Any suggestions whats wrong?

[bassinbrunner]

I have a 17'6" crestliner aluminum bass boat with a 1996 johnson 115 fast strike outboard. Hers the problem. At higher speeds, say 20 or more mph, the steering begins to loosen up and the boat starts to wobble back and forth, exclusively in the back end. The motor itself seems to be moving back and forth a lil more than normal. I have had this boat for a year and this is the first time its done so. Im aware of chime walking and all that good stuff. Any suggestions on what may cause this? A worn out steering cable? Slight bend in the prop? Maybe some teeth missing in the steering? There are no dents in the alumunum, ive checked this already, and just a very slight nick in one of three prop blades.

 

[bubbakat]

Re: Any suggestions whats wrong?

just guessing here so bear with me. Take the lower unit off and see if you have a warped drive shaft. or bent prop shaft

 

[ob]

Re: Any suggestions whats wrong?

I think you have a problem with your steering cable if the motor itself is moving side to side.Check the freeplay in steering and test for freedom of movement.Also ,inspect your transom bolts for tightness and make sure you can't manually push the engine and get it to wobble side to side as a wollered out transom bolt hole could cause.

 

[DJ]

Re: Any suggestions whats wrong?

Also, look at the rubber engine mounts. These are the mounts that hold the engine to the clamp bracket.<br /><br />Grab the motor by the skeg and try to mimic the action you see on the water. If it moves a lot, start looking at the source of the looseness.

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: Any suggestions whats wrong?

As DJ suggests, grab that engine and shake it by the lower unit. If it wobbles bad but the steering bracket does not, in all probability the splines at the bottom motor mount bracket have stripped where they spline onto the bottom splines of the steering arm shaft.<br /><br />Other than that..... have you lost the trim tab?