I have to disagree with Phil here. If you wait until you start noticing a problem, it might be too late. All that matters is that you have the helm pretty full. With the version with the oil plug on top of the helm pump, the fluid should be about ¼” below the bottom of the threads. Any fuller and you will get some leakage when the temp gets hot in the summer, if you fill it in the winter. If you have the remote fill, all you need to do is have fluid visible when you remove the plug and look into the tube. You want to barely see fluid, which will have the helm completely full and leave enough room for expansion when things warm up.
There is nothing worse than to start a trip and feel the bump-bump-bump when you turn the wheel, showing you are pumping air. When I bought my boat, I made the assumption that the usual stuff had been checked. Wrong. first drive and it started the bump-bump feel. Loaded back up, went home and filled/bled to be safe…
The worst leak to deal with is the one around the two end seals on the cylinder. The leaks are slow, don’t make a mess, and are hard to notice until enough time passes that you get too much air in the helm. I now regularly feel the steering pushrod near the ends of the cylinder, which should NOT feel oily at all.
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