Hard steering

I have a 1988 Force 125 outboard.. and when in the water i have to use two hands to steer the boat.. This isnt normal, is it? what is causeing this and how to i solve this issue? ive greased the grease points, didnt seem to help.. please help and advise.

Re: Hard steering

Is it hard to steer when not in water or when not moving forward. If it is then the root of the problem stems with the steering mechanism. Now if it's not hard to steer when not moving or not in water but only when at high speed (especially if the boat tends to pull either sides) then it could be the skeg (bent) or the exhaust snout not adjusted properly. The snout is designed to correct tracking by adjusted the its tongue.

Re: Hard steering

Jiggz, its always hard to steer weather its in the water or not. when you say the steering mechanism, what does that mean? The steering cables?

Re: Hard steering

The steering mechanism starts with the rack and pinion (most style) under the dash where the steering shaft drives the pinion, the cable connecting it to the steering tube and the steering tube itself. You can try disconnecting the cable connection to the steering tube and see if the steering is still tight. If it is then it means the problem is either the cable or the rack and pinion mechanism. If after disconnecting the cable the steering becomes light, then the steering tube might be in need of some greasing. In addition, with the steering cable disconnected, you should be able to swing the engine by hand easily. If not then something is binding in the engine or its center post.

Re: Hard steering

Had an '89 years ago with the same problem. If it's not the cable you can torch the housing where the kingpin is. I took mine to a shop and they just torched the housing up and down and it heats up the old grease, then pump in a bunch of new grease and it'll free up nicely. Just keep doing that until it moves with ease, mine did.

Re: Hard steering

Definitely start by narrowing down where the issue lies. The quickest to test is at the motor, loosen the steering arm from the motor to the cable and see if it's still hard to steer.

I would venture to say that MOST people totally ignore their steering until it becomes a problem. I've recently learned, the hard way of course, that almost nobody remembers to grease the steering cable/tilt tube area and I"m sure that goes for the kingpin too. Doesn't take but 2-3minutes a year, even, to prevent most of these problems. I fought mine, AND WON!!, for 2 weeks before finally pulling the engine and replacing the cable (which stunk, btw). If the guy before had added a 1/2 teaspoon of grease to the thing, never wouod've gone through all that. Dang him! Well, maybe he would've kept the boat so I guess I'll take that back, but still.......

Re: Hard steering

Most rack-pinion steering systems are maintenance free (from the steering column anyways). So if the cable is loosened from the steering tube and it's still hard to steer, the obviously problem is the cable or the rack unit. You can try shooting WD 40 into the cable and do a visual check on the rack unit. But usually after this and the problem persists, the only option left is to replace the steering unit and the cable.

Re: Hard steering

Once you get the thing free.
GOOD marine grease,white lithium or a good marine grease.
On the steering cable,grease will gum up and eventually sieze again.
I use spray white lithium and WD-40 and regular motor oil on the steering.
Once or twice a year aint enough!!!
I have a can of WD on board and EVERYTIME I go out I spray my steering.
I have hydrolic steering and it's way stronger and has enough power to break something so I make sure it's free!!
After working for 4 hours on 1 of my motors to free it.I don't want to do it again.