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2001 Cobalt 246 Power Steering Acutator

Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2026 3:20 pm
by boater2018
My "new to me" '01 246 with a 7.4L big block has around 730 hours on it. We bought the boat at the end of last season knowing the power steering wasn't great. I had my mechanic check it out this spring before season and he changed the power steering pump and it has driven much better this season. Early June, I added a 12oz bottle of power steering fluid, which made me monitor the fluid more closely. This weekend, I heard a buzz sound coming from the power steering pump and checked the fluid and it did not reach the dipstick. I added a full 12oz bottle of power steering fluid and it registered on the stick, but on the lower side of it just above the "cold" line. This was after the boat had idled for a bit, but had not been run at speed much at all. This morning when I went to take the boat out of the water, I heard a buzz again from the pump and checked the fluid and it's low again. I took pictures and looked around in the bilge and can't see where fluid is leaking, but I feel pretty confident that the actuator is leaking since it's losing fluid and I saw the bilge pump pump out water from the bilge after a storm that had a film to it. The fluid is not the red color fluid, but more of an oil color. Anyway, it would be great to do this in the off season, but I'm a little nervous about letting it go too long because it could have been doing that last year when I bought the boat. I assume this job is similar to what it would be on a 226 or 262, but has anyone changed there's themselves? How bad a job is it to reach the hose connections and pins to remove the actuator? I'm debating whether I'm going to try and do this myself or not and whether I'm going to send it off to Five Star for a rebuild or replace the part altogether. Would also be open to buying one that needs a rebuild really cheap and having it rebuilt to keep the boating going until I got it back if rebuilding would save a few hundred bucks. Any input based on your experience with this job would be appreciated.