raymarine hydraulic pump installation factory
I suspect that if you consulted with Sea Star"s support team, you would find that the two capped ports are for an optional hydraulic fluid reservoir and for the additional hydraulic hose from the autopilot"s hydraulic pump shown within the diagram below.
Should no hydraulic fluid reservoir have been installed with your helm pump, then the helm pump would be acting as a limited capacity reservoir for hydraulic fluid. One of the caps which you have referenced will need to be removed to accommodate connecting the additional hydraulic hose from the autopilot"s hydraulic pump.
Regarding the location of the autopilot"s hydraulic pump, best performance will be achieved when the pump has been located in close proximity to the steering ram. The pump"s installation location should also be protected from exposure to moisture associated with rain and waves. However, it should be noted that it sometimes not practical, particularly in smaller boats, to install the autopilot hydraulic pump in very close proximity to the steering ram. In smaller boats, the location of the autopilot hydraulic pump is less important with respect to the performance of the autopilot. However, it is key to ensure that the autopilot hydraulic pump is located at a lower height relative to the helm pump and that the hose is run in a continuously upward direction from the autopilot hydraulic pump to the helm pump.
I’m getting ready to install my new Raymarine autopilot in the 4087. I’ve searched the forums regarding pump location, and the answers were varied and a few years old so thought I’d ask again. I know the instructions say to put it as close to the ram as possible along with some other stipulations, but I know some of you located it close to the helm.
In my 4087 the reservoir is very close to the ram in the aft rudder stock access, not the easiest place to mount the pump. Also I would have to order a lot of wiring extensions to hook up the system to the fly bridge. I guess that’s my main question - did any of you mount the pump up on the fly bridge? I believe the diagram below best describes my (and most of your steering).
Complete your Evolution autopilot system with an autopilot control. The new p70s and p70Rs control heads feature vibrant colour displays and are powered by Raymarine’s intuitive LightHouse user interface.
Control your Evolution Autopilot directly from your Raymarine aSeries, cSeries, eSeries or gS Series multifunction display. Note that your multifunction display must be running Raymarine"s LightHouse II software and that some autopilot functionality may not be available if your system does not include a dedicated autopilot control head.
In some systems with dual steering rams in parallel, cylinder capacity is the total of both rams. Rams in series only require single capacity valve. Hydraulic steering systems with steering rams over 500cc require our larger constant running pump used in conjunction with the relevant ACU - contact Raymarine for details.