Why does my steering stiffen up at speed?

R

Roamad

Member
My steering spins just fine at the dock and at low speeds. But once I open up the throttle, the wheel gets very hard to turn — two hands required! What’s going on and how do I fix this?
 
Is turning hard in both directions? Did the problem crop up suddenly? Had the boat been sitting for a while before the problem started?

You definitely want to look into this. Losing control, especially at higher speeds - YIKES!
 
It’s cable steering with a single cable mechanism behind the helm. Issue has been there since I bought the boat about six months ago. It had an ancient 2-stroke that I had a mechanic replace with a newer (used) 4-stroke. No change in the problem with the engine swap. Previous owner told me he put in a new steering cable, and it does look new. But yes, the boat had been sitting for a long time when I bought it.
 
On most of the boats I've owned, the steering got stiffer with speed. Try trimming the motor up (or down) to find the most efficient fuel burn, and that seemed to give me the most comfortable steering, as well.
 
Roamad,
Do check the tips already suggested.
In my past experience, with older, well used mechanical steering systems, when the cable was worn out, the helm steering mechanism was also usually worn, so that a new cable did not improve the slop / and pressure in the system.
Also, most newer mechanical systems provide no-feedback alternatives
 
Is it harder to steer in one direction or the other? Maybe the trim tab needs adjustment.

Most systems get harder to steer with increasing speed due to the higher loads on the engine.
 
Thanks for all the helpful replies. I sort of assumed the mechanic who installed the engine also lubricated all the steering swivel points on the motor and transom mount. He *was* very thorough, but I didn’t ask. So I guess I’ll start with that. I do know there are zerk fittings in a few places for that.

Motor trim doesn’t seem to affect the problem at all.

Also there are no obvious problems with the steering cable — no kinks or sharp bends or anything like that.

It’s just a bit puzzling that the problem remained after the engine swap, which suggests a problem with the steering mechanism and not the motor & transom mount. But if that is the case, why would it only occur at speed?
 
Since the original motor was removed and replaced with the 2007 model, the steering cable would have had to be disconnected. And since there is extreme force being applied to the motor pivot point when on plane, I would check to see if the steering cable may not have been tightened sufficiently. At least start your diagnosis at this point first and work forward. Please reply back with your findings.
 
As the speed increases, the dynamic pressure of the water increases as the square of the speed. This should make the steering stiffer, since it makes the motor/rudder harder to turn. One can overcome this with a balanced rudder, where the axis of rotation (steering axis) is divided, fore and aft. Outboard motors don't have this feature, so I would expect the motor is harder to turn at higher speeds.

Boris
 
Roamad":y2xjmw2k said:
My steering spins just fine at the dock and at low speeds. But once I open up the throttle, the wheel gets very hard to turn — two hands required! What’s going on and how do I fix this?
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Trim the motor up.
 
There is something to be said for steering to stiffen as speed increases. This helps limit sudden large steering inputs that could have negative effects if done at speed. However, the stiffening should not result in the inability to actually steer the boat.

My boat has hydraulic steering and there is a definite increase in the helm wheel force as the speed increases. I expect this to happen and it helps keep the boat on course at higher speeds.
 
Trimming the motor up sure does help as others noted. But something isn't right. What? Beats me...But if it did with 2 different motors, I'd be looking at the steering cable and it's casing very carefully.
 
Check to be sure the new cable push pull steering is a "non feed back system". What this means is that the pressure on the cable is not pushed back on the helm. If you have a NF system, it will be much easier to steer. A motor that small should don't be an issue. The NF systems are a few dollars more expensive, but well worth it. The helm itself is less than $150.

There may be something binding when the boat comes up to speed, and pressure is on the steering tube. Even if greased--it may pay to put further grease, until if is oozing out of the end of the tube. Then with steering disconnected, try turning back and forth--see if any place is binding.
 
thataway":azsxkomd said:
Check to be sure the new cable push pull steering is a "non feed back system". What this means is that the pressure on the cable is not pushed back on the helm. If you have a NF system, it will be much easier to steer. A motor that small should don't be an issue. The NF systems are a few dollars more expensive, but well worth it. The helm itself is less than $150.

There may be something binding when the boat comes up to speed, and pressure is on the steering tube. Even if greased--it may pay to put further grease, until if is oozing out of the end of the tube. Then with steering disconnected, try turning back and forth--see if any place is binding.
Click to expand...

It's has to be something like this. It's a bit weird that in a static situation it doesn't do it. Then again, motors are much harder to turn when underway. I sort of suspected the pivot tube on the engine, because they can get corroded and seize, but I don't think that is it since there are two different engines involved. There is a reason it has a new cable - not a coincidence in my opinion. I would be taking it all apart back there.
 
Roamad":300p1vij said:
How do I tell if my steering cable is of the “non-feedback” type?
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The way it was explained to me when I had it installed, with a non-feedback system, you eliminate the torque from the outboard, so if you let go of the steering wheel, the boat is still going straight, more or less. Without the non-feedback, the torque will cause the steering wheel to turn immediately, so you always have to keep your hands firmly on the steering wheel to keep the boat from turning.

For me, this was true and very obvious. Do you have to keep your hands firmly on the wheel to keep your boat from turning?
 
johnr":1b5j1tzh said:
Roamad":1b5j1tzh said:
How do I tell if my steering cable is of the “non-feedback” type?
Click to expand...

The way it was explained to me when I had it installed, with a non-feedback system, you eliminate the torque from the outboard, so if you let go of the steering wheel, the boat is still going straight, more or less. Without the non-feedback, the torque will cause the steering wheel to turn immediately, so you always have to keep your hands firmly on the steering wheel to keep the boat from turning.

For me, this was true and very obvious. Do you have to keep your hands firmly on the wheel to keep your boat from turning?
Click to expand...

Isn't the purpose of the trim tab on the lower unit to counteract the motor torque loads on the steering? On my boat you're supposed to adjust the tab until the steering forces (left and right) are the same.
 
My boat was very hard to turn, at speed, even with a new cable. I did some research and found my engine was mounted way too low on the transom.

Basically you want the anti-cavitation plate to be just out of the water at speed. Getting it splashed is ok, but out of the main flow.

I ended up raising the engine 2 mounting holes, which did lessen the steering effort at speed. I could actually stand to raise it one more hole.
 
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