I would ping this great community first. thank you for your thoughts.

[CBO]

Did you happen to flush all the old fluid out of the reservoir and lines? Kind of sounds like there may still be some air trapped in the system. When I did mine, I primed the system by removing the belt and using my drill with an Allen adapter on it to spin the pump. I then moved the steering wheel lock to lock without the engine running. Did this multiple times until there were no more air bubbles in the reservoir. Don't think it matters but I replaced the pump at the time I did the actuator just to be sure there were no contaminates in the system. These actuators are not cheap. As a side note, I used the Volvo Penta power steering fluid but learned later from 5 Star Marine that I should be using AW 32 Hydraulic Fluid. My plan is to flush mine out this winter and replace it with the AW 32.
FYI, your vintage of boat falls into the Older Boats and Series category.

[bterry88]

Thank you CBO. I did not flush the system, but I did watch the reservoir while turning the wheel, prior to starting. I did this until we did not see any more bubbles.

I also had heard that you should use ATF for the steering system?

For the pump, did you replace with an OEM version, or a generic? The OEM is very expensive, especially if you buy from H in CDA.

Sorry, I will repost to the correct forum. viewtopic.php?t=8284

[CBO]

I used a GM pump. Volvo re-brands the GM pumps and marks them up. After removing the pump I was able to order the new pump via the part number on the pump body. As a side note, I removed the flow control valve from the old pump and installed it in the new pump before painting it with the Volvo motor paint. I have heard that the Volvo pumps have higher pressure than cars so I just want to be sure I was replacing apples to apples. As far as oil goes, I was just following the Volvo service manual and I figured if this thing has a problem they warranty their parts for a year.
Ya, definitely steer clear from all the Volvo dealers in town especially the big H. For Volvo parts, Leaders is usually the way to go.