CANT TURN !!
 

Can anybody help me out on this. Hopefully its just a adjustment and not costly. Its my steering. I can turn the motor tight in one direction, but cant the other way.
Here are a few pictures. Any suggestions would be great.

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

Turn all the way in one direction.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...r/DSC01782.jpg

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

Steering control box,cant figure out what the white cable is on top. Its cut short and doesnt go anywhere. Has a cable that moves in and out through the tube.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...r/DSC01780.jpg

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

Another picture of the motor . Wont turn any farther to the right. ???????

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...r/DSC01779.jpg

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

The picture with the steering box, you can only see the white cap, it then has a cable coming out of it thqat then goes into a tube that you cant see.

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

soak it real good with wd-40 over night where the shaft goes into the coupling and try cleaning it up with steel wool or emery cloth. It looks like salt water corrosion to me..once you get the steering rod sliding back and forth then polish it up real good with steel wool. I would move the motor back and forth by hand rather than the steering wheel and clean all that rusty crap off the shaft so it moves smoothly and remember to keep it shiny ...Frank

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

Thanks,
will give it a shot. Looks like the shaft could go in farther like two more inches, but stops hard.

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

that white tube is for the cable when it's turned fully one way. take the white tube off and grease it in the tube.

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

That "white cable" on the top of your steering box is the end of your steering cable. The end of the cable looks like a flexible acme screw or worm gear that wraps around a drive gear at the back end of you tapered steering wheel post. There is usually a semi transparent (when new) tube that covers the protruding cable end to keep it clean and hold the grease.

The motor end is where your problem lies I would guess from the looks of things. Hate to say it, but it almost looks like that cable needs to come out of the tube and clean both the cable and tube, grease and re-install. I said "Hate to say it", because it's not easy to remove that cable without loosening your motor from the transom. You might get lucky though.

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

If the wd-40 wont free it up you might want to rap it with a small ball peen hammer a couple of times but make sure you put a block of wood against the other end of the shaft. All you need to do is break the corrosion so you can move the shaft and polish it up but you may end up having to take it apart..frank

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

Get a can of PB Blaster...turn the wheel so the steering ram is fully extended and soak the entire ramwait a while and take a brass wire brush to it or some Scotch-Bright pad...it might be easier if ya remove the connecting rod to the motor (Blaster on that nut, too)... :D...

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

No luck with the w-40.
Will try the blaster and a hammer. Will anything happen if I loosen that rusted nut or the cable nut on the oppsite side ??
Dont wanna see a hundred springs shoot out on me.
Thanks guys.

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

In your picture of the "white tube" it looks like it is broken or disconnected from the fitting. This white tube is a protective jacket for the end of the spring like steering cable. If it has been loose for a while and the steering not used then mosture, salt, etc can cause you trouble. After you get the steering moving freely, you can recenter the cable assembly to give you equal travel in both directions if needed. You might try disconnecting the cable at the motor end to see if the friction is in the cable or in the motor swivel bracket.

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

Did this just start? IN the pic of front of motor the steering link, arm from motor to cable doesn't look right to me. The cable doesn't retract anymore than what you have in the pic. It almost looks like the wrong steering link on there. Now if it turned more in the past disregard what I said.

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

my same exact thoughts Air. i think you need a different tie arm between the motor and the steering rod.

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

here's a couple pics of what my steering arms have looked like on others, they were all straight.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a46...ed_boat_29.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a46...s/MVC-026S.jpg

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

Buy the looks of the pic's you have a few problems!!

1 the white cap has a plastic sleeve on it to protect the cable gear and keep it clean, Yours is missing!

2 You have a bit of rust at the tube site

3 that thing looks like it hasn't seen grease in a long time!!

It's all about maintains!! You to get that cable out of the tube!!
This is going to mean losing the motor on the transom and pushing it over to one side to have room to get the cable out.

After that spray the tube and bet a wire pipe cleaner and ream that tube till its clean!

Clean and scotch brite the cable, re grease it and insert into the hole.

Most motors have a grease fitting on the pivot so you can grease them from time to time, if not take the nut off the tube on the end were the steering cable connects to the linkage.

Go to marine store and buy the nut that fits there with a grease fitting on it, now install the new not and you will be able to grease all the time!

In the winter grease well, turn a few times and then leave the motor turned so that the cable is all the way inside the tube.
This will protect it from the weather and hopefully you will be worry free in the spring!

You maybe able to get it lose with out all that work, but you will have the same problem later! Best to get it done the right way now and not worry about it anymore!!

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

I agree that steering linkage does look like the right one. Everything is really dry too . . . . you need some major lube.

Can you measure the steering linkage and post the numbers? I have a few in my garage that you can have for free.

Also Merc made a bolt on steering tube which you don't have on that motor. . . It helps when you have mechanical steering and need to make major steering adjustments. See if you have 4 holes on the face of the tilt bracket.

ter maybe.Re: CANT TURN !!
 

`Airslot,
To be quite honest, the motor was winterized in December, they did lube it up the arm. Theres a greese fitting on the underside. After that, I never touched it.
For all I know it may have been this way when I bought it in December. The batteries were dead and the engine was up. Does look like maybe that top bar should be shorter maybe. Of course I'm working daywork all this weekend till 7pm :'(

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

hammer, I'm not 100 % sure but I think the grease fitting on the underside is just for the tilt or pivot from the bracket to the motor.....I don't think it will grease the steering arm [???]

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

Phester's right the grease nipple doesn't lube the inside of the tilt tube . . . which is what the steering rod travels through. The only way to lube this is to pull the steering out. There's an o-ring under those end nuts that are suppose to seal the grease in . . . after a while the o0rings fail and the grease dries up. The steering get real tight. To fix this . . . you have to ream out the tube.

The #1 solution is hydraulic steering . . . but that's some bucks. Probably $350 on ebay for a used helm, cylinder and a pair lines.

If you want to continue to use mechanical steering . . . I have the external ride glide mount that will bolt onto the front of that motor (4 bolts) and you can adjust the steering . . . by adjusting the length of the tube.

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

Did you ever get full range of motion with that steering setup?

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

Bigshrimp:
Dont know if the motor was like this when I got it or not in Dec. The motor was winterized and then never touched during the winter until now.
Whats this tube thing you are talking about that you have ?
You have a picture ?

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

Hold on Hammer. Take a 9/16 wrench out to the boat. Undo the nut where the steering link connects to the cable coming out of the tilt tube. After that is undone, see if the motor moves freely side to side. Now see if the wheel turns freely. Now measure the steering link from mounting point to mounting point in a straight line. I'm going home now and I'll measure mine. Check your email for my cell # and call me.

Airslot

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

Looks like its almost fixed. I shot it full of WD-40 and wiped things down to really see what I was looking at. I should degreese the whole engine down, but unsure about taking a hose to the motor afterwards and short things out with my luck.
I took Airslots and Bigshrimp advice and looked around. Bigshrimp mentioned a bracket of some sort you can add, I like to see what you got. Picture if you can. I took off the top arm and the motor moved freely from side to side. I then seen a second place to where I can mount that top control arm. By relocating the arm farther back, it made the motor turn more. Not all the way, but better. My control is 11" and it looks like I need something in the 13 1/2 range, but looking at one of the pictures, I only have 1 1/2 of play left before that sliding arm hits the transom. So it looks like something around 12 1/2 " in a longer arm or see about this type of free glide adapter that Shrimp mentioned. Here are some pics and you can see where I managed to get more turn .
Thanks again for the tips. Tips are so much cheaper then the $85.00 an hour repair shop. ;D
Before Pic.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...r/DSC01779.jpg

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

After relocating the control arm. Still not the best, but alot better.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...r/DSC01786.jpg

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

Motor is turned much sharper in the other direction.
Damm, she needs a good cleaning on the engine and all.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...r/DSC01784.jpg

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

The above picture shows the tube arm all the way exstended. Notice I only have about 1 1/2" before it hits the side of the boat.

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

Picture of moving the control arm farther back to a second hole that I found. Its amazing was happens when you spray $hit down and teh things you find ;D

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...r/DSC01783.jpg

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

MSB - That's better but it might be a PIA to dock the boat w/ you steering in that state.

This is the kit I was talking about . . . where you can bolt on this new tube. It's designed for dual cables, but work just fine with one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...MakeTrack=true

There is still something wrong . . . were you ever able to get a full range of motion while you owned the boat?

I don't know much about mechanical steering except for how to rip it out!!! but you should really get to the bottom of the problem, so you don't end up trying to hold the engine straight in 3ft seas (cause your steering cable/helm crapped out).

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

This is a pic of the dual setup. You bolt on this adapter on and use new adjustable tube.

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

I suspect that your stearing travel problem is not at the motor end but at the helm. Turn the wheel stop to stop and count the turns. It should be about 4 but you should be able to find out exactly what it should be from the manufacturer. Then turn it all the way one way and then turn it back half the # of turns. This should be your centered position.

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

SHrimp:
Thanks for the pic. But the part looks differnt from the part on E-Bay. The part on E-Bay, is that a exstension bar or tube that connects to the steering bar on my motor ?
This is something I can add without disconnecting the steering cable ?
Thanks.

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

Shrimp:
Just looked on the control arm and didnt see any numbers. The control arm that I have is approx. 11"
Looks like I might need a arm that is 12.5 inches long.
Not unless that part on E-Bay takes care of the problem.

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

Hammer, I think you've got it about where it's going to be. From what I can recall mine turns further one way than the other but the difference isn't very much. I bet when you get a chance to try it out that you can manuver it just fine.

Good luck,

Airslot

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

Airslot: what are you doing online so early in the morning. Your suposed to be outside warming up that Gas Grill. ;D ;D ;D ;D
You should be out in the Boat !!!
Thanks for the call last night.

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

Man, I just got done cooking 1,200 Hamburgers, hotdogs, bratwurst, and Chicken breast. I'm fried. Now I've got 3 hours office work getting ready for tommorrow. I can't wait till Labor Day.

Airslot

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

i think i know what it is cause i did the same thing
where the steeriring link in front off the motor is connected you have it on the last hole what you have to do [if you look ]at the steering arm there should be another hole set back about 3 inches you have to move it to that hole
it might be rusted so get out your penetrating oil and let it soak the hole is right under the shroud but you have enough romm to get it in

Re: CANT TURN !!
 

Hammer, hope relocatin' the steerin' arm helps, but it MIGHT make it harder to steer as you are losing some leverage by going closer to the engine's pivot point...you'll just have to experiment...if you force that ram back thru the tube, get ALL the corrosion build-up off the ram first...it probably won't go back thru w/ out cleanin' and if it does, it'll score the pi$$ outta the tube...you gotta get that corrosion off the ram to see what you got for steerin'...it's causin' you to lose some of your steerin'... ;) :) ...