Stiff Steering. Is this advisable?

[cpbrocke]

1987 Force 50 HP.

The steering on the engine is stiff. I know it is the engine (kingpin) and not the cables because I had to take it off to replace the transom that rotted out.
What I wanted to do was take a heat gun and heat it up, as I learned from other threads, and then take some compressed air and shoot it in the grease fitting to force all the old nasty stuff out. Then mix some PB to a grease tube and put in some new stuff. Is this something that could work without damaging?

I need to get it loosed up because when we pulled the engine off the back, the steering arm actually snapped off right in front of where the cover sits. Which, by the way, does anybody know what kind of metal this is because it needs to be welded back together? Fridge magnet didn't stick to it, but those magnets aren't very strong in the first place.

Thanks.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Stiff Steering. Is this advisable?

You can heat it and squirt in all the stuff you want--It 'aint going to do diddly-squat.

The problem is not old hard grease: it is corrosion inside the yoke that holds the kingpin.

Trouble is aluminum corrosion is about ten times the volume of mass metal aluminum. This corrosion squeezes the plastic bushings the kingpin rides in and the kingpin can not turn inside them.

You must remove the kingpin, clean the corrosion out of the yoke and even possibly ream the plastic bushings back to proper size.--Not an easy job but do-able.

The steering arm is aluminum -- most likely forged. You had to be really tight to snap that. You need an expert welder to properly weld it for best strength. It will cost you a bit but it will probably still be cheaper than buying a new one. My first choice would be to get a used one off a junker.