2000 Johnson 150 HP Outboard Stiff Steering

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fernanroy

Recruit
Joined
Sep 25, 2011
Messages
4
Hello All,
I new here so I would like to say hello to everyone.

It's been a while since I have owned a boat (since 1980's). My wife and I just bought a pre-owned 1999 Glastron 170 SX with a 2000 Johnson 150hp outboard. I have been going through it for several weeks now doing all the general maintenance (plugs, lower unit gear lube, empeller, etc.) The boat is in pretty good condition and only needed a light wax to look good but when I bought it the previous owner told me it has a stiff steering but never did anything about it. I asked if he had ever greased it and his reply was - huh? :eek:

Well I greased the heck out of it and it seems better but still stiff. Short of having the cable replaced do you think it will take a little while for the grease to work in after a few uses or is there something else I should do? The cable is sealed from steering wheel to the motor. If it turns out I need to replace is it difficult or should I just have someone do it?

Thanks for time and knowledge.

Roy
 
C

Chris1956

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 25, 2004
Messages
28,571
Re: 2000 Johnson 150 HP Outboard Stiff Steering

Roy, Did you establish that the motor turns freely? If not, disconnect the steering link and test it by swiveling the motor back and forth. If the motor turns freely, the next place the cables bind is where they go thru the tilt tube of the motor. Disconnect the big nut on the starboard side of the tilt tube steering cable. Now does the steering wheel turn easy? If so, you need to clean and grease the steering cable end.

The sealed cables are impossible to grease. A little grease could help if the rack and pinon are dry.
 
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Will Bark

Lieutenant
Joined
Aug 1, 2010
Messages
1,470
Re: 2000 Johnson 150 HP Outboard Stiff Steering

Chris, you did mean for him to pull the cable ram out of the tilt tube and clean that out and then grease it? Mine gets stiff when the grease dries up in the tube and I have to clean the tube and then she works great till the next time.
 
F

fernanroy

Recruit
Joined
Sep 25, 2011
Messages
4
Re: 2000 Johnson 150 HP Outboard Stiff Steering

Chris1956 said:
Roy, Did you establish that the motor turns freely? If not, disconnect the steering link and test it by swiveling the motor back and forth. If the motor turns freely, the next place the cables bind is where they go thru the tilt tube of the motor. Disconnect the big nut on the starboard side of the tilt tube steering cable. Now does the steering wheel turn easy? If so, you need to clean and grease the steering cable end.

The sealed cables are impossible to grease. A little grease could help if the rack and pinon are dry.
Click to expand...

Thanks Chris, I see the large nut and thought about that but I was not sure once I took it off if I was going to have trouble putting it back together. I will look at that next. It looked really dry back there but not bad looking. After I pull the nut, what is under? Does the cable simply pull out?

Regards,
Roy
 
F

fernanroy

Recruit
Joined
Sep 25, 2011
Messages
4
Re: 2000 Johnson 150 HP Outboard Stiff Steering

Will Bark said:
Chris, you did mean for him to pull the cable ram out of the tilt tube and clean that out and then grease it? Mine gets stiff when the grease dries up in the tube and I have to clean the tube and then she works great till the next time.
Click to expand...

Hello Chief, thanks for helping out the newbie! Once the nut is off would the cable pull out? I noticed a large rod that moves in and out on the port side. How hard is it to pull that rod out and clean?

Regards,
Roy
 
C

Chris1956

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 25, 2004
Messages
28,571
Re: 2000 Johnson 150 HP Outboard Stiff Steering

Yes, once you loosen the big nut, the steering rod will be able to be pulled out, if the splashwell has enough clearance.

Normally we just remove the nut and turn the wheel to isolate the stiffness to the cable or tilt tube. Once you figure out where the problem is, the fix can be made. If it is just the steering rod, turn the wheel to expose as much as possible and clean it up with solvent. Now regrease. Now remove big nut and pull out cable to expose the rest of the steering rod. Clean and regrease.
 
F

Fed

Commander
Joined
Apr 1, 2010
Messages
2,457
Re: 2000 Johnson 150 HP Outboard Stiff Steering

Roy, Did you establish that the motor turns freely? If not, disconnect the steering link and test it by swiveling the motor back and forth.
Click to expand...
Do this first before worrying about anything else.
Hint: Put the motor down to do it.
 
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