Before you take apart your outboard to repair a frozen steering housing, try this simple trick I used to free up a 1994 Yamaha 250, and I saved me a whopper repair bill, too.

My steering works better than ever, and I did not have to take anything apart! If you have determined your steering "connection" (cable or hydraulic from the steering wheel) is not to blame, then the swivel bracket is the likely culprit. To replace or perform major service you will have to remove the entire powerhead, which is a big job. Watch the video and try this simple trick first, and you may avoid downtime and a costly repair.

Before getting started buy a few cans of cleaner and spray lube. I used carb cleaner, Liquid Wrench, and Penetrating Blaster.

OBJECTVE: Get penetrating lube onto the internal corroded surfaces of the upper and lower bushing of the steering housing, using a grease gun as a high pressure pump.

***Basics Steps***

1. Remove grease cartridge from grease gun and fill with a few ounces of penetrating lube. Keep the pump end down and always have enough fluid in the chamber so no air is sucked into the inlet orifice of the pump head. I just left the cap off and sprayed in more penetrating lube when needed.
2. Remove a zerk fitting from one side of the motor, then fill with fluid from the other side, so that old crusty grease purges out. Larger motors have multiple zerks on each side.
3. Methodically change the fitting that you fill from and purge out of in order to best flush out the old crud.
4. Once you have most of the crud and caked grease out, then replace all zerk fittings.
5. Add fluid to the lower fittings and release air pressure from the fittings above. The objective is to fill the steering cavity with fluid and purge out as much of the air as possible. You want fluid to be forced to the bushings at the lower and upper end of the housing.
6. If your steering does not move, keep adding pressure with the grease gun to drive the penetrating lube to the frozen areas. This may take hours, and likely days. The more you can keep pressure on it, the better chance of your success.
7. If your steering does move and is just very stiff, then turn the motor back and forth all the while adding pressure with the grease gun, forcing fluid into the corroded areas while the motor moves.
8. BE PATIENT. I worked on my motor for a few minutes a day, pumping fluid over the course of a week to gradually free up the steering.

(NOTE: Due to corrosion some of my zerk fittings had already broken out of the housing. At first I inserted a screw to plug the hole. Ultimately, I removed all the old zerks, drilled and tapped new threads, then installed new stainless steel zerks that I purchased at Fastenal)

Good Luck!

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