Stiff steering

[gnford]

I have a 95 Ski nautique that gets stiff steering by the end of every season. Every year I pull the gas tank out, drop the rudder and grease the rudder housing. The steering is perfect but slowly gets stiffer as the season progresses. Any suggestions on how to keep this from happening? l

[jaybird]

You can install a zerk fitting where it can be accessed when ever you have time to grease the rudder. Drill and tap the side of the rudder houseing below the stuffing box. The newer boats have this, and I am not sure when it started but its really easy to do yourself.
Drill and tape the side of the rudder housing for a 1/8 NPT and you can buy compression fittings for copper tubing and route the tube to an area you can access so its easy to get a few pumps of grease a few times each year. I did this on my 88 and it felt like power steering.

[SuperDave]

how old ie the cable.. i to had a 95 SN and it did the same and i had to replace the steering cable... it took about 45 min... fixed the problem, something about the cable that would work fine and then get stiff and then loose again then it got Stiff stiff

[mndanielsncsu]

Sounds to me like a steering cable too. Over the off season last year, my steering got extremely stiff so I replaced the steering cable and it's like new now.

[jaybird]

If its was the steering calble the problem would not go away as he said when he put grease on the rudder housing and then slowly return only to go away again when he greased the rudder again.

[DanielC]

This is the grease I use. It is not the only grease that works, but it works for me.

I use it on the rudder, and rudder port.
If the steering is still stiff, there is a chance that the grease in the rudder end of the cable has gotten stiff, where the cable parts telescope over each other.
Mark where the clamp is holding the aluminum tube. Note how the linkage connects the end of the cable to the arm connected to the rudder.
Remove the linkage from the end of the cable, and then unscrew the cable from the aluminum tube.
Remove the clamp holding the aluminum tube, and then clean the hardened grease out of the tube. This could be difficult. Clean up as much of the old grease as you can, off the ends of the cable, and turn the steering wheel both ways to work more old grease out, and keep cleaning it. When the cable is clean, put the new Mercury grease on everything that moves, and especially inside the aluminum tube. Work the cable back and forth again, and apply more new grease. Put everything back together, carefully.
If this has made the steering better, you just saved yourself a new cable, and the effort to replace it.

[gnford]

Thanks Jaybird. I would like to try that but I'm a little confused. After drilling and taping the housing do I attach copper tubing to this and then the zerk fitting at the end of the tubing?

[jaybird]

Yes,
Drill and tap the rudder housing just below the packing area for 1/8" pipe thread. Get two (2) 1/8" NPT male to 1/4 cooper tube compression fittings and screw one into the rudder housing, route the copper tubing and place the other end where you have access and put the other fitting on that end with a 1/8" pipe coupling and screw a 1/8" zerk fitting in that end. If you have used copper tubing with compression fittings you should have not problems. You will need a drill & tap for 1/8" pipe threads. Be sure where you route the tube it will not interfear with the movment of the rudder arm or cable. You will need to anchor the zerk end so its stable when you attached your grease gun.

The newer boats have this type of rudder lub fitting and also a O-ring on the rudder shaft that keeps the grease in much longer, on your boat there is no O-ring or groove for it so the grease will wash out much faster.

[gnford]

Great got it. Thanks for the quick response. I will do it this weekend and let you know the result. Thanks again.

[jaybird]

Rudder lub

Here ya go...

[gnford]

Here ya go...

Thanks again. You are above and beyond the call of duty!

[DanielC]

If you do go through my process of re-greaseing the aft end of the cable, it may be necessary to reclock the steering wheel.
First, make sure that the boat turns approximately as tight of a circle, going forward, both right and left, keeping in mind it is normal for a boat with a right hand propeller to turn slightly tighter to the left.
If it does not, you need to adjust the clamp on the steering cable slightly forward and aft to correct this.
Once it boat turns both ways about equally, if the steering wheel is not centered, there is a nut on the steering wheel shaft under the cap in the center of the steering wheel, you can remove, and then you can pull the steering wheel off. You can then reposition the steering wheel on the splines, and put the nut back on. It is normal for the wheel to be at different positions depending on the load, and speed of the boat. If you are a slalom skier, set the wheel centered at 36 MPH , or 34MPH (for old people like me). If your primary use of the boat is wake boarding, or pulling swivel skiers, put the wheel straight at that speed.
When the steering wheel is clocked where you want it, if the cap is loose, put a little RTV rubber (silicone seal) on the inside edge of the cap.