Leaky steering pin seal?

[davidh86]

Just got a new project boat with twin bravo 3's and when I looked in the steering lever hole/transom cutout and seen mounds of rust and debris (on both drives). Is there any possible culprit besides a bad steering pin seal? I?m asking because there is absolutely no play in either ring side to side or up and down which leads me to believe the bushings are fine. I don?t mind replacing the pins since I?m pulling both engines and I?ve replaced a ring in the past. Just want to make sure I?m fixing the correct problem, the only other cause I think of was a leaky transom seal which I?m probably replacing if I can?t fit my wrenches in the cutout (which is unusually large). So do steering pin seals usually go bad if the bushing is fine?

Thanks,
David

 

[alldodge]

So do steering pin seals usually go bad if the bushing is fine?

Yes it's possible it caught soon enough. The main reason for the upper pin seal to leak is if the seal sits below the water line when not moving. My cruisers went bad for the same reason and I'm in fresh water.

You cannot get the wrenches in thru the slot. You could remove the assembly plate but by then could go the rest of the way.

 

[davidh86]

No Title

 

[alldodge]

Looks like the boat spent some time under water, and first guess is a Katrina boat. That's mud, sand and other stuff not power washed out

 

[davidh86]

Yea it seems clear its the pin seal. Did you end up changing your pin as well or just the seal?

 

[alldodge]

I replaced the bearing and pin, and had the ring rebuilt, but mine had been leaking for a while. Previous owner kept it in the water year round and I pulled it every season, so when I got it the pin and bearing were pretty worn

 

[davidh86]

Yea that debris threw me off too. When I got it inspected the stringer and transom were in great shape and after going through the boats history and left over scraps of paper and receipts in the cabin it seemed to have spent its life on the Potomac river.

 

[davidh86]

I replaced the bearing and pin, and had the ring rebuilt, but mine had been leaking for a while. Previous owner kept it in the water year round and I pulled it every season, so when I got it the pin and bearing were pretty worn

Yea luckily you brought that up, last time I did this job I used a new ring so I didn?t worry about wear. Is there any procedure or measurements that I can use to see if the ring is worn or out of spec?

 

[alldodge]

If the harness's use the black plastic wrap tube around the wires, maybe open then up some and see if you find anything inside them besides wires

 

[davidh86]

If the harness's use the black plastic wrap tube around the wires, maybe open then up some and see if you find anything inside them besides wires

They do ill check on that next time i work on it.

 

[Bt Doctur]

I would install the grease fitting to prevent it from happening again. I have a step by step video on it.
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/engi...stall-the-miissing-grease-fitting-bravo-alpha

 

[alldodge]

Yea luckily you brought that up, last time I did this job I used a new ring so I didn?t worry about wear. Is there any procedure or measurements that I can use to see if the ring is worn or out of spec?

The pin should fit inside the ring and there should be no play, a hair might be OK but I like them to fit sort of snug. Should not need to hammer to put it in

 

[davidh86]

They do ill check on that next time i work on it.

I think that's a great idea so i install the new bushing and drill strait thought before i install the steering pin tap the hole and install a zerk.

 

[davidh86]

about to start the pin replacement this weekend, did you guys pay fir the 2 part epoxy for the main bushing sealant or just use 271 red locktite? I feel like the 2 part epoxy is going to be messy and is over priced.

 

[alldodge]

Loctite bonds metal to metal, the bushing is kind of plastic. The epoxy is needed to adhere and bond to the ring. It's called Resiweld Sealer

I don't know of anything else that will work, maybe someone else does

 

[davidh86]

I wanna kick my self for saying this, but would jb weld work lol?

 

[alldodge]

Don't know, if you have the old one, or piece of it; take some JB and bond it together on some scrap aluminum. Once dry see if you can pry it apart. If it works I don't know if it would stay that way over time. My thought is, if there was something else that worked, someone would have said something

 

[davidh86]

Thanks for your help i went ahead and ordered the merc epoxy, better safe than sorry.