Steering froze up.

saltydawg

saltydawg

Well-Known Member
This is what happens when you don't do any winter spring fishing. Went to prep the boat after 5 months off and my outboard steering is frozen rock solid.
Does anyone have any technical knowledge on how to unfreeze or should I just save myself scrapped knuckels and take it in??
I sprayed w40 all over. Unscrewed steering bar. banged with hammer etc, etc. all didn't work.
 
Have done the wd40 thing, forget it.
The grease has crystallized in the steering tube causeing everthing
to freeze up.
You can try a propane torch( not mapp)applying heat to the tube
while someone gently trys working the wheel back and forth.
Don't apply too much effort on the wheel or you risk snapping the cable.

As soon as the grease starts to melt, work the wheel back and forth
until you get full mobility , then pump the nipple on the tube up with fresh grease.
 
Dont put more grease in it thats the problem it gets too full and seizes when I used to have that type of steering my buddy who is a marine tech in the industry at one of the places in vic. got me a tube of gear oil with the nozzle attachment to fit over the grease nipple if you have one!!! most dont and what it does is makes it slide better and stays not as thick I still have the gun if you want with gear oil in it.trade???


WD-40 is very bad for marine as it is mostly water get LPS instead there are about 5 different types now depending on your application its built for marine use and is great stuff


Wolf
 
A couple of years ago my wife and I hauled the boat out to Toquart bay in late March.Camped over night and planned on going fishing for a couple of days.Unloaded boat, started the motor and What?? no steering.Frozen.Needed to change complete system.The boat is a 92 so no surprize but it always happens at the worst time.That Murphy guy again.So it depends on the age of your system .
 
As part of winterizing my boat, I always take the steering rod out of the tilt tube and clean the tilt tube out and apply new lube. On my boat this is very simple and not very time consuming.
 
Hey SaltyDog:

What kind of motor is it. I had this happen to an old 70HP Merc. It cost me a steering cable and the steering tube. Mine was so seized I had to cut the cable and hammer the remnants out. The tube holds the motor to the bracket with nuts on either end. I used to new tube to tap the old one out so the motor was always supported by either the new or old tube. A relatively easy replacement, the hardest part being getting the old cable out but mine was cracked so cutting it and tapping it out was a necessary evil. Good Luck.
 
YES
R.S. THANK YOU THANK YOU. I'm back in business.
Torch worked like a hot damn. It was too gummed up so I'll follow Wolfs lead and switch to something lighter.
I'm thinking prawning today. Harbour mouth tomorrow.

Yeeha
 
So your cable was not frozen inside the cable but frozen inside the tube within the motor. So that's great that you don't need to replace the cable.

Why don't the motors include a fitting to grease inside the tube? It's such a pain to remove the cable from the tube on my boat! [}:)]
 
I drilled and tapped my old motor for that when it was apart as that what my buddy sees all the time happening do it if and when you can save you some trouble down the road.
 
Hey, that's not not a bad idea, Wolf. [8D]
 
my 115 froze up in november after a few months of sitting. I broke out the grease gun and pumped some fresh grease in and the old grease out and was back up and running
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Sharphooks
NORTH COAST TRIP PART IV
Replies
9
Views
2K
Dave H
Dave H
Back
Top