steeering shaft froze or stuck help plz!

[Caroldiane]

Ok, we got the lower unit off and found dirt dobbers had sealled up the water pump, now we got one more problem. the steering shaft on the left side of the 1985 johnson outboard 60 hp is froze and will not move the cable is fine bot the shaft itself will not budge, we tryed tapping with a rubber mallet for quiet a while, to no avail.. any suggestions? thank you all!

 

[Caroldiane]

Re: steeering shaft froze or stuck help plz!

my spelling wasnt great in that post, please overlook it....

 

[Caroldiane]

Re: steeering shaft froze or stuck help plz!

help pretty please with cherries and whipped cream on top!

 

[TBarCYa]

Re: steeering shaft froze or stuck help plz!

If you're talking about the part that goes thru the tilt tube, I had the same problem with mine and I sprayed it with penetrating oil and beat it with a hammer (steel) until it moved. I had considered heating the tube, but didn't need to do that. Once you get it loose, make sure to clean the tilt tube very well. I don't know if you're supposed to, but I used marine grease on the shaft and it's been fine ever since.

 

[Caroldiane]

Re: steeering shaft froze or stuck help plz!

weve been beating all evening... agh somethins gotta give! lol! thank you

 

[raven564]

Re: steeering shaft froze or stuck help plz!

Been there... I had a 2 pound maul that I ended up using. Be careful not to deform the end of the rod too badly. <br /><br />I used a wire brush for a 12 gauge shotgun on the end of a drill with lots of penetrating oil and cleaned all the rust & gunk out of the tilt tube. I had to replace the cable and rod on mine, so when I did that I filled the tube with anti-seize from the hardware store. Never locked up again in heavy salt water use with months of sitting in between.

 

[Caroldiane]

Re: steeering shaft froze or stuck help plz!

thank you both, we ended up having to buy the whole cable and rod. <br />Carol