Stiff Steering on old Pontoon - steering cable or outboard itself?

[Pontoon_Hokie]

I have an '89 Lowe 18' pontoon I have been re-working, I rebuilt the helm and used the existing dash/top and steering mechanism and cables to the outboard. The outboard is a 1987 Evinrude 30HP. I have read that if the cable if original or just old I could replace it and may solve the problem. My real question is what is the best way to determine if the cable is the issue or the outboard is just hard to turn and I need to look at the outboard rotation/turning as the problem rather than the steering cable, short of buying a new cable and finding out.

 

[Silver Eagle]

Re: Stiff Steering on old Pontoon - steering cable or outboard itself?

I don't really know if my steering is normal or not. When I turn the wheel out of the water it's fine. It's hard when in the water. I don't have power steering so I really do know ,Maybe it's supposed to be this way. My boat is 24 ft long so how easy should it be.?

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: Stiff Steering on old Pontoon - steering cable or outboard itself?

I don't really know if my steering is normal or not. When I turn the wheel out of the water it's fine. It's hard when in the water. I don't have power steering so I really do know ,Maybe it's supposed to be this way. My boat is 24 ft long so how easy should it be.?

Nature of the beast. If it turns well when stopped, it's not the cable or the motor. My boat is only two years old and is the same. There are more expensive systems available that alleviate the problem if it too much to deal with.

 

[Pontoon_Hokie]

Re: Stiff Steering on old Pontoon - steering cable or outboard itself?

Thanks for the comments. Mine steers stiff in or out of the water, and basically takes two hands to turn to do anything in regard to moving the direction of the boat that is significant or noticeable. Reminds me of an old pickup with no power steering.

The cable attaches to the outboard with a nut/bolt through an open eyelet type end on the motor end of the cable, and the steering wheel mechanism end is like a heavy cable with a widely spaced winding of a cable around it that feeds through the back side of the steering wheel mechanism under the dashboard.

 

[MXHalofan]

Re: Stiff Steering on old Pontoon - steering cable or outboard itself?

The steering linkage on my 35 Evinrude has grease zerks. Mine were dry as a bone and needed greased when I bought the boat.

 

[Pontoon_Hokie]

Re: Stiff Steering on old Pontoon - steering cable or outboard itself?

Where are the zerks exaclty? on the ends of the cable, or in the steering wheel mechanism, or on the outboard

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: Stiff Steering on old Pontoon - steering cable or outboard itself?

Disconnect the cable from the motor. You may have to relocate the motor to the side a bit but not hard considering the size. With the cable disconnected, you can easily determine which is the problem.

 

[MXHalofan]

Re: Stiff Steering on old Pontoon - steering cable or outboard itself?

Zerks are on the outboard, right on the steering linkage where the cable atatches. Should be easily seen.

 

[Pontoon_Hokie]

Re: Stiff Steering on old Pontoon - steering cable or outboard itself?

Thanks for all the advice, I will take a look at the zerks, I added grease to some on the motor, but may have missed some. I will also disconnect the cable from the motor and see how the steering is then, and see how the motor moves with the tiller handle.

Thanks again. Still learning all this good stuff.