As part of spring commissioning I was planning on servicing the Lewmar steering on our 2008 H27-3. I am also in the process of adding a new Raymarine chart plotter which ties together with the steering service as I need to pull the pedestal apart to run the wiring for the chart plotter. For those considering doing the steering service (or adding a plotter) I have a couple of tips to pass on that will help you get ready and save time in the long run.
First, the Lewmar instrument pod which came from the factory with the knot/depth/compass is assembled with special security fasteners. You can't take it apart with standard hex wrenches or bits and you need to in order to get to the wiring pass through down into the pedestal guard. The good news is that the security bits are readily available, I got mine on sale at Harbor Freight of $7. They look like standard hex bits with a hole in the center for this application. They fit in a standard driver but you will need a very short handle if your boat is equipped with the Lewmar throttle/shift assembly. That blocks one of the fasteners on the starboard side. Once you remove the fasteners the top of the pod comes off, the gasket will require a bit of force to break loose.
Second, that's when I discovered that you will also need to get to the fasteners holding the bottom of the pod in place as well, otherwise access to the steering gear and chain is blocked by the bottom of the pod. FYI, this pod is not completely sealed either, there are a couple of gaps by the pedestal guard. My pod was full of dead spiders and was obviously full of water up to the bottom of these gaps at one time. I'm working on sealing the gaps from the inside with silicone. Once you remove the bottom you can lube the chain/gear and check the cables.
Third, you will need to remove the deck panel to get to the cable and steering quadrant for inspection. On our boat that requires the removal of four Phillips head screws. Be prepared, this is one disgusting job. Between the dirt, spiders, webs and related droppings it is a task to clean up. I'll finish mine next weekend along with inspection, lubing the cables and quadrant and running the chart plotter wires forward to the DC panel and to the VHF radio. The plan is to link the chart plotter NEMA outputs to the VHF inputs and enable the DSC calling with the GPS coordinates supplied by the plotter. Just in case something happens to me, the admiral will be able lift the little red door on the radio and push the emergency button. That will broadcast our distress signal with the GPS coordinates automatically.
First, the Lewmar instrument pod which came from the factory with the knot/depth/compass is assembled with special security fasteners. You can't take it apart with standard hex wrenches or bits and you need to in order to get to the wiring pass through down into the pedestal guard. The good news is that the security bits are readily available, I got mine on sale at Harbor Freight of $7. They look like standard hex bits with a hole in the center for this application. They fit in a standard driver but you will need a very short handle if your boat is equipped with the Lewmar throttle/shift assembly. That blocks one of the fasteners on the starboard side. Once you remove the fasteners the top of the pod comes off, the gasket will require a bit of force to break loose.
Second, that's when I discovered that you will also need to get to the fasteners holding the bottom of the pod in place as well, otherwise access to the steering gear and chain is blocked by the bottom of the pod. FYI, this pod is not completely sealed either, there are a couple of gaps by the pedestal guard. My pod was full of dead spiders and was obviously full of water up to the bottom of these gaps at one time. I'm working on sealing the gaps from the inside with silicone. Once you remove the bottom you can lube the chain/gear and check the cables.
Third, you will need to remove the deck panel to get to the cable and steering quadrant for inspection. On our boat that requires the removal of four Phillips head screws. Be prepared, this is one disgusting job. Between the dirt, spiders, webs and related droppings it is a task to clean up. I'll finish mine next weekend along with inspection, lubing the cables and quadrant and running the chart plotter wires forward to the DC panel and to the VHF radio. The plan is to link the chart plotter NEMA outputs to the VHF inputs and enable the DSC calling with the GPS coordinates supplied by the plotter. Just in case something happens to me, the admiral will be able lift the little red door on the radio and push the emergency button. That will broadcast our distress signal with the GPS coordinates automatically.
