Seized Steering

Hey gang, I have an 88 110 Johnson with steering that is seized. I already disconnected the drag arm and the motor rotates freely, I am assuming that I have a seized cable. But I can't remove the silver locking nut from the steering cable to take it out of the tilt tube because the nut is frozen to the cable. Already tried WD40 and some other stuff, any suggestions would be great! Thanks

Re: Seized Steering

HEAT, or split the nut off of the cable.

Re: Seized Steering

could you take it loose from steering end and turn the whole cable

Re: Seized Steering

The nut is the least of your problems. Just get a bigger wrench, and some heat if necessary. But just wait till you try to get the cable out of the tube. That varies between extremely difficult to impossible. You may wind up destroying something before you are done. Once you get it out, you have to clean the rust out of the tube.

A word of warning to others: Lubricate that cable where it slides in and out of the tilt tube as a regular maintenance item, or you will someday wind up with this same problem.

Re: Seized Steering

Be very gentle with the heat. Surrounding the steering tilt tube at the motor pivot points are plastic/nylon bushings and you do not want to melt them.

That big nut normally comes off using a big wrench but the other issue is...... you might have to unbolt the motor and slide the motor over to remove the steering cable.

Re: Seized Steering

Before you go any further, clean the nut and look all around it, some have a grub screw in them to
hold them in place as well as being tightened up.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
these nuts just cant freeze onto the tube due to the differing metals. it just dont happen.
that nut will never be frozen solid, and it would just rip the threads anyway if you did happen to have it like that and be
using a decent size spanner/wrench on it.
you sure you are not turning it the wrong way.
that nut is easy to undo if your talking of the nut from steering cable,

BUT
if your talking about the nut to hold thru tube in then that can be a different ball game altogether.!!!!!!!!!!!
just make sure its the one on the right looking from the prop. as some of the others on the left side are a welded nut !!

CHECK FOR THAT GRUB SCREW IN THE NUT..YOUL NEED AN ALLEN KEY TO UNDO IT


phill

Re: Seized Steering

Grub screw, eh? That took a moment to sink in.
Just having a little fun.

Re: Seized Steering

I have tried it all, I am using 2 15 inch wrenches and basically what is happening is the nut is stuck to the threading and will spin the entirety of the threads but will stop because there is too much tension on the cable. No idea what to try next? Going to try and get a bigger torch and really heat it, but the proximity to the fuel line is making me very nervous

Re: Seized Steering

You need to stop and evaluate your situation.

1. Will the cable stroke at all in the tube, or is it hopelessly seized?

2. Once you get that nut loose, is there enough room to withdraw the cable from the tube? Or will the motor have to be lifted off the transom to get it out? It takes quite a bit of room between the tilt tube and splash well side to get it out.

3. What is the general condition of the cable itself? Time for a replacement soon?

If the motor has to come off the transom, it may be easier to take the cable loose from the helm and remove it from the boat along with the motor. Especially if it needs replacement. Once off the boat, you may want consider replacing the cable and tilt tube complete. You are lucky that it is rotating. They usually won't do that and replacement is a bear, trying to get it out.

You don't have to disconnect everything to lift it off the transom, but you do need a hoist. Just let it hang from the hoist while you work on the tilt.

EDIT: That cable nut is part of the cable, not replaceable. Destroy that, and you have destroyed the cable.

Re: Seized Steering

Same problem going on with my Johnson 50. Feels like the cable is free to the motor so I plan to inject a bunch of grease into the zert fittings and see if that gets me anywhere. Good luck with yours.

Re: Seized Steering

Hold on a minute

if the tilt tube is turning then get a big tube on the spanners and just make sure your holding the tilt tube nut good and proper.
then simply push down on the big bar /tube for the steering cable, there is no way it can sieze to the steel, its
only an alloy material and would shear rather than sieze.
something just dont add up on this .

take a pic and show us what your trying to turn and what exactly your holding. !!!!!

a 15 inch spanner aint gonna do much good anyway, need a lot longer than that.
get 2 nice big bits of tube, 3 ft long and simply turn them off, wont even be a struggle if the bars are decent length.
I had a 6 footer on a tilt tube recently and that was well stuck, but it was not the steering cable nut !!!!!!
they come off easy enough.
get stuck into it, you need to get realy angry with it,...:frusty:

(just pretend its the mother in Laws neck your snapping and you will get it undone easy ound



phill....

Re: Seized Steering

FR,
It wont stroke at all no movement, I took the cable off from the helm end and it looked pretty good inside. Unfortunately I dont have a lift or the capability to lift the motor. I think I am going to have to take it to the marina and get it serviced. Its unfortunate because if I could get the nut off I could fix the problem but since that isnt happening I think it is a bit outside my tool range as I just moved. Thank you for the help, I'll keep you updated

Re: Seized Steering

That motor weighs about 310 lbs and when I mount V-4.....I hang the motor on the side of the transom, insert the steering cable and then center the motor. I have not encountered a V-4 that did not have to be slid sideways to remove the cable.

Is the steering tube itself is turning with the cable inside?? Then the cable rod is seized with corrosion and "worse" case scenario it might need a new tube too.

Re: Seized Steering

Bob,

They are both turning, sounds like the rod is seized, although I can spin the rod freely, it just wont shorten or extend