Frozen Steering arm in tilt tube

[Mindi]

Have searched the forum and it all looks bad. Several questions I need help with on 70HP Yammy 2 stroke stuck hard after 6 months idle on a 5.0M plate CC..

1. Is there any way of saving it other than persistence, penetrene and stilson wrench..?

2. When (if) the steering tube does come out.... do I have to support the motor or will it literally fall off the transom..?

3. If I bugger it totally getting it out do I get a complete new steering cable and bar in one piece..?...or just get a Hydrive basic kit.

Thanks for any advice available.

[oldboot]

the steering rod asembly should come out of the tilt tube.....if you are lucky.

then you can proceed to free up the steering mech.......if the steering rod is stuck in the tilt tube that is another story all together

have you thaught about spraying it with WD/lanox/whatever...every hour on the hour and jiggling a lot?

if the steering mech is too far gone....you buy a cable with steering rod attached.......OR...hydrive:D:D.

remember you need more room for the hydrive yoke.....if things are tight

cheers

[ozscott]

The actual steering rod is in the tube, so if you get the rod out the motor is still on the transom with the rod out...ie the motor shouldnt be going anywhere.

Cheers

[Jarrah Jack]

I've freed up a few difficult ones lately although I'm not a mechanic I just own a few motors.
Has the wrong grease been used and its gone hard as or is the rod bent. I just start hitting with a big hammer and a block of wood on the end of the steering rod. Once it disappears I start using different lengths of dowel, short to long as the rod get further up the tube. Always have heaps of dowel if a few get smashed. Apply lots of WD type spray and leave it overnight if you have to.

Once I get the thing out I use a long bit of dowel wrapped with sandpaper in a drill to clean the tube out.

[dreemon]

If you can get the rod out you'll save yourself some time and money, at the same time if it is well and truly stuck you;ll save by removing the tilt tube, and if you have to remove the tube you will need to support the motor, PM me if you have to go this far for tips, but it wasnt really that hard, you probly saw my thread in search, "removing frozen rod from tilt tube 90 yam" ?

I did start with hardwood but it shattered quick, if your able to get it to move and find the rod is mashing, just cut off the knobly bit before driving it through the tube, I never got that far with mine.
I hope you have better luck than I did :) cheers,

[maru222]

i got mine out after "4 years "of the motor not being used
soaked in diesel via the soft drink bottle on the end of the steering tube and hit with hammer every day (20 days) x 20 mins also heat the tilt tube with small blow torch from bunnings helped melt hard grease

i am sure you will get it eventually

good luck

[ShaneC]

As the others have said, I hope you can move yours and it wasnt as bad as mine. I tried everything to move mine, took it to a mate who is a mech that said he hadnt seen one this bad (so there is hope for you), and ended up having to use an oxy. Got a new cable, tilt tube and bushes (they dont like heat!) and mate made up a couple of mods to seal everything up a bit better, so far so good.

Once you have it freed up, a liberal coating of two stroke oil (not grease) on everything and turning the wheel once a fortnight a couple of times should stop it reoccuring. Works for me anyway.

Shane

[ozscott]

I use auto trans fluid. I put it in without any grease at all....but bear in mind that even with no grease they still get stiff and by far the best way to stop any problems with mech steering is to run it lock to lock 3-4 times every couple of weeks.

Cheers

[Mindi]

Thanks everyone...this sort of help is this forum at its best. It is actually a friend who has the problem and I have passed on all the posts and advised him to join the forum. I will put up the outcome... for myself, I keep mine free with oil and regular turning...but for $690 I am really more tempted than ever to get a Hydrive Sportkit 1.... way to go fo a podded CC I reckon. This steering technology looks the same as my first Swiftcraft back in 1972..?

[ozscott]

Mindi - the 212 T sport jobbie still uses a steering rod into the tilt tibe - ie its the same in the tilt tube as mechanical steering but actuated hydraulically (unlike the upper end expensive models that use their own tube for the steering ram) so you will still need to do the same preventative maintenance for that one as with mech.

Cheers


PS - dont know why this text is bold....weird.

[TheRealAndy]

AS ozscott says. use auto trans fluid. That is what I use in mine. Every so often I undo the nut where the cable goes and squirt in a bit more fluid. Eventually the fluid will also wash out all the clays from the dried up grease and you will never have a problem again.

[ozscott]

When I fitted the new helm and steering rod and cable I cleaned out the tilt tube with rags and petrol and then I used sand paper on long steel rod to clean it all up and assembled the new one in there with just auto trans (and the manufacturer now says just auto trans, so ignore the grease nipples or just unscrew them at times and dribble auto trans in or undo the screw at the end like RealAndy says.

Cheers

[Noelm]

Have searched the forum and it all looks bad. Several questions I need help with on 70HP Yammy 2 stroke stuck hard after 6 months idle on a 5.0M plate CC..

1. Is there any way of saving it other than persistence, penetrene and stilson wrench..?

2. When (if) the steering tube does come out.... do I have to support the motor or will it literally fall off the transom..?

3. If I bugger it totally getting it out do I get a complete new steering cable and bar in one piece..?...or just get a Hydrive basic kit.

Thanks for any advice available.
The actual steel tube that is retained by the big nut either side does not need to be removed, you need to muck about with the stainless shaft that goes through it, any sort of penetrating oil, heat and brute force may get it moving, as far as grease goes, proper marine grease, not water proof or anything else will be OK on the steering, standard grease will go hard and seize up after a while, auto trans fluid is OK, but you need to keep at it, good luck and let us know if you need a bit more info.

[Mindi]

All fixed...penetrene and stilson eventually got it moving. Thanks for all the help.

[Noelm]

OK, now that it is out, thoroughly clean the inside of the tube and the shaft as well, don't just leave it or it will just seize up again.

[Moffy]

sounds like a simple issue from using grease that "sets" - simple fix is a sharp tap on the end of the steering rod with a lump of wood - don't hit it hard enough to bend anything - just have to break the "set" grease and it should be free as a bird after a few cycles back and forth from lock to lock.,

bought a boat a few years back that had this issue and knocked the price way down cause of the stuck steering - was pretty confident looking at the motor (no obvious bend) and given the owners story - haven't used it in 9 months - can't see why it would be like that (and using a bit of judgement as to the bloke's character) - 1 softish hit with a bit of wood once had the boat home and steering was all good - for a few years till we sold it to upgrade.

[Marlin_Mike]

i cleaned mine out recently with eindex and a piece of towel on a stick shoved through and pulled through several times to clean it.

I use the blue castrol marine grease, if you turn the wheel a few times eahc week seems to keep it going.

Mike

[Moonlighter]

Hi Mindi

I reckon your friend should go to the Hydrive 212.

I replaced my old cable steering with that model a few years ago now, and it's definitely well worth while. Works reliably and not very hard to install. And Aussie made!

As was pointed out, that model Hydrive does attach to the end of the tilt tube and the steering shaft runs thru the tube the same as cable steering does.

The key to keeping things working well re the tilt tube is the seal on the end of the steering rod where it comes out of the tilt tube.

There is a nut on the port side of the TT where the rod moves in and out, and inside it is usually an "o" ring that seals the steering rod as it moves in and out. You need to check the o ring regularly because if it gets damaged or degrades and starts to let the salt water into the tilt tube, that's when the problems start.

I usually take the nut off every 6 months, wind the steering all the way out so the max amt of steering rod is exposed, wipe it clean, repeat a few times and then re-oil the rod with Inox, then replace the o ring with a new one just to be sure.

Re the grease nipples on the front of the tilt tube, someone correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure that they don't actually lubricate the steering cable at all - I think they just lubricate the pivot points that allow the motor to tilt up and down. None of that grease actually gets into onto the steering cable at all.

So that's why the steering rod should be cleaned and re-oiled with something light oil like Inox or auto trans fluid (I used to use that on my old cable steering), but never use grease because as others have said, it eventually dries out and causes grief.

Cheers

ML

[Mindi]

Hi Mindi

I reckon your friend should go to the Hydrive 212.

I replaced my old cable steering with that model a few years ago now, and it's definitely well worth while. Works reliably and not very hard to install. And Aussie made!

As was pointed out, that model Hydrive does attach to the end of the tilt tube and the steering shaft runs thru the tube the same as cable steering does.

The key to keeping things working well re the tilt tube is the seal on the end of the steering rod where it comes out of the tilt tube.

There is a nut on the port side of the TT where the rod moves in and out, and inside it is usually an "o" ring that seals the steering rod as it moves in and out. You need to check the o ring regularly because if it gets damaged or degrades and starts to let the salt water into the tilt tube, that's when the problems start.

I usually take the nut off every 6 months, wind the steering all the way out so the max amt of steering rod is exposed, wipe it clean, repeat a few times and then re-oil the rod with Inox, then replace the o ring with a new one just to be sure.

Re the grease nipples on the front of the tilt tube, someone correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure that they don't actually lubricate the steering cable at all - I think they just lubricate the pivot points that allow the motor to tilt up and down. None of that grease actually gets into onto the steering cable at all.

So that's why the steering rod should be cleaned and re-oiled with something light oil like Inox or auto trans fluid (I used to use that on my old cable steering), but never use grease because as others have said, it eventually dries out and causes grief.

Cheers

ML

Absolutely right...I used to think those nipples greased the steering rod but they do not..they only grease the tilt tube for tilting.

[ozscott]

I think my old steering cable must have been inserted with grease cause it had hard grease in the tune...good to know about the nipples not accessing the rod.

Cheers