After enduring the infamous squeak, I decided to open up the steering pedestal to check on things. The backstory is that on about the 2nd or 3rd day at sea, our cockpit steering pedestal developed a faint squeal as the steering wheel rotated one way or the other. The autopilot (which did a terrific job BTW) always makes small course corrections so the wheel is constantly sawing left and right. The autopilot sensitivity you might describe as fidgety. Metal on metal could accelerate failure. We lived in the cockpit — and the noise began to wear on our nerves. It had the sound of a small dog whine or whimper. Was it getting louder or were we now keen and focusing?
We just assumed that we would have to live with this for the duration although we did consider exploratory repair but quickly rejected the notion. We didn’t want to mess around with our steering offshore. It’s kind of a critical item. But we did hear an excellent suggestion from [Mom] a communique reply shoreside. We didn’t have any WD-40 or similar penetrant onboard but something we had in our food provisions might work. Try Extra Virgin Olive Oil she said… Brilliant!
After a few attempts we managed to wick the slippery substance between the shaft and its pedestal bearing. The squeak was diminished if not remedied outright.
Meanwhile afterword dockside I decided to have a peak at the internals; which I was unwilling to do before. The compass binnacle has to come off for this inspection and as I found out, so does everything (nav course plotter) above that. I discovered that I needed a Security Torx Bit to allow for removal. It was rather an effort so I can assume that it hadn’t been done as a matter of routine. I applied a dab of lithium grease to the chain and sprocket and tightened the set screws on the collar that acts as a thrust washer.
It is good to know the inner workings and have understanding (and the right tools for next time). The annoying steering is cured but if you listen carefully when playing back a video shot during the trip you can almost hear…