Tight Steering after long storage

[Nainoa]

So when I put my boat away in the fall of 2012 I thought I was going to get out more. Then my daughter was born and I barely saw the light of day, let alone get the boat out.

Now that schedules are getting more manageable I can get out more.

Pulled my boat out of storage and got everything ready, only problem is that my steering is really stiff.

I greased everything when I put it away... Then greased everything like crazy again this week, but my steering still feels like I'm driving a car with manual steering and half flat tires.

When my buddy helped move the motor as I turned turned the wheel everything felt normal again.

Is there anything I should do or do you think it will smooth out with time?

Thanks

[delcecchi]

did you grease the steering tube on the motor?

[RebelSS]

I'd pull the cables at the output end where they attach to the motor, loosen the big nut and pull them out.

If the motor turns easy by hand with the cables out, the prob is in the cables/housing. Corrosion probably managed to get in there somehow. Spray some corrosion-buster type stuff down in there, CRC, WD40, Amsoil lube, etc. Spin the steering wheel back and forth to loosen the cables up. Hopefully you hit the upper arm grease xerks on the motor steering, and the upper and lower ones on the steering shaft, pumping it in until the old came out. I use a Teflon waterproof PTFE grease on mine, and never had a problem. Good luck! Hope this will do it for ya.

[leech~~]

Is it tight going both ways or just one way more? Also, check to see if you have a grease zerk under the dash at the steering wheel end of the cable?

[gunner55]

What about the cable pulleys?

[Nainoa]

I haven't tried anything with where the cables come into the motor.

Never opened that up before, is there anything I should keep an eye out for when I open it?

Thanks

[RebelSS]

This might help.

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[BoxMN]

So I had similar issue on my 2012 merc 4 stroke. Ends up that the big "hand tighten nut" (which I think is plastic...) on the end on steering able right in front of motor is and should be loose. I saw that mine was loose, and tightened it up.... big mistake. I couldn't figure it out, but somebody here suggested I try to loosen it, and that was the exact problem.

Make sure that nut isn't too tight, or that somebody did't tighten it by mistake.