Tough steering in 96' 20ft bowrider: Merc 350/Alpha Gen II Outdrive.

I've done a bit of troubleshooting already and I am at a loss.

Stats:
1996 Bayliner 20ft
Mercruiser 350 V8 and Alpha Gen II Outdrive

I have hard steering whether the engine is on or off going left and right. The problem has been around for as long as I've owned the boat (2 years) and I finally started tackling the problem this season.

Troubleshooting steps:

1. I disconnected the steering cable from the power steering ram and i can then turn the steering wheel super smooth and easy left and right, lock to lock.
2. I disconnected the outdrive from the power steering ram and can move the outdrive freely at the back of the boat with my hand.
3. I replaced the power steering pump as it was making no noise and had no indication of it working. When I disassembled the power steering pump, i found that the pressure relief valve was stuck open. Upon installing a new pump, the problem did not fix itself.
4. I then replaced the power steering ram/control valve assembly thinking that this was the only remaining culprit. After spinning wheel back and forth a number of times to bleed the system, the steering is still tough left and right. All of this testing has been done in my driveway with muffs hooked up, I have not actually taken it to the lake to test the new ram.

I've replaced everything that I could think was faulty and still have tough steering. Does anyone have any ideas? The pump still doesn't make any noise when the engine is running (although the pump is brand new now). A boating buddy suggested that the steering cable can still bind when under load but be smooth when it's free. Does this make sense?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

-Evan

Re: Tough steering in 96' 20ft bowrider: Merc 350/Alpha Gen II Outdrive.

Ayuh,.... When ya replaced the actuator, did ya have the cable end, Completely outa the aluminum mounting tube,..??

Did ya clean the corrosion outa the tube,..??
Did ya slather a bunch of grease, inside the tube,..??

Re: Tough steering in 96' 20ft bowrider: Merc 350/Alpha Gen II Outdrive.

Bond-o said:

Ayuh,.... When ya replaced the actuator, did ya have the cable end, Completely outa the aluminum mounting tube,..??

Did ya clean the corrosion outa the tube,..??
Did ya slather a bunch of grease, inside the tube,..??

Click to expand...

I have one of the new style power steering actuator assemblies, and I had to remove the entire thing and replace the entire thing. This involved fully disconnecting the cable from the ram and pulling it out. I cleaned the old grease off of the cable end and examined the cable end while it was out and noticed it looked brand new. I believe it was replaced not long before I bought the boat because it looked spotless. The new actuator had a cap on both ends of the cable sleeve and the whole sleeve was packed with marine grease, so I used that grease and made sure it was even coated on the cable end and that it all slid nice and easy through the sleeve. I made sure nothing was binding as best I could tell and also verified that the actuator had free range of motion to pivot on the transom plate once installed.

Thanks for the reply, I hope I answered your questions.

Re: Tough steering in 96' 20ft bowrider: Merc 350/Alpha Gen II Outdrive.

Some more information from last night's troubleshooting:
1. If I'm turning the wheel while I'm starting the engine (to sort of preload the ram) I feel the wheel almost jerk out of my hand from presumably the power steering kicking in and taking over. This goes away though after a split second and it goes back to tough steering. I'd almost say it's as hard to steer with the engine off as it is with the engine on: like I'm not getting any power assist.

2. The power steering pump (brand new) never makes a noise when I'm turning the wheel, also it doesn't load the engine or make a noise when I hold the wheel at it's furthest point of travel. This would almost tell me the power system is never engaging, but I've replaced everything I can think of that would fix this problem.

3. I noticed the rack that the steering wheel is attached to was loose in some places, so I tightened up everything, the steering wheel has a lot less slack in it, but it's still hard to turn.

I've run out of ideas at this point. I'm just concerned primarily because it puts a heavy load on my steering rack trying to manhandle this beast with the power assist never seeming to work.

-Evan

Re: Tough steering in 96' 20ft bowrider: Merc 350/Alpha Gen II Outdrive.

I'm curious to learn if your steering has corrected itself or if you found the answer to your hard steering. Currently, I'm in the same boat with a 1992 Thompson with a 4.3 L Mercruiser. I read in another forum the following:

.... inside the gimball housing on top of the steering tiller arm (up inside the gimball housing) there is a top nut holding the tiller arm to the steering pin. you will have to loosen the tiller arm cross-bolt and tighten the nut (a 15/16" If i remember right). Get it snug so there is friction in swinging the drive from side to side. then re-tighten the cross-bolt. This will be a real PITA.

I'm about to go tackle my steering but wanted to hear if you had a better result with a different attempt.

Either way, best of luck.

Re: Tough steering in 96' 20ft bowrider: Merc 350/Alpha Gen II Outdrive.

drukkentech said:

I have one of the new style power steering actuator assemblies, and I had to remove the entire thing and replace the entire thing. This involved fully disconnecting the cable from the ram and pulling it out. I cleaned the old grease off of the cable end and examined the cable end while it was out and noticed it looked brand new. I believe it was replaced not long before I bought the boat because it looked spotless. The new actuator had a cap on both ends of the cable sleeve and the whole sleeve was packed with marine grease, so I used that grease and made sure it was even coated on the cable end and that it all slid nice and easy through the sleeve. I made sure nothing was binding as best I could tell and also verified that the actuator had free range of motion to pivot on the transom plate once installed.

Thanks for the reply, I hope I answered your questions.

Click to expand...

Ayuh,... I don't remember the sequence, maybe Don or Chris will have graphics,...
But anyways,...

On the steerin' actuator, there's a tube with wrench flats on it,...
Those wrench flats have to be in a certain orientation for it to work,...(straight, up, 'n down,.. I Think)
It aligns the valving I believe...

The "Kick" on start up is the reason for my suspicion..