Getting ready to put 'er in the water also a question or two

[Wingnutt]

Well I finally saved up enough to get that noisy gimble bearing replaced and the mechanic checked that little bind in the steering, he also found the reason for that little bit of water I drained out of the lower unit last spring. <br /><br />The gimble looked good, lots of grease in it. There should be, I gave it a shot every other time I took it out last year to help quiten it down. However when I spun it I could definatly feel a bit of roughness in there. So, things should be a lot quiter while trolling this year. He said that the U-joints looked real good and took a fresh shot of grease with no problems.<br /><br />As far as the steering, Looks like the cable needs replaced. Ok question time, I'm pretty sure that I'm just going to install a new complete set up so that I can give it a shot of grease every once in a while, soooooo, is this going to be a major pita? <br /><br />Lastly, for that mysterous water intrusion, seems like an O-ring had just decided to start disenigrating, up allowing a tiny amount of water to find it's way in there.<br /><br />So with all that taken care of, I'm really hoping to get out on the water next weekend...if this snow ever stops. On second thought, I do have a garage I can keep her in until the weather starts warming up in a few weeks.

 

[Don S]

Re: Getting ready to put 'er in the water also a question or two

I'm just going to install a new complete set up so that I can give it a shot of grease every once in a while, soooooo, is this going to be a major pita?

PITA.....No, not if you know how to use a grease gun.

 

[Don S]

Re: Getting ready to put 'er in the water also a question or two

Sorry, just couldn't resist the comment above.<br />The biggest problems with cable steering is the corrosion between the aluminum tube and the SS cable end at the transom shield. Keep it cleaned and lubed and take it apart and clean and grease it every couple of years or when ever it shows the first signs of stiffness and you will be fine for a long long time.

 

[Wingnutt]

Re: Getting ready to put 'er in the water also a question or two

No problem, were all allowed to fire off those sarcasitc answers (myself included) every once in a while. I've never changed out a helm unit before and am wondering what I'm in for.

 

[Don S]

Re: Getting ready to put 'er in the water also a question or two

Usually, the units aren't that hard to change, the biggest problem is access, and that depends on how your boat was put together.<br />The instructions show how to put them in, the biggest thing to watch for is they work the right direction after you install them. It's as easy to do right as it is to do wrong. Just keep an eye on things and understand how it works.<br />There are several different kinds, so it's not that easy to explain without knowing what kind you have now, and what kind you are putting in.