Steering Siezed

[chrisg]

Hi all

After leaving the boat for 4 mths cos of hand surgery, today I've found the steering cable is siezed, probably at the motor end.

Anybody managed to get this sorted without resorting to a full replacement ($$$$$$$)?

Cheers

Chris

[Guest Jocool]

Have heard of people freeing it up...Try a liberal application of WD 40 or similar. That should help free it a little. When you have done that, and it moves a bit, strip it from the tilt tube and clean all the old grease of, and regrease.

[pogo]

It may be worthwhile doing the hard yards and going for the total strip.

Mine seized on the POGOBOAT, in the steering tube and I had it "professionally"???? repaired which involved lifting the motor off the transom. it seized again a few weeks later and ended up snapping the cable in the unit at the wheel. motor will turn one way but not the other is the telltale sign of this

When i looked at the cost of having it repaired/replaced I went for a changeover to hydraulic which I installed myself.

Imagine my feelings when as part of the new install I put in a new steering rod and notice that in the steering tube at the free end is an O ring, pull it out for a look and it is totally shot, perished cracked and worn. very definitely not replaced 4 to 6 weeks earlier.

To add insult to injury I darted up to the nearest auto accessory shop, matched up the O ring with one out of the blokes box of assorted O rings and reached for my wallet. Nah dont worry about it for that says the bloke in the shop. Im very grateful to him but livid that for the sake of an O ring that a bloke was prepared to give me for free the previous $400 fix (which didnt include a free O ring) had been a waste of time and money because with the shot O ring the steering tube was getting salt water into it.

The message 1. replace the O ring in the steering tube

2. keep plenty of grease up to the steering tube.

Regards POGO

Edited June 10, 2005 by pogo