Rudder Repack Grease Question

[AB]

I repacked the rudder today. Weather was not real good, so figured it was time to get it done.

I used gor tex rope, and noticed on the package it said to NOT use any other lubricant on the rudder shaft.

There are a few articles on PN that say to grease the shaft before installing.

What is the scoop? Grease or not?

I still have the tank out and can pull it out and grease it up.

Thanks!
AB

[jedgell]

I replaced mine last year with the gore tex and i used grease. I also have a grease zerk and add grease every couple months. No issues yet, works great

[AB]

My '99 SN doesnt have zerk fittings. It was hard to tell if there was any grease from factory on cords. Didn't look like it. Maybe that's why the steering seemed stiff. I put it together and didn't crank the top nut down too hard and the steering didn't seem as easy as I was hoping it would be. I cleaned off the shaft with steel wool and put grease on the bottom where it is at bottom of boat. The steering cable was replaced a couple years ago. The boat has 400 hours.

I think I will drop it and grease everything.

[jedgell]

I added the zerk to my boat, makes a huge difference. I found that the steering was great at low speeds and as soon as you added powe it would stiffen up. Found out the cause was any play, or looseness, in the rudder would cause it to bind a little while under load. If the rudder nut was adjusted perfectly steering was great, but over time it would loosen up, and start binding. With the zerk fitting I can put in a few pumps of grease and it keeps the rudder from binding. I only have to re-grease once in the middle of the summer. Adding the zerk was easy, do a seach on PN, I think there's detailed instructions.

[gtxragtop]

I believe what they are stating is to not grease the packing given that it is graphite impregnated already.
http://www.gfopacking.com/installation.htm