1967 Evinrude Fisherman steering stuck, help.

[Danielcan]

I recently picked up an old 6hp Evinrude. I've had it in the shop, it runs fine. The trouble is the steering swivel doesn't swivel.

I've tried to get it apart but ran into a snag. I got the mounting bracket off and the lower swivel point apart but there is one rubber mount bolt near the upper point I can't get at with the lower cowling in place.

Do I have to remove the engine and the lower cowling, or is there another way? Also are there any parts I'll need?

Also, I'm not the type to fiddle with a torch and grease gun. I want to do it right.

Any in site on the subject is appreciated, thanks guys.

 

[175se]

could there be a tensionhg screw that has been tightened to tight,in front under bracket.

 

[boobie]

Go to shop.evinrude.com, look up your motor for a good parts break down. You'll have to use the 1968 break down. Same thing as yours.

 

[Danielcan]

I have removed the tension screw, good call though.

Thanks for the parts site, far more available parts than marine.

It's the rubber mount, part #6 that's holding things up. If I were to cut a little access hole in part #67 I might be able to get the steering components separated from the engine. Not sure though?

Since I have the lower end of the swivel shaft exposed should it gust slide out or is there a fastener at the top i need to get at?

 

[F_R]

Will it swivel at all, even with brute force? If it will, you don't have to remove that mount that is troubling you. Clamp the motor to something heavy, like a boat. have the lower mounts removed. Get some nylon slings under the rear of the cowl and under the front steering bracket. Use a hoist with the slings and lift while steering it back and forth. The whole thing should lift out of the swivel bracket. Then you can remove the swivel liners and clean the crud out and put it back together nicely greased up.

No hoist? OK, a couple of guys built like the Impossible Green Hulk will substitute.

EDIT: Leave the nuts on the upper mounts, and try to get that rear sling under the rear of the exhaust housing so all the lift isn't on the cowl.

 

[Danielcan]

Update. Last night I was cleaning with WD-40 when it occurred to me that maby there was some sort of lock engaged that was keeping the engine square to the mount bracket. To find out i put it all back together and fit a 2x4 in the bracket and reafed on it, it moved a little bit. I worked it back and forth then tryed to pump in some grease through the zerk.

The grease pushed out through a crack in the swivel tube. It looks like there was some water in there that froze, expanded and cracked my part. The crack is about two inches above the zerk wich is about two inches from the bottom of the tube.

Today I bought some J-B weld marine putty. I scraped around the crack with the tip of my file, then cleaned the area with some household cleaner. Hopefully this will hold enough Presure to allow me to force new grease all the way up the tube. The putty is rated to 900 psi.

 

[Bosunsmate]

That puttys good, but what ive found with it is that it needs to be of minimum size, ie putting it into a sliver crack doesnt hold but if its put in a little slit a couple of mm thick it does hold. Also keying the surrounding edges is a big help for it to hold too

 

[F_R]

Good luck with your plan. But let me tell you some facts. My experience is 99% with salt water motors, so I've seen lots and lots of motors with tight steering. They do it in fresh water too, just takes longer. 1967 should be long enough......Now for what the problem probably is. In the top end of the swivel bracket is a liner, looks like it is made of wood, but isn't. That is where the zerk grease is supposed to lubricate. Water, fresh or salt gets around the outside of the liner, between the liner and the aluminum bracket, and causes the aluminum to corrode. That corrosion squeezes the liner against the pivot shaft, making it hard to turn. The zerk lubricates the inside of the liner, but NOT the outside. And when the liner is that tight on the pivot, it is nearly impossible to pump any grease in there, and even if you do, it is still tight.

The grease does not, nor is it intended to lubricate the rubber liner at the bottom end of the swivel. Disclaimer: that was changed in later years when it was redesigned to lube from the bottom, grease flowing upward.

Bottom line to all this is, if it is corroded around the outside of the upper liner, it has to come apart, remove the liner, and scrape the corrosion out. Anything else is hopeful thinking.

EDIT: I just checked and 1967 is the newer design with the zerk at the bottom. But I'm not starting over and re-typing all this. You can read it as a history lesson, and the problem probably still is corrosion around the liner at the top. You will know when you get it apart.

 

[Danielcan]

This morning i pumped in some grease. It went in smooth as silk, I thought I had it beat. Not the case. After three or four pumps the putty burst. Two cracks above the first crack. I now had a V shaped crack in the putty. I went to work.

After work I pulled the bottom swivel apart again and bailing wired a bar to the carry handle and stuck a 2x4 back in the mounting bracket. Sitting on the propeller pushing on the engine base with my feet while worrying and pulling the 2x4 and had my assistant pulled on the bar. It came off. I cleaned it all up good.

I took the cracked swivel tube to the local machine shop. They wanted to drill stop the crack so it wouldn't run when they welded, also clean it overnight in some fancy machine. Quoted me an hour shop rate, $80.oo, then warned me the crack might run regardless. Since I can't replace the part I'll try the putty once again.

Good call on the piece of wood thing at the top of the tube. It is still super tight after I've cleaned every thing. The trouble is that it's fixed in there by what looks like a Presure fit stud of some sort. I'm not sure how to remove it. Maby I could drill it out then replace it with a bolt of just the right length?

 

[Danielcan]

Update

The other day I got that pin out. I just tapped it with the tip of a screwdriver and it came right out. I was able to worry out the wood piece with a long flat screwdriver. It was extremely built up with grease hardened corrosion, the grease trough too. I picked it off with a poker tool.

Also re-puttied the crack. All I need to do now is put it all back together. I'd like to get some marine grease if there is such a thing.

 

[F_R]

All the major outboard mfr's have their own brand of waterproof grease, all good stuff. So, a local dealer is a good place to start. No local dealer? Don't forget iboats.