older mercury steering stuck

[satyrdane]

i inherited a 1960 15 ft powercat with a mercury 500 thunderbolt 50 hp outboard the steering is stuck, i disconnected the link arm from the motor and the wheel turns and the arm moves fine but the motor will not move at all even with the arm disconnected. also what keeps the motor down? there looks like there is a lock mechanism for the trim/tilt but it doesnt seem to lock. the motor itself fired right up the first time i started it and it runs great, in fact it actually starts better than my '96 omc 115 outboard!

[corm]

Hi,A PowerCat. Very cool boat in it's time, still cool today. Your swivel tube on the motor is froze up. If it was saltwater run it is going to be some work. You could try greasing the zirk fitting on the swivel bracket 1st to see if it will loosen up. You will probably need to pull the powerhead and lower cover. You had better get a manual for this job. An Intertech manual would be the best one to buy if they are still in business. I think they are in Kansas City.The motor should auto lock when shifted into neutral and reverse.

[satyrdane]

thank you very much, i have found a distributor for the intertech manual but i am going with a mercury factory manual through http://www.laingsoutboards.com/literature.htm thanks again

[satyrdane]

while i am waiting for the manual...... a friend sugested using a torch to heat up the swivel tube, i filled it with a top quality grease and tried working it loose but no luck ......im very reluctant to put alot of heat to it, any other ideas before i disassemble it ?

[krypton]

I have the exact same problem, recently bought a little runabout with a '71 Merc 500. The motor runs great but can't move the motor sideways for steering, seems like it is totally seized up right down the steering shaft. A mechanic I spoke to said that they would fix it by heating it up and regreasing.

[rickdb1boat]

satyrdane A good site for parts and info on your motor. web page

[johnrob]

I have had frozen swivels on three motors and have fixed them all by using heat.First - make SURE there is no fuel in the carbs or fuel lines and that the battery is disconnected. Also make sure you have an extinguisher handy just in case! I usually use a small butane/propane plumbers type blowtorch - it takes about 10-15mins to get the tube hot enough with this type of torch but it is safer to use than a large torch as it reduces the risk of directly damaging the motor. Tilt the motor up then heat the swivel tube from underneath - keep the torch moving around to heat the tube evenly and to avoid overheating the alloy in one area. Don't directly heat at the ends of the tube to avoid damaging the nylon bushes. Concentrate on the lower swivel bearing area - this is the one that usually seizes as it is close to or in the water a lot of the time. You should be able to get the tube up to a temperature where you can hold your finger on it for a few seconds without too much pain!Once it's hot what I do is to squirt more grease into the tube - this usually pushes out all the muck and old grease that was causing the tube to lock in the first place. Keep squirting grease until it comes out of the bushes clean. The motor should then swivel nice! If this doesn't work then the next step is to let it all cool and try again. The thermal stresses in repeated heating and cooling should cause fracturing of any seized joints.Good luck!

[catmania]

I had a 500 merc thunderbolt, it's steering froze, i used heat, sledge hammers and a awful lot of time and patience. Never did get it unfrozen... Now i use lots of grease on the steering tube every fall and spring (different motor, old one sold for parts). Good luck, sounds like a nice rig, hope you have better luck than i did