Him, I recently bought an 82 Whaler Montauk that has a 1999 Johnson
Motor. The motor runs but needs carb overhauls...
The thing I'm unsure about is the steering! It's very difficult to
turn, so I'm thinking that the fluid is low or bad. How would I go
about filling this? I'm not familiar with the fittings on it. It has 2
hydraulic nipples? , which look to have tiny ball bearings in them. If
anyone could lead me to the device/tool I'd need to fill or flush the
fluid, I'd appreciate it! Thanks-

On 10 May 2007 15:40:59 -0700, wrote:

Him, I recently bought an 82 Whaler Montauk that has a 1999 Johnson
Motor. The motor runs but needs carb overhauls...
The thing I'm unsure about is the steering! It's very difficult to
turn, so I'm thinking that the fluid is low or bad. How would I go
about filling this? I'm not familiar with the fittings on it. It has 2
hydraulic nipples? , which look to have tiny ball bearings in them. If
anyone could lead me to the device/tool I'd need to fill or flush the
fluid, I'd appreciate it! Thanks-

If it's hydraulic steering the reservoir is in the helm. Should be a
little knob on the top of the helm post which is the fill point.

If it's mechanical, you probably have to replace the cable from the
rack/pinion unit under the console to the engine.

Based on the age of the Montauk, I would suspect it's the later rather
than the former.

The nipples on the engine are grease fittings. You might want to
grease them and see if that helps - it may or may not.

Thanks, that's what I needed. So it's not hydraulic at all, inside the
console is the round pinion box and the black cable. I'll see about
getting the proper grease gun to add grease, but other wise, I'll move
the cable and replace it. Thanks-

On 10 May 2007 18:55:10 -0700, wrote:

Thanks, that's what I needed. So it's not hydraulic at all, inside the
console is the round pinion box and the black cable. I'll see about
getting the proper grease gun to add grease, but other wise, I'll move
the cable and replace it. Thanks-

What you have is a rotary steering vs rack/pinion.

In general, it's usually the cable, but it doesn't have to be. You
might want to check around the engine pivot points for fittings and
give the joints some grease - it might free things up.

Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On 10 May 2007 18:55:10 -0700, wrote:

Thanks, that's what I needed. So it's not hydraulic at all, inside the
console is the round pinion box and the black cable. I'll see about
getting the proper grease gun to add grease, but other wise, I'll move
the cable and replace it. Thanks-

What you have is a rotary steering vs rack/pinion.

In general, it's usually the cable, but it doesn't have to be. You
might want to check around the engine pivot points for fittings and
give the joints some grease - it might free things up.

& try a good synthetic grease in a gun - Lucas Red 'N Tacky is excellent
for steering cables & all Zerks in the marine environment.

Rob