Marine: Boating, Sailing, PWC, GPS and Navigation - How to adjust outboard steering

I bought an 88 Bass Tracker and had a 70hp Evinrude installed. I don't know how the steering was with the old motor cause i replaced it right away. The steering in the water with this motor is very very difficult, i feel like i'm gonna break the steering wheel off. Not to mention, it makes it difficult to throttle and steer at the same time. I understand there needs to be some resistance to keep the motor where i want it at all times. How do i go about making an adjustment to loosen the steering?

Thanks

What type of steering system is it?

Check the tension bolt on the engine itself. The installer may have tightened it to keep the engine still while installing the steering and forgot to loosen it after they were done.

This could be dangerous so I wouldn't use the boat untill it's fixed correctly, if something goes wrong with the steering it goes way bad fast.

Take the 9'16 headed nut off the bottom of the steering arm this will seperate the helm and cable from the motor. Then you can turn the motor and steering wheel and find out where it's binding.

The bolt that attatches the steering arm to the motor should be a shoulder bolt or the arm needs a spacer of sorts so the bolt can be tightened and a nut installed.

Good luck and sak anymore questions you come across.

With the connecting arm disconnected the steering is the same as with it connected. So then its something in from the cable back to the steering wheel. I should also mention the boat had a dual steering system on it before, which i had removed when the guys put the motor on.

Check for kinks or hard bends in the cable. Those bends should be very gradual, with a bend radius at least ten times the diameter of the thickness of the cable. If you've recently replaced the commonly-used tie wraps to hold the cables up inside the gunwale, cut them loose.

There is also usually a lube fitting on the transom side. Did you lube it? Did you oil the exposed arm when it was fully extended?

i'll look for a lube fitting, the guys did grease the exposed arm. They did do a lot of zip tieing and maybe the got something kinked. I'll check that out tomorrow morning too.

If you don't find a lube fitting and if there are no kinks in the system I would replace the cable, you should be able to find a complete system with a new helm for about $150. The only problem is on some boats you have to remove the engine to get the cable out and back in, it depends on the angle as it comes out of the boat. Other than that it's not that bad of a job, a good afternoon. As rick stated watch how sharp the cable is bent once a cable is Kinked it is usually shot.

well, i've checked it all over, can't find any even small kinks in the cable, and the bends are very wide sweeping.

Before i go about trying to explain to the wife why i need to sink more money into my boat and just so i'm clear, there is no way to simply make any "adjustments"?

If there is a white plastic tube with a pinched end coming off the side of the steering box at the helm, make sure it is straight. The tube holds and protects the extra length of cable as it comes out of the hub, usually when the wheel is turned to starboard.

You can also try pulling and lubing the wheel shaft by popping out the pin and locking washer that holds it in place from the back, although it's rare that the shaft will freeze up.

Short of that, there isn't much you can do. Because the boat hasn't been used for so long the cables could be rusted inside the helm. Replacement is the only option.

Just hit a flower shop on your way home from the boat dealer and all will be good...as a single guy I can only hope that works.

well first there was the $2400 for the boat, then $1400 for the outboard, then $250 trolling motor, then almost $200 in batteries, then life jackets, fire extinguisher, new winch, decals, and i haven't even bought a depth finder yet. The only thing i didn't have to replace were the brand new trailer tires. So no, flowers won't help but nice idea :).

I did talk to the guys that installed the motor today and asked them for the other cable back but they said that one didn't move at all compared to the one they left on. So apparently they knew about the problem, sure was nice of them to let me know about it after i took the boat out and called them about it.

Ok I have a idea that might help but no promises. If you look under the dash on the back side of the steering wheel is it round with a plastic tube like what Rick had mentioned. That is a rotory sytem. Take the clip holding the cable off the back as you turn the wheel the cable will back out. once it is out you might be able to wrap a piece of rubber arround it and make a funnel to put some penetrating lube in it if you can come up with something to put some air pressure to it untill clean fluid comes out the back it might buy you some time.

If the cable is a long rectangle it's considered a rack style and there is 4 1/4" bolts with nylock nuts holding it in place take it down and some will be bolted together so you can do the same thing with the lube.

You can try the same thing from the back but in most cases the motor will have to come off to get it out of the tilt tube.

its the rack and pinion style, i had it all off last night tinkering with it. Just sitting in my garage it doesn't seem to steer all that bad. Its got fluid motion, actually I'm wondering if i should clean the all the grease off and start new. You know how grease gets real thick and stiff when its old, maybe it would help to get all that old crud off.