25XD pulls to one side

[mapss]

I have a 1985 25XD long tail that as the speed increases the pull to one side becomes extreme.<br /> When I got it the prop was bent a little and the zinc trim tab was broke, both have been replaced and the tab adjusted. The boat, motor alignment, cavitation plate and tail look to be flat and square and no signs of housing damage. <br />Also would you know of a publisher for service manuals other than SELOC? Their lack of information is almost as much as their repetition and stories.

 

[heybaylor]

Re: 25XD pulls to one side

Have you tried re-adjusting the tab?<br />if it pull's right(boat) move tab to the right(rear) pulls left , move tab to left.<br /><br />also you say you have a 25 inch shaft ..<br />does your boat have a 20 inch transom ?<br />too low a engine height will cause drag to pull tiller..<br />if it is a 16 inch transom raise your motor. <br />hope this helps

 

[mapss]

Re: 25XD pulls to one side

I have tried the tab from centered, full right to full left without a noticeable difference.<br /> Even though the setup was a Sea Nymph Dealer package in 1985 I was curious about the cavitation plate being level with the very bottom of the boat (shallow V). If the lower rubber housing mount gives enough to tilt, the other side could drag. The original owner said he was not sure because he had not used the boat in 10+ years but he thought it always pulled to 1 side but not this bad. What some people will put up with! <br />It will be a couple of days before I can put it back in the water but I will block it up a little and if this helps I will replace the mount.<br />Thanks; I think you hit the nail on the head with the original problem, which has just cascaded to the present condition.

 

[heybaylor]

Re: 25XD pulls to one side

let us all know what you find

 

[clove]

Re: 25XD pulls to one side

Not sure if this is a viable thing to look at, but would this problem occur if the motor were mounted off center on the transom?

 

[heybaylor]

Re: 25XD pulls to one side

yes it would , if very far off

 

[mapss]

Re: 25XD pulls to one side

Problem found!<br />The lower mount has 3 rubber pads 2 on the sides 1 in front and any slack in side ones will allow the motor to tilt(only a few degrees)but will cause excessive pull to 1 side.<br />My quick fix.<br />The side of the mounts have a waffle pattern and the motor is flat. The pads showed no signs of deteration but had the waffle imprinted on them so I just flipped them over. The motor can now be held with 1 finger.<br />Additional note.<br />Blocking the motor up 1 3/4" (2x2) did help performance but a periment safe block would be a major job because of the design of the transom (20").<br />Thanks for the help.

 

[ntoracn@yahoo.com]

Re: 25XD pulls to one side

I also have a 1985 Merc 20 hp that pulls very hard to one side. I read your post and am trying to figure out how you fixxed yours. Can you send pictures of what you did, before my arm falls off trying to hold onto the tiller handle, hehehe.<br /><br />I was finding it hard to belive that anyone would put up with this pulling problem. My Johnson 9.9 never did this.<br /><br />Please PM me at ntoracn@yahoo.com<br /><br />Thank you VERY much in advance.<br /><br />Randy

 

[heybaylor]

Re: 25XD pulls to one side

aint it great when it all comes together..<br />I would 'waterproof' that 2x2 , and leave it there<br />one finger ..be careful

 

[mapss]

Re: 25XD pulls to one side

Randy<br />Hopefully the email got to you and helped. I do not have a web page set up any more to post the drawing on.<br />Mark

 

[ntoracn@yahoo.com]

Re: 25XD pulls to one side

Thanks Mark, I will check my email.

 

[fishndvm]

Re: 25XD pulls to one side

Hey Fellas,<br /> I just acquired a 25XD, 1986, a few days ago. When I unloaded it from my buddy's car to mine, I promptly broke the zinc "trim tab". I gather now that this is an integral part of this engine, and needs to be replaced as is. Is this so? If so, how do you then adjust it? The other thing is that I've read with interest the blurb about the boat pulling to one side. What does this mean exactly...what's pulling? Is it the bow or the stern. I'm new at this, so please bear with me. And lastly, I'm all for private e-mail correspondence, but posting the cures on the board for the rest of us would also be appreciated. After all, it's why most of us are here in the first place.<br /> Thanks

 

[mapss]

Re: 25XD pulls to one side

The zinc trim tab serves two purposes.<br />1. The zinc reduces the corrosion on the lower part of the motor (mainly noticeable in salt water).<br />2. It is minor adjustment to compensate for the torque (rotation) of the motor.<br />Adjustment on the 1986 25XD:<br />There is a ½” (13mm) bolt in the center coming from above thru the cavitation plate. Removing it will allow the trim tab to be removed. It only goes in 1 way tab behind the prop with about 1” of side-to-side slop. This slop is your adjustment. This motor in good shape will pull a little to the left (port, red light side) so turning it to the right (starboard, green light side) will do minor compensation.<br /><br />Major pull meaning, you have to work hard at holding the motor from turning to the left at higher speeds. Caused by the compression of the side 2 rubber pads over the years in the lower motor mount allowing the motor to tilt slightly under pressure. <br />My quick fix was to remove the mount (3-1/2” bolts with ½” nuts and washers) and switch the 2 side pads to the opposite side the same way they came out of the other side. These pads are flat on both sides when new. When you take them out of the motor mount you will notice 1 side is flat and the other has a waffle (tic-tac-toe) pattern on it. So switch it to the other side so the waffle pattern is towards the motor, which is flat, and reassemble. This will make it almost as tight as new and put the more compressed one on the side with the least pressure.<br />Note:<br />There are three pads in the mount the one towards boat is a different size than the side 2.<br />My pads were in otherwise good shape no weather checks or breaks.<br />The email was to send a hand drawn picture because if it is possible I do not know to post it on the forum.<br />(Bow, fore = front), (Stern, aft = back), transom is what the motor is mounted on.<br />Hope this helps.

 

[Motor Boater Bill]

Re: 25XD pulls to one side

My 1976 20 HP was pulling hard to one side until I realized I had the tilt pin set all the way in (toward the transom). I moved it out two holes and that fixed it. It also reduced the water coming over the transom at WOT. May not help with your problem but easy enough to try!

 

[fishndvm]

Re: 25XD pulls to one side

Mapss...thanks very much for your thorough reply. It is most appreciated, and helpful besides!

 

[ntoracn@yahoo.com]

Re: 25XD pulls to one side

Hey Mapps,<br /><br />I did the lower mount pad reversal proceedure, Thanks You for the drawing, it helped a lot.<br /><br />My pads were in great shape, save the left hand pad looked like it was slightly deformed from engine torque. So I did what you did and swapped them from side to side and turned them around. I will see in 2 weeks on our next week long fishing trip if my motor still has the torque steer issue.

 

[zdmaster2k]

Re: 25XD pulls to one side

Sorry to ask a silly question. When you say lower mount do you mean the actual engine mount meaning the ones you have to take the powerhead off to get to? (I have 0 experience on mariner/merc motors, sorry) I have a similar problem to mapss'...attempting to turn the boat = arm workout.

 

[Skinin'Bones]

Re: 25XD pulls to one side

Bumping this back up to see if anyone has had this problem recently and had this work out for them or if you figured out another possible cause for the motor pulling to one side.
Thanks!

Matt

 

[j1smith2]

Having this same problem (motor pulling hard). I'm probably being dense, but after dropping the lower unit, I can find no evidence of any rubbers pads.

Anyone care to take another shot at describing where they would be? Or point to a part number on a part diagram drawing?

 

[GA_Boater]

Having this same problem (motor pulling hard). I'm probably being dense, but after dropping the lower unit, I can find no evidence of any rubbers pads.

Anyone care to take another shot at describing where they would be? Or point to a part number on a part diagram drawing?

Start a new thread and explain what your problem is. This thread was move to a new topic of what was originally a hijack of an old thread, is incomplete and is 6 years old.