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Stan
03-26-2000, 10:40 PM
I’m trying to remove my steering wheel. It has the 6 screws on the face. I’ve tried but I can’t turn them loose. If I loosen the nut under the dash board at the back end of the steering wheel bolt, will this let me remove the steering wheel including this long bolt ? Will anything fall apart as I remove this long bolt ?

Stan

RickR,GroveCity
03-27-2000, 07:35 AM
Stan
If you have a Teleflex Big T
Soak the 6 screws with PB Blaster or Liquid wrench overnight
If necessary use a impact driver or a heat wrench (propane).Be carefull not to mess up the finish on the steering wheel.
If you go in the back you'll be dealing with a greasy cable (hopefully) and gears.
BTW It's a good time to grease the cable, unscrew the plastic nut and lube with a good marine grease


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RickR mailto:riggerb@aol.comriggerb@aol.com</A>

[This message has been edited by RickR,GroveCity (edited 03-27-2000).]

Stan
03-27-2000, 12:26 PM
Rick,

I have a 1990 18 2+3, same as you. Those 6 screws just won't break loose !! If I loosen that back nut and pull the long bolt out will everything fall apart inside or will I just be able to slide the bolt back in ?

Do you happen to have the owners manuel for the boat ? How about a copy if possible ?

Thanks

Stan........

RickR,GroveCity
03-27-2000, 02:19 PM
Stan
You can remove the steering wheel and hub assembly by removing the center cap of the wheel, removing large nut, and tapping the hub with something that will not hurt the finish.
The hub fits on a tapered shaft which has a key.
The heat wrench will work here also.
Apply heat to the hub to enlarge it.

I do not know of a boat manual for a Donzi.

I have never disassembled the steering gears so I don't know what happens if you take the shaft out the front.

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RickR mailto:riggerb@aol.comriggerb@aol.com</A>

Stan
03-27-2000, 03:43 PM
Rick,

Last week while crawling under/over/thru my boat....I found jammed under the floor...a blue Donzi Folder...containing.....an Owners Manual !!!

Unfortunatally... the pages are all stuck together like a good Playboy magazine !!

If I ever get them apart I will send you a copy. Any suggestion on getting them apart intact?

Stan.....

AVickers
03-27-2000, 05:06 PM
USE A PULLER!

If you don't have a puller and have to strike the center bolt with a hammer, put the nut back on upside down (with the lock ring toward the wheel) and tighten it just enough so that the threads of the shaft are just shy of the top surfact of the nut (by two or three turns). Then, while pulling out on the wheel hub with one hand, you can smack the nut with a soft-faced (lead or brass) hammer to drive the tapered shaft from the wheel center... This will usually knock things loose.

Given that these boats leak fumes everywhere, and the fact that any and all parts will burn like a mother if it ever lights up, I don't recommend using a torch at all. AND, if you have to use a torch, use an oxy-acetelyne torch. Propane torches aren't hot enough and they heat relatively slowly. By the time a propane torch heats the hub enough to expand it, it will have also heated the shaft to same (tight) dimension so you will have gained nothing in the process except to light up the penetrating oil.

Good luck!

RickR,GroveCity
03-28-2000, 08:43 AM
Stan
I did not know about the manual. Good luck getting the pages open.

Looks like Avickers has been there and done that. If you have to, you can also put a shim between the hub and bezel before you start hammering.

BTW if you have gas fumes anywhere except the tank vent FIX IT!!! http://206.150.187.82/ubb/eek.gif
Our boats have a plastic gas tank so hopefully we won't have the leaks that the older Donzis have.

Genuine Risk has a vapor detector. An alarm goes off if 10% of the fumes neccessary for combustion are present. It's a great safty item. Makes the blower redundant.


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RickR mailto:riggerb@aol.comriggerb@aol.com</A>