I took the boat out today with the family. It was very windy and there was quite a chop on the lake. I had to fine tune the slow idle on my motor before we took off from the dock. Needless to say, the boat got knocked around a bit against the dock. (I couldn't get to the other side of the dock due to the wind and chop). I loaded the family up and took off on the lake and noticed very quickly that I was having a very hard time steering the boat with the steering wheel. It got so bad that we ended our trip early and returned to the dock. When I got home, I checked out to see what the problem was. I am not an expert on what the steering components are called but I will try my best to explain what I did. I unbolted the arm that goes from the motor that also attaches itself to the end of a steel shaft that is lubricated with marine grease for ease of turning. I tried turning the motor back and forth with the steering wheel but still not normal. It seemed like it became easier to turn once I turned the motor the sharpest. But in the middle of the turn where the boat motor is facing straight back, it still was very difficult to turn either way. I turned the steering wheel all the way until the arm (with the grease) started to come out to one side. I noticed that the spiral wire cable that was attached to the metal arm was slightly bent about eight inches from where it hooks onto the metal shaft. I do not know, since this is an old engine, what I need to purchase or if I need to perform other diagnostic tests. But definetly something needs to be fixed before I take the boat out again. I would hate for the steering to seize up out on the lake. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance, from this amateur, for your help. You guys are the greatest!
Thanks in advance, from this amateur, for your help. You guys are the greatest!
