Seized Outboard Steering

Weydagger · 17 April 2007, 12:39

Good weather and broken boats, can anyone please advise.
We have two club boats, Avon 4m seariders. One is fitted with a Mercury, 2 cylinder 2 stroke 50, whilst the other is fitted with a Mariner, 3 cylinder, 2 stroke 50.
Question is.
Both outboards have seized on their steering, but through the outboard colum (transom end). These have been regular greased and the tube / column has plenty of grease in it. managed to free one off by heating the column up and melting the grease out. New grease was pumped in and the engine was free to rotate. Unfortunately, the next day, it was stiff again and seized a week later.
Has anybody else had similar difficulties ore more importantly cheap effective cures. Currently we have been quoted £1,200.00 for a repair (with no guarrantee that the fault won't return)
many thanks
Paul.

Pete7 · 17 April 2007, 13:25

How much

who the feck quoted you that? a complete new kit should be about £100 and its a DIY fit, although you might need some big hammers to get the old one out of the engine stering tube and the engine may need to be unbolted if the cable can't bend enough due to A frames etc. The cables are good for about 5 years then they just sieze normally over a winter and thats it, time for a new one.

Welcome to ribnet by the way

Pete

Nasher · 17 April 2007, 13:28

Pete

I suggest you and me go and sort it out for them at half price ie £600

Nasher

Pete7 · 17 April 2007, 13:30

Must be cash only though

Has Dan Cooper moved to Dorset from Norfolk by chance

Nah perhaps not, still a bit cheap for one of his deals

Pete

Jimbo · 17 April 2007, 14:01

I've just run up a quote - and for £1200, I'd come down and fit brand new hydraulic steering to both boats! You're being overcharged...

As Pete and Nasher says, buy new cables and fit them yourselves. If you'd rather get an outside contractor in to guarantee their work, I'd be happy to give you a quote to refit cable steering. Just drop me an e-mail on james@daviescoaching.co.uk or call us on 023 929 88847.

Ribshop · 17 April 2007, 15:06

One of these, once it's fixed, may stop the problem occuring again.

http://www.rib-shop.com/product.asp?...hFor=&PT_ID=23

The Garfish · 17 April 2007, 15:26

i fink de £ sines inn yorr iyes arr clowdin yorr jujmint a bitt (a lott)

ifn yew reed de fkin powst propirly itts sownds lyke itts gott fuk orl too doo wiv de steerin

itt cud bee de bastud swivil toob dats seezed nott de tillt toob an dats a powir hed orf jobb too repare itt rite an de parrts aynt cheep cuz barruss arr robbin bastuds

sow ifn i woz weydiger i wud aksept peet6 an nashirs an jumbos kynd ofer too doo de too enjins forr 600 kwid

av a nise tyme in waymowf ladds

gaRf

Poly · 17 April 2007, 15:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Garfish

i fink de £ sines inn yorr iyes arr clowdin yorr jujmint a bitt (a lott)

ifn yew reed de fkin powst propirly itts sownds lyke itts gott fuk orl too doo wiv de steerin

itt cud bee de bastud swivil toob dats seezed nott de tillt toob an dats a powir hed orf jobb too repare itt rite an de parrts aynt cheep cuz barruss arr robbin bastuds

sow ifn i woz weydiger i wud aksept peet6 an nashirs an jumbos kynd ofer too doo de too enjins forr 600 kwid

av a nise tyme in waymowf ladds

gaRf

Waydagger - you may not yet be familiar with Garf's special way with words - what he is saying is: there is an easy and cheap part to repair (as per other posts) and there is a much harder and more expensive bit.

Jelly · 17 April 2007, 17:33

Daft question, but then they are only daft if you didn't check them retrospectively.
Have you disconnected the linkage from the steering cable to the engine?
If you have and the steering cable moves freely its not that but the steering on the engine itself. If the engine moves freely then thank your lucky stars as replacing the cable is alot easier!
Make sure you have the correct cable length, the idea is to have the smoothest bends in them as they will move more freely than one with lots of bends each giving more friction.
good luck
Jelly

Slaphead · 17 April 2007, 21:55

If it's the steering yoke that has jammed and not the steering cable, then:

1. Remove the engine.

2. Turn upside down.

3. Heat on the yoke.

4. Loads of WD40 and regrease.

My thread dated 11/7/06 'Mercury 50 problem' may help.

Good luck.

Weydagger · 20 April 2007, 12:58

Hi,
Thanks for all the replies. Didn't explain problem properly first. cables are all ok. The problem is in the outboard itself, (yoke) as one reply correctly described it. I have tried the heat and WD40, freed for a while and then went tight. Am looking at a complete stripdown, unless any person has bright idea.
Great community, Cheers

Nos4r2 · 21 April 2007, 08:18

How old are the engines and what sort of state are they in apart from the siezures? £1200 still sounds a lot if it's just a strip/cleanout/regrease but I can see why it's that much.At boatyard prices that's not very much work on each engine assuming they come apart easily!

Course, I could always sell you a rather good sr4