Outboard turns while trailering.

[Sportsman]

Alright, I have a 200 HPDI outboard on a Lund. And while trailering I situate the engine straight from the start. When I get to my destination, the motor is always leaning extemely to the far left or right. I've tied the steering wheel with a bungee cord and the wheel is not turning. But the engine still seems to fall to one side or the other. Is there a fix to this problem too.

Thanks,

[jb123]

assuming you have cable steering as hydraulic wouldnt slip, "and if your wheel is not turning as its bungeed" the only other thing it could be is the cable slipping on the helm gear,bad as it will strip it out eventually.i`d bet the bungee isnt holding the weight of the tilted motor, bungee it then try to pull it by hand.

[Sportsman]

I just checked and I do have hydraulic steering. So the cable slip isn't a factor. It didn't use to turn before, so I'm wondering why it's an issue now. I topped off the steering with some hydraulic fluid and hopefully that was the cause. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[tripleb]

Hello Sportsman,

Could be an issue with the hydraulic system o-rings or check valves.

[jb123]

so, if the motor would turn/lean while tilted/trailering, it would also give under running motor torque, which is EXTREMELY more pressure than the weight of the tilted motor......

[tripleb]

Well, if you are "adjusting" the wheel slightly to compensate for the torque "turn", you may never realize it.

I would get the boat running straight and then make a mental note of the wheel position. If I had to compensate that might indicate some hydraulic by-pass.

[Sportsman]

The boat seems to turn fine while driving on the water. No slop in the steering or anything out of the norm. And I haven't seen any leaks anywhere. I'm just puzzled and disturbed. The motor should be facing straight when trailering and not leaning from side to side. Thanks for the input so far.

[jb123]

i have had probably at least a half a dozen steering rams, teleflex, seastar, hynautic and havent seen it.... call the maunfacturer and see if they stand by their rams !

[pitahui]

Sounds to me that you may have air in your hydraulic system. I had a similar problem with mine. Air in the system allows the wheel, or engine to slip. One test you can do is to turn the wheel very very slowly. If there is air in the system, the engine won't turn or will turn very little. When you turn the wheel at normal speed, the air compresses and it's hard to detect. You may also hear noise in the helm when changing direction if there’s air in the lines.

[Sportsman]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm going to be bleeding the system this weekend for any air in the system. Hope this fixes the problem. Will keep you guys advised of the results.