What's Your Thoughts On Steering tube maintenance.

[OBJ]

I'm still fairly new to the forum and I read the posts with great intrest always trying to learn something new. I think that if a mechanic can't keep his mind open to new ideas and ways of doing things he is seriously hurting his abilities as a mechanic. And the posts are many and diversified with so many great people adding their years of experience to the topic. But sometimes finding a particular topic even using the search engine can be sometimes difficult. So...I thought why not pick a topic and throw it out for every one to comment on. Give it a specific title that would be easy to find. Let me start with an example. <br />Steering Tubes.....I see so many steering tubes chugged with grease it's not funny. Many come in complaining about how hard their rig is to steer. A quick look at the steering ram usually tells the story. Years of grease dragging dirt into the steering tube. Here's my view on it. Don't use grease. Pull the steering cable from the tube and throughly clean both. Before inserting the cable back in the tube, Use a silicon spray and give the tube and cable a good bath. Use a steering cable boot to keep out dirt and grime. You can see these in iboats store. Look at steering/covers. When you do a routine service of the engine, pull the boot down and shoot some more silicon spray into the tube and on the ram. I have been doing this for about four years now and have yet to have any problem with my steering. I would be happy to hear your thoughts on the topic.

 

[NathanY]

Re: What's Your Thoughts On Steering tube maintenance.

Do you have any recommendations on keeping the little gears in tiller steering free of dirt when you grease them? Or any ideas for proper maintanence?

 

[clanton]

Re: What's Your Thoughts On Steering tube maintenance.

It is just lack of maintenance, by owner, service/repair shop, or tech.

 

[OBJ]

Re: What's Your Thoughts On Steering tube maintenance.

Clanton is right. Usually from what I've seen, folks tend over grease and don't wipe off the excess. The idea is to get the slippery stuff around the bushing the little gears ride in. All the grease hanging out is a trap for dirt and grit.

 

[scubarobby]

Re: What's Your Thoughts On Steering tube maintenance.

Thanks for the advice my cable is always stuck and I greaase it constantly. One questtion though, are all tubes created equal. I am working on a 1992 omc 120 that has no grease and never gets stuck or rusts. I attributed that to the different materials the tubes are (I thought) made of. My 1985 merc 90 is always stuck and billowing rust stains all over my transom so I was thinking that its tube must be made of a less rust resistant steel than the OMC. Was I wrong?<br />I will definitely try your method because my method is not working. I just hope I dont have to get out the sledge hammer again. RobbyUSA@aol.com

 

[alcan]

Re: What's Your Thoughts On Steering tube maintenance.

Hi Jim<br /> You don't boat much in the salt chuck do you. Routine greesing and maintaince is the only way to go. True the guys should wipe up the excess as I does collect crud and hold water where you don't want it. In my opinion those boots make things worse. They hold water and they are an out of site deal. Out of site, out of mind = no maintaince. I get a lot of these jobs. The guys always ask how can this be stuck? I oil my stuff all the time. Hey, I believe them. As they will have a gallon of WD40 sprayed all over their rig. Problem, is there ain't one drop where it will do some good.

 

[clanton]

Re: What's Your Thoughts On Steering tube maintenance.

Scubarobby, OMC changed most of there tilt tubes to stainless, not sure when changover completed. <br /><br /> Boats just need a lot of maintenance, and lack of use is the worst thing you can do to them.

 

[orca]

Re: What's Your Thoughts On Steering tube maintenance.

G'Day. I have found that there is only one grease that I can trust on steering tubes, and that is quicksilver 101. <br />Most newer outboards have good quality steering tubes, as far as older motors are concerned All motors have problems siezing and usually it is the type of grease and overgreasing that is the problem

 

[upstate]

Re: What's Your Thoughts On Steering tube maintenance.

try turning the wheel once in a while if it's sets<br />to long it's not good. even in winter.

 

[zzzzz]

Re: What's Your Thoughts On Steering tube maintenance.

another thing to consider(when you know the boat will sit for a while) is to turn the wheel so the steering rod is in the tube as much as possible and not exposed to the weather.

 

[ob]

Re: What's Your Thoughts On Steering tube maintenance.

On most of OMC's, where the shaft exits the tube,there is a plastic wiper that wears and even chips at the edges allowing water and three demensionals to enter tube causing corrosion on the models that don't use stainless.I install a new one every few years.Less than a five minute job.<br />A periodic removal of the teleflex rod and a decent gun cleaning kit does the trick for mine.After cleaned, I then run a barrel swab soaked with lube through the bore,clean the rod and reinstall.Better than waiting for it to freeze up before removing.Also, manipulating wheel to break loose a frozen or sticky one begins to reek havoc on your steering gearbox.<br />A mixture of triple guard grease and a little mobil1 is what works for me.

 

[Walker]

Re: What's Your Thoughts On Steering tube maintenance.

If there are any threads sticking out on the tube on the side the steering rod sticks out then get a "steersman" Its a nut with a o-ring seal and a grease zirt in it. I fish salt water exclusively and after 8 years I can still turn my motor by hand easily.

 

[OBJ]

Re: What's Your Thoughts On Steering tube maintenance.

Thanks to everyone that responded to the topic. Alcan, thanks for reminding me that there is water other than fresh water. It seems to me from reading all the posts that the number one defensive move against sticking steering due to a gummed up tube, no mattter what method you use, is good periodic maintenance of the steering system. I think that says it all.

 

[rudeafrican]

Re: What's Your Thoughts On Steering tube maintenance.

Just another point on the topic of maintanance is that a lot of boat owners (myself incuded until recently) believe that the grease nipple on the side of the tube is to lube the inside of the tube and steering arm. This is not so. The grease nipple is to lube the motor hinge.<br /><br />For years I was pumping grease in there thinking my steering arm was being lubed untill it froze on me and I had to strip it down. Could've kicked myself for being such an ass.