[CA] autohelm linear drive

[jack bullock]

My Autohelm 6000 linear drive S2 has started making sound like there is gravel inside the drive piston. I have completely disassembled the linear drive unit down to just the piston. Gears are OK, motor is OK. When I pull the shaft/piston with worm threads in and/or out there is a gravel sound and it is not a smooth motion. Feels like it could jam easily. My understanding is that there are ball bearings inside but am afraid of taking it apart further without knowing what I'm doing. Sailing south but presently stuck in Charleston, SC as I am single handed and don't like sailing without autohelm.

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum Jack,

Due to the complexity of marine electronics and the required reliability of such products when operating in the marine environment, Raymarine strongly recommends that repairs to Raymarine products be performed by Raymarine’s Product Repair Centers. While some productparts may be ordered for end users to attempt repairs to Raymarine products should they desire to attempt such repairs on their own, product repair manuals and support for end user repairs of Raymarine products is beyond the scope of support offered for Raymarine products.