Forum: WHALER
  ContinuousWave
  Whaler
  Moderated Discussion Areas
  ContinuousWave: Post-Classic Whalers
  Verado Steering Pump Revised

Post New Topic  Post Reply
search | FAQ | profile | register | author help

Author Topic:   Verado Steering Pump Revised
jimh posted 03-03-2008 11:39 PM ET (US)   Profile for jimh   Send Email to jimh  
While down at the 2008 Miami International Boat Show (MIBS), I had a chance to see the new design on the Verado electro-hydraulic boost pump which is used to add the power steering feature. The new pump is contained in a plastic foam lined enclosure whose opening top seals with a rubber gasket. There is also an interesting little device in the high-pressure hydraulic line from the pump which serves to help suppress noise. (No one could seem to remember the precise name for this gadget.)

The new pump assembly is about the same size as a 1.8-gallon oil tank that you might find on just about any two-cycle motor. Thus, in terms of size, the pump does not take up a lot of space, and no more than the old oil tank would have. The pump has some rather serious current demands so it has to be fairly close to the boat batteries.

On the Boston Whaler boats I've seen, the electro-hydraulic boost pump is always located in a weather protected compartment. With the new enclosure it looks like your could perhaps mount it in an open location, like a stern cockpit, without too much trouble. Getting water into the pump and its electrical connections would probably be the biggest concern.

Sorry--no pictures. But you can think of it as a black enclosure about the size of a standard battery box, or slightly smaller. If you've got a picture, send it to me and I'll include it.

I believe the boost pump Tee's into the hydraulic steering lines via some check valves, so the hydraulic plumbing does not get excessively complex.

I don't know the precise epoch when the pump was revised. The one I saw was on a 2008 Boston Whaler DAUNTLESS.

glen e posted 03-04-2008 09:10 AM ET (US)     Profile for glen e  Send Email to glen e     
jim - they call it a "shunt"
erik selis posted 03-04-2008 09:29 AM ET (US)     Profile for erik selis  Send Email to erik selis     
Perhaps a "snubber"?

Erik

glen e posted 03-04-2008 09:29 AM ET (US)     Profile for glen e  Send Email to glen e     
Jim - one of us has bad data..there is no revised pump acc to mercury tech sevice who I just called - And I was on a yellowfin with 3 hours on it this weekend and it has the same pump as all the others. Herre is a pic of the pump that has been used, and is still is used since 2005:
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h307/gersly123/PSpump-1.jpg
jimh posted 03-04-2008 10:23 PM ET (US)     Profile for jimh  Send Email to jimh     
Maybe the pump I saw is not so new, but it sure looked different than the one I remember from 2004. Maybe that one was a prototype on an early boat. Sorry, but I don't have any photographs of any pumps--just going by my memory and recall, and that is always suspect.

On the new Boston Whaler boats with Verado power I was surprised at the compact size of the pump and its housing. It would not be a problem to accommodate that pump when re-powering from a two-cycle motor because the pump housing would not take up any more room than an oil tank, which won't be needed any more.

The in-line gadget was explained to me as being there to reduce noise. It was inserted into one of the lines. I don't know the name or the theory behind it. The impression I got was that this was also an improvement, added to suppress some noise that was originating in the boost system. My guide in this was a quite knowledgeable engineer from Whaler, but there is always a chance I misunderstood what he was saying.

One of the problems with making the motor so much quieter than had been the norm in an outboard boat is the sudden appearance of newly audible noises. On Verado-powered Boston Whaler boats, the designers had to face a new series of noises that no one had noticed before. With the Verado motor so quiet, they had to make the rest of the boat quieter, too. So things like deck hatch covers had to get rubber gaskets to stop them from rattling. I think the boost pump may also have had to get some noise treatment.

Another comment I heard regarding the power boost steering on the Verado was in regard to the steering effort on non-power boost models. One theory is it seems that people have forgotten how much steering effort it takes when there is no power boost. They get spoiled with power steering and the low effort at the wheel, and when they drive one of the non-power boost models the perception of the steering effort is possibly higher than it might otherwise seem if the power boost system wasn't there to compare with.

glen e posted 03-04-2008 10:38 PM ET (US)     Profile for glen e  Send Email to glen e     
The shunt is not new - it may be new to some whaler people, esp if they are mounting the PS pummp in the console. the verado came out in august of 2005 and by feb 2006 they were installing the shunt. In fact it was the first "upgrade" and service mod made on the verado product.....Also, the new fix for another source of the whine is to increase the length of hose under the console to let the oil cool when going to the pump. The proper place for mounting the pump in all installtions is near the engines, not the console. In many boats that is not possible, hence the noise up near the helm tha the increased hose length solves.
seabob4 posted 03-05-2008 10:07 PM ET (US)     Profile for seabob4  Send Email to seabob4     
JimH,
That weird length of hose going to the pump is called a "muffler". Just Mercury...if you know what I mean.
seabob4 posted 03-05-2008 10:15 PM ET (US)     Profile for seabob4  Send Email to seabob4     
JUST REMEMBERED!
To all who have Verado power, do yourself a favor. Uninstall your power steering pump, turn it over, and drill a couple of weep holes in the bottom of the plastic housing (being careful not to drill into th e resevoir), there have been a lot of issues of housings collecting water and Merc trying to blame it on over-zealous washdown fits or whatever they can think of. We have had a number of issues with this, and it can cure a future headache in dealing with Merc to get your pump replaced. You know something? Whaler would be a better boat if it wasn't owned by Brunswick!! Just my 2 cents.
glen e posted 03-06-2008 12:31 AM ET (US)     Profile for glen e  Send Email to glen e     
a lot? I think not - sundance has never warrantied any I've never seen a post in three years of running a message board on verados...what have you seen? How many and where are they mounted?

and what exactly is a Pro-line engoneer?

Jordi posted 03-09-2008 05:34 PM ET (US)     Profile for Jordi    
seabob4,
You bring a good point regarding the water that can accumulate in the housing unit. I stopped heavily washing that area with the hose and the accumulation is almost negligible. I also put a small towel over the housing unit and this stops the seepage that can occur when hosing that area with water. If water can enter from above I am willing to guess most Verado owners have water in the housing unit that has gone unnoticed.
Jordi

Post New Topic  Post Reply
Hop to:


Contact Us | RETURN to ContinuousWave Top Page

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Freeware Version 2000
Purchase our Licensed Version- which adds many more features!
© Infopop Corporation (formerly Madrona Park, Inc.), 1998 - 2000.