coastie Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 I have a Quintrex 440 hornet trophy with a 60hp e-tec on the back.It has very heavy steering. can any one give some ideas on how to fix this. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewgaffer Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 I have a Quintrex 440 hornet trophy with a 60hp e-tec on the back.It has very heavy steering. can any one give some ideas on how to fix this. Cheers yep have you given it a thorough lube using a grease gun into all the steering nipples that lead into the moving parts and then hitting it with heap of wd40 ? probably no need to worry about the steering cable itself before you have done the freeing up of those moving parts then worked the steering wheel around to loosen it all up. gee i hope this helps as i had that problem and only have limited knowledge of my boat's mechanicals. jewgaffer fish on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastie Posted July 9, 2007 Author Share Posted July 9, 2007 Yeah ihave lubed the steering nipples etc but has not helped im using general marine lube from bias boating. is there a special lube i should be using? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flightmanager Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 What condition is the helm ( the part the wheel attaches to) in ? Perhaps some grease in the internals would help. Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pelican Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 (edited) I have a Quintrex 440 hornet trophy with a 60hp e-tec on the back.It has very heavy steering. can any one give some ideas on how to fix this. Cheers Can you supply some more detail. Is it a tiller steer model or does it have the side console and cable steering? Are you talking at rest or while under power on the plane. If it is tiller steer there are 2 main things to check 1) There is a friction adjustment on the mount tube. Release it and check that your motor turns from side to side freely. If it does then your bearings are ok and the friction was just done up to tight. Make sure you service any grease nipples on the steering tube as per the manual. There should be some friction always so the motor doesn't underwater off at any moment and will actually hold a course without too much input but not so much that you have top wrestle with it. 2) If steering is an issue whilst underway and it is more prominent turning port than starboard it may be your trim tab behing the prop that needs adjustment. If it is cable steer you need to determin whether it is the sreering mechanism or the moror which is stiff. 1) disconnect the steering linkage- if motor moves freely then it is your steering mechanism. If it is your motor see above regarding friction and steering tube bearings. 2) Check the steering mech while disconnected from motor. Is it free? If not you have narrowed it down to that. Do a search as it has been discussed a bit already but will depend on what sort of steering you have. Some steering wheel mechanisms also have a friction setting on them so check that. Don't force anything. Slowly work out the problem and then clean and replace any parts and apply whatever oil / grease the manufacturer recommends. Mnay new units use silicon and tefelon and run dry and use asmall amount og marine grease at cable ends to keep salt water / air out. How old is srteering unit and what brand? Give us some more details. Edited July 9, 2007 by pelican Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a boat Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 Hi Coastie, Pelican is spot on, some more info would be good, especially if it is a tiller steer or not. Follow what he says and you should be able to figure why it is tight, the only point I would like to add is that there is no bearings in the swival tube, there are bushes in the tube and your engine might need a little grease if it is hard to steer out of the water. If tight once in the water adjusting the trim tab might help. If the engine pulls one way adjust the trailing edge of the trim tab that same direction, lets say that if it pulls to the right adjust the trailing edge to the right. If a console version of the boat, disconnect the steering and the outboard and see where the tightness is and repair accordingly. Cheers, Huey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hennessy Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 Please for the love of god dont use grease, doesnt matter what brand but it all ends up drying out to a thick brown gunk that clogs your tube and makes your steering heavy, use inox and you will never have this problem again guarenteed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastie Posted July 9, 2007 Author Share Posted July 9, 2007 The boat is about 3 years old, it is a side console model and the steering is sometimes just as stiff out of the water as it is in the water. thanks for all your help cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a boat Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 Good Morning Coastie, dissconnect the engine form the steering system and see if the engine moves freely, if so you need to look at the steering system and will most probably require a new steering cable. If you use the correct marine grease, then greasing the grease nibbles is a good idea every 6-12 months. There are seals on top and bottom of the swivel tube that will not allow any type of spray to work its way into lubricate the swivel shaft. If you do not grease it over time the bushes will get dry and cause tight steering and to repair probably is a major excerise becasue the powerhead, gearbox and mid section need to be clean out the swivel tube. Let us know what happens once you undo the drag link from the end of the steering cable, you will need a 9/16th spanner. Cheers, Huey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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