Hard Steering

[TKovaleski]

I have a 2004 18ft Manitou pontoon with a 70 hp Johnson motor. The steering has always been a little hard to steer since the day I bought it new. Last weekend I had a real hard time steering after a couple of hours on the river, it seemed like something was stuck. I stopped and checked to make sure there was nothing in the prop, but everything looked OK. Is there an adjusment that can be done to loosen the steering?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Hard Steering

disconnect the link at the motor, turn the wheel, and motor see if anything is binding. those cables do not like to make sharp bends.

 

[DMAN1968]

Re: Hard Steering

And if the steering cable turns freely when disconnected from the motor then there is usually a grease fitting on the motor itself that lubes the center rotation point (I don't know the technical term for the piece). Make sure to shoot some grease into that point, might help with your problem.

I met an older gentleman once when looking at his boat for sale. He had devised a way to actually lube his steering cable. He wouldn't show me the setup (maybe he was looking to patent it at 70 something years old) but he did give me a brief description. Disconnect the steering cable at the motor. Place a rubber hose big enough to fit over the end of the cable and use a hose clamp to hold it on tightly. He said he would then attach a container that would have a lubricant to that hose, he said he used kroil I think. He then had a way of putting air pressure to that container, about 3 lbs, he was quite detailed on that point. He would then leave it until it just started to come out at the helm, usually overnight. He said it worked like a charm. That boat had the original steering cable and was over 30 years old.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Hard Steering

Done something similar but used gravity and a drill.

Heavy plastic bag hung from the garage rafters, filled with oil and hooked a drill to cable end and used the natural twist of the cable to draw the oil through, worked like a charm.

 

[TKovaleski]

Re: Hard Steering

OK, I disconnected the cable and the steering wheel turned freely, but the motor is very very hard to move. I also disconnected the arm from the shaft that attaches to the motor mount and reconnected the cable and it is very hard to move again. I am no mechanic, but I am guessing that the shaft that goes throught the motor mount and attaches to the cable (some how) is probably bent. I also noticed on the corner piece of the pontoon deck back by the motor, it is marked up where the shaft has hit the boat itself. Any feedback would be appreciated. Also, if that shaft is bent, can you just pull that shaft out of the motor mount?

 

[TKovaleski]

Re: Hard Steering

Are you able to pound the shaft out of the tilt mount on the motor mount? For some reason when I try to pull the shaft out, it pulls on the bar that is at the end of the cable, are these two attached somehow?