Raytheon ST4000 wheel pilot problems

[John J Frank]

My approximately 12 year old ST 4000 Wheel pilot has begun to act up. In 12 knot and up wind, with a 1 to 2 foot Great Lakes chop, the cam lever has been popping off.The problem is compounded by the fact that I am single-handing most of the time. Of coarse Raymarine would be glad to look at it and evaluate it for me, with the probable repair being somewhere in the range of $150.00 to $200.00 dollars. Or of coarse they would also offer a new replacement for $400.00. Has anyone out there rebuilt one of these units with the Raymarine rebuild kit or have any suggestions as to what they think the problem may be? I mean, this drive unit cannot be that difficult to disassemble( i.e., of coarse with the required Raymarine special tool) and repair. The motor sound as though it is working properly. Your comments and suggestions would be most welcome and deeply appreciated. That said, I really don't mind spending the money, but furthermore, I also don't like being taken advantage of because of a corporate monopoly on repair parts and technical expertise.

 

[Monty Miller]

Clean it first

John,I have the 4000 plus model and experienced a similar but opposite problem. It would engage and not freewheel with the clutch off. I called Raytheon and was told by a person who had serviced many of these units that the biggest source of problems was dirt inside the rings. You are supposed to rinse out the rings with fresh water on a regular basis. Spiders and crap build up on the wheels inside. Pop the the rings apart, unscrew the plate inside that holds the motor and clean everything with water and scouring pad. Also, 12 years of use may mean a new belt.Hope this helps,Monty

 

[Rick Perkins]

Not quite the same problem, but...

John - we're experiencing a different problem altogether. Out ST-4000 unit twice this weekend went 'hairing off on its own' for no apparent reason. Each time we were raising our main - I wanted my wife to be "hands off the wheel" so I could do the single-handing thing. As the main came up, the boat went right rudder, commanded by the autopilot. A little unnerving in 14 kts with a partially raised main!It happened twice, but we couldn't repeat it deliberately - in fact the unit steered the boat just fine (while it was being watched!), so I am curious if you or anyone else has experienced this problem. I agree with Monty on your problem. Sounds like dirt in the mechanism. After cleaning ours I shot a little WD-40 in and it smoothed out nicely. Good luck!Rick PerkinsS/V Noteworthy

 

[Richard Deep]

I had the same problem...

John,I have the ST4000 on a H-31, and had the same problem. I went through all the same analysis you have done. I ordered the replacement belt from the factory, along with the special tool (which is really just a plastic lever!). I replaced the belt, but the real problem was the tension adjustment. There is a cam that needs to be adjusted to solve the problem you are having, and it's not an easy adjustment without the proper bench setup (you need to be able to adjust the tension based on the torque of the motor). I'm pretty handy, and I couldn't get right.In the end, I bit the bullet and sent the unit back to Raytheon. They did a first rate job, and the unit works like new. But, like all things marine, they were expensive. My advice, just do it...amortized over 12 years it's pretty cheap maintenence.-Richard

 

[Bob belvin]

Replace the belt. Easy!

I had similar problems and replaced the belt. Belt and simple tool is about $40 from West Marine....