NEED HELP removing steering wheel

[Coontakinta]

HELP! PLEASE!

OK need some help from you boat guru's in removing the steering wheel from my boat.

Its plastic & flimsy :( all over except where the hub is. Its stuck good n proper and giving me all sorts of grief to remove so that I can access the connections in order to remove the steering box behind it.

I've covered the spline in inox to try n loosen / free the steering from the grasp of the spline, but alas all to no avail as yet.

I'm reluctant to add heat at this point for fear of damaging the wheel.

Any of the boating techs on here have any ideas?

Should point out that the reason its being removed is so I can access the box for removal. Something inside has given way giving me steering in one direction but not the other. That is the wheel turns each way, the spiral rod inside the box is moving, & I can move the motor easily by hand in each direction. Make sense?;D

PLEASE HELP!

[foggy]

The first thing that comes to mind is a gear puller. You can buy inexpensive ones from supercheap.

Mine was fairly stuck as well when I replaced it and i used a hammer and the aid of another person. Get someone to pull back on the wheel with as much force as you think it can take and belt the centrebolt a few times. Make sure the nut is on the nearly all the way to protect the thread. You shoule be hitting the nut, not the centre bolt.


Hope that helps.

Foggy

[thylacene]

The boss on the steering wheel should have two or three bolt holes in it. These are for mounting a puller (effectively a flat plate with a nut welded into the centre and holes/slots to bolt to the boss). Don't try to use these wihtout the puller, as the idea is to spread the load and use the shaft to apply pressure with the centre bolt. Lubricate the thread on the puller before you start to avoid stripping it out.

I would recommend using penetrene (available from most good industrial supplies shops) with applications over the course of several days to allow it to "get right in" this stuff has been around since Adam played full back for Jerusalem and work a treat on corroded surfaces.

If you must use a hammer, use a soft face metal hammer (brass/copper/alloy/nylon) to avoid damage.

The best way is to use a puller with plenty of penetrene, at leats this is non-destructive.

On reassembly, you can use anti-sieze compound to avoid the problem in the future.

[Roughasguts]

I think the gear puller from Kmart with the 3 prongs is the only way to go.


As there is only a tapered shaft a woodroofe key, and a nut, to hold the steering wheel on, there ain't any other holes for a gear puller, no room

Anyway You need to wrap the 3 prongs from the gear puller under the plastic between the helm and the steering wheel, I had to do this but had trouble keeping the prongs in place because they wanted to slide out! when you tightened the puller. But if you wrap a zip tie around all three prongs to squeeze them all together, then they won't pop out from under the steering wheel.

As said before you need some lube and maybe a couple of good taps with a hammer to help release the steering wheel!

Also keep an eye on where the 3 prongs go as you don't wan't to crush to much of the plastic under the steering wheel.

Be prepared for a big bang when the wheel releases it's grip, can frighten the s!t out of you!.

Cheers

[dreemon]

When he goes to fit it back on, what is the right type of lube so next time it wont be so stubborn to pull off, vasoline, grease, or?

[lethal098]

antiseize would be the way to go when reinstalling to stop this reoccuring, and definately a puller other wise you will have no chance, cheers Lee

[Noelm]

grease should NOT be used on any tapered fittings, to remove your wheel can be as simple as a puller, but it will ned a "tap" with a hammer on the puller centre bolt, or if you are careful, you can sometimes refit the nut on the shaft, but not tight, pull back on the wheel and tap the ut, making sure you hit it square, and the wheel will pop off, be careful though, the shaft is very soft crap metal and will bugger up easy.

[Coontakinta]

Thanks for the tips guys.

Got the three prong pullers onto it this morning and and zipity dooda! its off.

Should have read ya post earlier roughasguts as that would saved a couple of choice words! ha ha ha.

Ok so no wheel is off I cant see how to get the damn keyway off!

Yes......its true.......I'm technically/mechanically inept!

[Noelm]

the key can jam in the slot, just grip it with pliers or something and pull it out.

[Coontakinta]

Thanks Noelm, will go give that a crack

Thanks again Noelm. Got it off no worries and HOPEFULLY ?????? will be smooth sailing from here.

Cheers again

[Coontakinta]

:-[
More help required here Gents:-/

Steering wheel & box are now removed from the Razer, and the box taken apart, well the cover is off!

I can see the three gears around the steering spline and even have a better understanding of how the cable works, but I'm buggered if I can see why I had steering one way & not the other.

Now I dont even have that as I can turn the spline by hand and its not grabbing at all.

Any ideas? PLEASE!

Or is it a case of taking it all off and replacing with new. I'm not in a position to go with hydraulic as most would suggest and the reality is that it never needed it as the steering was light enough without it.

[dreemon]

I just replaced mine cause it was clicking due to the stress of the old outboard not wanting to pivot, couldn't pull any covers off to inspect on mine, had a look inside where the wire wrapped cable goes in and saw nothing worn when I would turn the shaft,

must be minimal tolarances in there or "maybe" something else, cost just under a hundred, how does your cable look? with my new box it works good now.

[Kleyny]

take a photo of the back of the box it come a little clearer then.

neil