Steering issues on Hurricane Fundeck

bhardy5005

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I am having steering issues with my Hurricane fundeck with a 5.0 Mercruiser which is a semi-v hull. Trying to put this beast on a trailer is a chore. At idle speed it is back and forth but bump the throttle and it evens out and steers great. I am thinking that there may be another issue with the power steering pump. I have owned this boat for 6 years and have had the carburetor rebuilt twice because of a fine black powder that originates around the power steering pump. When the powder is smeared with my finger, it seems to be greasy. The belt and pulleys are tight and show no sign of wear. I have also taken it in to get looked at with no luck. Recently I began to hear a very small ticking sound from the pump side of the motor when I turn right, but nothing when I turn left. I bought a marine filter which blocks the particles from the carb but I still have the powder issue around the power steering pump. Can anything in the pump go bad that could cause drifting (and powder) at slow speeds??
 

achris

More fish than mountain goat
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Re: Steering issues on Hurricane Fundeck

'Drifting' at low speeds on a deep Vee hull is normal. Just a characteristic of the hull I'm afraid...
 

bhardy5005

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Re: Steering issues on Hurricane Fundeck

'Drifting' at low speeds on a deep Vee hull is normal. Just a characteristic of the hull I'm afraid...

Yes I've been reading on it tonight and it looks like it is what it is. I still don't know whats causing the black powder issue. I typically spray the motor down a couple of times a year to clean it of. The K&N marine filter is worth its weight in gold but I still have the original problem. Replacing the power steering pump isn't cheap. The fine powder turns to grease when I rub it so it's oil based.
 

achris

More fish than mountain goat
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Re: Steering issues on Hurricane Fundeck

Sure it's not the belts? I had a similar issue with my old engine, just never enough to be worried about...
 

bhardy5005

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Re: Steering issues on Hurricane Fundeck

Sure it's not the belts? I had a similar issue with my old engine, just never enough to be worried about...
The belt looks great. I was going to put one on last year just in case but the boat mechanic said it looked good to him as well. Worst part about the powder is the particles getting into the carb. I've spent about $500 getting it rebuilt a couple of times. The filter has done the trick but I'm afraid whatever is causing this will finally show up when I'm 10 miles down the lake.
 

Fun Times

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Re: Steering issues on Hurricane Fundeck

Hi there, In a inboard boat, It is pretty common to see black belt debris/dust near the front of the engine that gets a smeared grease look/feel to it when you wipe it up.

Genuinely speaking, Even though you have a lot of belt debris around the engine, typically if the belt looks to be in good condition, then usually it will still be in a good runnable condition for some time to come.

Also bear in mind that marine engines are turning a pretty high RPM putting extra tension on the belt/s versus a truck/car.

Now If your pulleys are rusting at all, the rough rust pits and such act as sandpaper on the belt. If so, Remove the belt and wire brush and clean up the pulleys and put a coat of gloss black acrylic appliance paint on the belt grooves to see if that helps any.

What year is the boat, engine? Serpentine belt?
 

bhardy5005

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Re: Steering issues on Hurricane Fundeck

Hi there, In a inboard boat, It is pretty common to see black belt debris/dust near the front of the engine that gets a smeared grease look/feel to it when you wipe it up.

Genuinely speaking, Even though you have a lot of belt debris around the engine, typically if the belt looks to be in good condition, then usually it will still be in a good runnable condition for some time to come.

Also bear in mind that marine engines are turning a pretty high RPM putting extra tension on the belt/s versus a truck/car.

Now If your pulleys are rusting at all, the rough rust pits and such act as sandpaper on the belt. If so, Remove the belt and wire brush and clean up the pulleys and put a coat of gloss black acrylic appliance paint on the belt grooves to see if that helps any.

What year is the boat, engine? Serpentine belt?

Thanks Fun Times. The boat, engine, and belt are all 2003 models. I've owned it for 5 years and I was told it wasn't ran much the first 5 years. All of the pulleys are hard plastic and all appear to be in good shape. The dust seems to build up more around the pump which had me worried about it. With the regular spark arrester, the carb was filling up with this stuff but the K&N filter took care of that. I'm surprised more people don't have this issue. Maybe it's time I treat the belt as you mentioned or replace it altogether.
 

achris

More fish than mountain goat
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27,468
Re: Steering issues on Hurricane Fundeck

Thanks Fun Times. The boat, engine, and belt are all 2003 models.....

By my reckoning, that would be a serpentine belt... If you are getting dust off that, you may have a pulley alignment problem....

Looks like this?

attachment.php


Chris...
 

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bhardy5005

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Re: Steering issues on Hurricane Fundeck

By my reckoning, that would be a serpentine belt... If you are getting dust off that, you may have a pulley alignment problem....

Looks like this?

attachment.php


Chris...
Pretty close Chris without actually looking. The dip stick is on the other side of the motor but thats about it. It could be an alignment problem but I would have expected more wear on the belt edge. I will need to really inspect it again and see if thats the issue. I guess the misalignment would only be on the pump, alternator, or tensioner?
 

achris

More fish than mountain goat
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Re: Steering issues on Hurricane Fundeck

If the crank pulley is bent or the screws loose, that would also do it. You need to check them all. Correct depth as well as lateral and axial alignment. There was a thread a little while back where the steering pump brackets were bent, that caused some belt problems. :facepalm:....

Chris....
BTW, that photo is of a V6, not an 8... ;) The idea was to show the belt set-up, nothing else....
 
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cedgo

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Jun 19, 2005
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Re: Steering issues on Hurricane Fundeck

Dirt or dust in the air will get sucked into the engine, not clog a carburetor.
 

skydiveD30571

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Re: Steering issues on Hurricane Fundeck

Dirt or dust in the air will get sucked into the engine, not clog a carburetor.

I was thinking the same thing. Thru the venturi throat and straight into the intake manifold. Shouldn't affect the carb whatsoever unless it is fuel contamination.
 

bhardy5005

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Re: Steering issues on Hurricane Fundeck

Thanks all for the help with this. I'll check all the bolts and alignments with the pulleys and more than likely replace the belt. The only thing I can tell you about the carb is that before I put on the K&N filter, I could look down in the carburetor and see the black specs, a lot of it. The guy who rebuilt it said the same thing and I've not had any issues since. I probably just jinxed myself.
 

Fleetwin

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Re: Steering issues on Hurricane Fundeck

Is the K & N a flame arrestor?
 

Bondo

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Re: Steering issues on Hurricane Fundeck

Thanks all for the help with this. I'll check all the bolts and alignments with the pulleys and more than likely replace the belt. The only thing I can tell you about the carb is that before I put on the K&N filter, I could look down in the carburetor and see the black specs, a lot of it. The guy who rebuilt it said the same thing and I've not had any issues since. I probably just jinxed myself.

Ayuh,...... Look closely at the pulley's wear surfaces,...

Rusted pulleys will Eat belts, throwin' out black dust like that,...
Poorly prepped rusted pulleys that have been painted poorly will eat belts too,...

Sand yer pulleys smooth, 'n paint 'em with Rustoleum or something, 'n maybe the dust might slow down abit,...
 
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