Steering lever crumbles in my hand....Freshwater boat...really??

[Dale123]

Hey guys, New one here...awesome forum....I’m old school diesel with a newly acquired boat w Mercruiser and Bravo lll...it was supposed to be a garage kept, fresh water boat, inspected everything except crawling to the rear of the engine compartment which I just did while replacing blower vent hoses which brings me to my problem...I was blown away when I saw the steering lever, so rusted that I could see the pin through the side, crumbled in my hand...can’t figure out why this is the only visible part that’s rusted so badly...has anyone tried replacing the lever by cutting thru the cover plate with a gimbal kit from JRmarine?
I really can’t afford a engine and or outdrive pull...any advice would be greatly appreciated...freshwater really??
thank you!

 

[Scott Danforth]

takes 45 minutes to pull the motor. that is what I would do

 

[dingbat]

Salt water would have attack everything in the engine compartment..... By the looks of the grounding wire, you have an electrical issue

 

[Bt Doctur]

Drive comes off and the gimbal housing is removed.

 

[scoflaw]

Yes, the JR repair will work for you. Give the swivel pin and seal a good look while your there.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,..... Welcome Aboard,....... WoW,..... Never seen a tiller arm so rusted,......

I'd go pull the motor route too, just to be absolutely Sure there's no more surprises hidden down back there,.....

 

[alldodge]

I think there is more issues then the steering arm by looking at the other issues of corrosion. I would pull the motor, and be looking for another transom assembly just in case

Also don't think this is a fresh water boat

 

[dingbat]

Also don't think this is a fresh water boat

As a SW boater, I dealt with SW corrosion issues forever.

I don't see anything to lead me to believe this boat has been exposed to SW for any length of time, if ever. If it had been exposed to saltwater any length of time, the cast aluminum control arm would be covered with aluminum oxide deposits.

What I do see is a grounding problem.....
Look at the end of the ground strap. No corrosion on the out drive side (good connection). Almost rusted away on the motor side (bad or not connection). That tells me that the ground strap has been compromised and the (very poor) ground path is acting thru the iron steering arm thus the "strip scaling" of the (cast) iron material in the steering arm.

 

[muc]

salt water would have attack everything in the engine compartment..... By the looks of the grounding wire, you have an electrical issue

x 2

 

[Dale123]

Awesome advice and information, thank you guys for the help!
Wanted to update my investigation into the true history of my boat....The ad that the dealer who reeled me in for the sale stated and I quote “This boat has been used exclusively in fresh water, is all original and has been garage kept... So I used google earth to locate the previous owners house on the title, to see if he had a extra tall garage because it won’t fit in anything less than 8’7” and Nope won’t fit in that garage, then I zoomed in at an angle for the back of the house and found where this boat has spent its life...on a lift, cause he didn’t have a trailer and in brackish water...
So Now I’m trying to figure out if I can take him to small claims court for false advertisement or something for the amount of the first estimate of $5K for a new transom to be installed...I will update till it’s repaired in case someone else runs into this...awesome forum, thank you

 

[scoflaw]

Your law suit probably wont get far, he could say the boat was just recently moved to the location in your pic. 5K for a new transom ? What exactly do you need replaced, thought you were talking tiller arm ? Certainly wouldn't hurt to confront him with this issue, maybe he'll throw you a bone. Having a boat in salt water isn't a death sentence, stay on top of the maintanance it will be fine

 

[Dale123]

The service department asked me to send them pictures since my boat is on a rack 10 miles away. They called me back and said I needed a new transom $5K installed or $4200 used...I can’t go that route so I’m stepping up to the DIY plate and going with the JR Marine kit, SS swivel shaft, SS lever, seals, etc...$6-800 in parts and a outdrive jack sounds much better. Thanks for chiming in! This forum is awesome!!

 

[andrewterri]

If you go the DIY route all the help you need will be here and at least you know it will be done right.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... What drive is this,..??

A used freshwater Alpha transom can be found for $250.or slightly more,....
I recently bought a late model nearly new Bravo transom for $1500.....

 

[alldodge]

The service department asked me to send them pictures since my boat is on a rack 10 miles away. They called me back and said I needed a new transom $5K installed or $4200 used...I can’t go that route so I’m stepping up to the DIY plate and going with the JR Marine kit, SS swivel shaft, SS lever, seals, etc...$6-800 in parts and a outdrive jack sounds much better. Thanks for chiming in! This forum is awesome!!

With what you have showing, and the unknown of what you cannot see, I would not go this route. As Bondo mentioned you can get a used transom assembly for much less. You can even buy a band new from Merc for under $2700

The B3 drive is heavy (150 without props) but I wouldn't by a jack to do this one time, get someone to give you a hand.

 

[scoflaw]

Why would he need a new transom assembly ? 1st post, he said this is the only part that has corrosion.. Does the transom leak or does the engine overheat ?

 

[Bondo]

1st post, he said this is the only part that has corrosion.

Ayuh,.... That can be Seen,.....

I'd pull the motor, before I ordered any parts,....
There may be, or may be not more problems,....