Help! Steering woes....

R

Redhook98

Member
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Aug 28, 2008
937
Colonial Beach, VA
Boat Info
2007 Sundancer 40
Engines
Cummins QSB 380
Well, after a lot of work, the AJ is almost ready to go back in the water. The last project is the steering. The steering is still very very tight. I started off by replacing the PS pump. No difference. Now it is out of the water. The steering ram has been replaced. New fluid lines. Fluid flushed (obviously). Steering cable is fine as well.Steering still tight.

With the steering cable disconnected from the steering ram assembly, the steering is nice and loose. With the drives disconnected from the steering ram assembly, they both can be moved with one hand easily. Hook everything together and you have tight steering. This would normally point to the ram at this point, but that was replaced with a brand new unit.

So in a nutshell, everything is new and has been replaced. Steering cable and drives are nice and loose.

Is there anything I am missing here? :huh: My mechanics are seriously perplexed and are phoning into Mercruiser now.

Thaks for any help... :smt038
 
techmitch said:
Still sounds like the P/S pump or control unit (ram) to me. Got a Question though. Is there a P/S pump on both engines?
Click to expand...


Yes, there is a PS pump on both engines. I replaced the supposedly bad one with a brand new take-off unit. No luck. Swapped the one from the other motor (which was only on a loop), and no luck.

Getting into other boats and turning the wheel when the boats are not running showed me how easily they would turn. Mine is so tight it takes two hands and a LOT of grunting.
 
Any kinks in the hydrolic lines? Possible the lines to the ram are reversed? Doubt that, but possible I guess. I have gotten new parts that were worse than the original "bad" part.
But hang on. you have two pumps, how many rams? If only one ram, why two pumps?
Did the trouble start by itself gradually over time or all at once after somthing else was done?
Food for thought.
 
jitts3 said:
Any kinks in the hydrolic lines? Possible the lines to the ram are reversed? Doubt that, but possible I guess. I have gotten new parts that were worse than the original "bad" part.
But hang on. you have two pumps, how many rams? If only one ram, why two pumps?
Did the trouble start by itself gradually over time or all at once after somthing else was done?
Food for thought.
Click to expand...

Nope, no kinks in the lines. The lines can not be reversed. They are different sizes and can only go in one place. Only one ram, but two pumps. The pump on the other motor is a "spare" and is only in a loop through an additional PS cooler. From what I was told by the local Mercruiser techs, this is more common then not now. This way Merc can keep all engines the same, belts the same, hose and configurations the same, etc.

The steering has been tight (almost frozen) since I got the boat. Have not really had it out since last October. Finally had it yanked out and a few other things being done to it as well.

Spoke with several people at Mercruiser and they told me it was one of two things. The ram, or the steering cable. It's not the ram. Supposedly the cables can sometime get so worn in certain areas that they will break down inside the sheath. The wheel will turn fine with no load. Once you put any kind of load on it though, it will start to bind INSIDE the sheath.

My mechanics went out there and tested this theory. With the pin pulled on the end of the steering cable and disconnected, they put a little force on the end of the cable. It started getting real hard to turn.

As this was the ONLY thing not replaced with a brand new unit, it is next. Plus it had a little slop in the wheel. Was gonna replace anyway. This corresponds with why I have never heard any whining coming from the PS pump. If it was drives or the ram, the PS pump would be singing when trying to turn. But it was so easy to discount the cable because it turned so easy with no load. Oh well, live and learn.

Will update this after it is swapped.
 
Last edited:
Interesting, the cable must swell up some in the sheath then under load. Huh. I would have NEVER thought of that, or atleast not until replacing most everything else. Keep us posted with the outcome.
Steve
 
No prob. Hope thats it. Enough $$$ has been spent chasing this and replacing everything. Strange because once free, it is quite loose. Little, pressure, and it is tight. Weird....
 
I am sure I am way off base as I am no mechanic, but had similar issues on new 340. Could hardly turn it with both hands.

Two trips in and they had done lots of stuff to no avail.

Third trip in the MM mechanic finally found the blown fuse to the p/s pump in the bilge. Replaced and ta da!
 
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