yamaha stern drive

[bmack4life]

i have a 5.0L yammie stern drive, i'm getting to know the unit pretty well, i'm having issues with my steering. when i come off plain the boat jerks to starboard, and when i trim the engine out the boat acts erraticly going from port to starboard. also the out drive moves about 6 inches each direction freely without moving the wheel on the trailer, what component is causing this? i currently have the engine removed to replace the oil pan, what can i adjust to fix the steering while the engine and outdrive is removed? the cable and steering pump checks out fine, so it appears.

 

[Celeb92]

Re: yamaha stern drive

Hi. Just tripped over your post -- hope you have the problem solved by now. If not, you should be looking for a worn "upper pivot shaft" in the gimbal ring. If you remove the trim switch in the ring, you can look inside with a flash light and see the pinch bolt securing the "steering lever" (arm) to the upper pivot shaft. See if you can move the drive side-to-side while watching the shaft and lever. Or, have some one turn the steering wheel back and forth. If you see play in the shaft/lever joint or if the drive moves without the shaft/lever moving, you need a new upper pivot shaft (assuming that you aren't extremely lucky and just have a loose pinch bolt). I also have a 5.0 YEMS Yamaha and the cost to replace the upper pivot shaft cost me almost $2000 (the Yamaha dealer told me that he had to pull the engine to get to it). Good luck. BTW -- I'm surprised that Capt Ken didn't respond to your post. He is the Yamaha guru on this forum. He may pick up your post since this answer will put it back on top.