Tiller arm rubbing on transom mount- 1980-81 Merc 20hp

[joblo33]

The tiller arm rubs on the top of the transom mount on the 20hp I'm putting together for a friend and it makes steering a pain. I'm making two of these outboards into one good one and both were rubbing in the same spot when I got them. Do you think it would work to put a little aluminum shim under the base of the arm and replace the bolts holding it down with longer ones? I have the powerhead off right now so it's very easily accessible. This seems to be a common problem on these motors, so is there another common fix I don't know about?<br />Thanks,<br />Eric

 

[inlineal]

Re: Tiller arm rubbing on transom mount- 1980-81 Merc 20hp

Eric....I have run into this problem on a couple of older 9.8s..I think the steering tube was not shimmed right from the get go..Not enough shims on the top...New chassis mounts helped one if I remember right....Al.

 

[Motor Boater Bill]

Re: Tiller arm rubbing on transom mount- 1980-81 Merc 20hp

I have this problem with mine if the tilt pin is not installed, but no problem when the tilt pin is in. Is your pin in or out?

 

[joblo33]

Re: Tiller arm rubbing on transom mount- 1980-81 Merc 20hp

The pin is in. I solved the problem by adding a piece of 1/8" aluminum under the base of the arm. Moving the pin up one position fixes it too but the boat this motor's going on will need it all the way down.<br />Eric

 

[Motor Boater Bill]

Re: Tiller arm rubbing on transom mount- 1980-81 Merc 20hp

Glad to know you found a fix on this. Mine needs to be out a couple holes or it throws too much water in the boat. I may eventually need to fabricate a catch pan for this--maybe I'll get really slick and see if I can also work out a way to put in a tube that will suck the water out while I'm running.