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View Full Version : Outdrive lateral play... gimbal ring/steering arm replace?



banfield
06-13-2007, 03:14 PM
Hi Folks,
I'm getting by '83 22' Classic ready for summer use, and have been informed by my mechanic that there is excessive lateral play in the drive. Before the wheel moves at all, the drive can be moved right&left about 3" at its back (maybe 20 degrees?). The mechanic suggests that this is due to the steering arm being left loose on the gimbal ring, and that both parts are now worn, and won't clamp together any better. He says he's tightened the two bolts at the top face of the gimbal ring, but that they are as tight as they'll go.

Does this sound like the right culprit to you all?
Should I be checking anything else before we're sure this is it?
Will I need to replace the gimbal ring and steering arm to fix this?
Is there a way to remachine them to work together again safely & less expensively?
What else might I need to replace in the process?

How much do these parts cost?
Where would you recommend I get them from?

How dangerous of a condition is this?
I think that the boat has been having this 'loose' of a drive since I bought it 4 years ago. The symptom (aside from wiggling the drive) is that once I really get on a fast plane (>40 mph), the boat takes a sudden turn to one side (I've forgotten which). I counter this by reacting quickly and turning the wheel to straighten up. My mechanic drove the boat last fall, and was alarmed by this behavior, hence the discoveryof the loose drive. To me, that means it isn't getting worse quickly... but it seems like failure could be catastrophic.

Thanks for the input!
Don Banfield
Cayuga Lake, NY

justleft
06-13-2007, 07:02 PM
Yea, I would say that is too much play for any speed on plane.
It's real scary running fast with little control on trim or steering !!

Your mechanic may be right.

To find out the real problem will most likely take two people.
One guys stands outside the boat and moves the drive.
Back and forth or up and down.
The second watches where the movement is.

There may be several areas of slop. Sometimes you fix the first
only to still have play and then fix the next.....

b

Pismo
06-13-2007, 07:29 PM
Full hydraulic steering would certainly fix your problem.

MOP
06-13-2007, 07:52 PM
If it is what says and it does sound like it there is no inexpensive way out. There is a is a place that rebuilds them, I have lost the link maybe one of the other guys has it. Another option is to replace the whole shield assy. that is the way I would go as being an 83 I bet the whole thing is worn out. If it is an Alpha they turn up on Ebay regularly for fairly cheap dollars, and then you would have total piece of mind.

Phil

penbroke
06-13-2007, 08:37 PM
Assuming it's an Alpha... Check the steering arm/pivot shaft joint. The two bolts on the face of the gimbal ring clamp the ring to the upper pivot shaft. The upper end of that shaft has the steering arm clamped to it much the same way and could be loose.


Frank

Rodger
06-14-2007, 08:01 AM
Being that you have an 83 model it most likely is a TRS drive. I had the same problem. I replaced the gimble ring, pivot shaft and steering arm. The new parts are a little different including a split in the gimble ring around where the pivot arm is. A stainless u-bolt, when tightened, sqeezes that area tightening around the pivot shaft. This eliminates any play from that area and makes for pretty good steering. So it may be somewhat costly but it is an upgraded design. If you do the work yourself you will save a lot of money. The job can be done in one day.

banfield
06-15-2007, 10:01 AM
Thanks for the replies. It turns out that it is a Bravo drive. Sometime in its lifetime, this boat was repowered and upgraded to a Bravo, from about 1993.
I found some diagrams of all of these parts online:
http://media.stemtostern.com/default.asp?image=http://media.stemtostern.com/LSDATA/LSDATA_FULL/CRUISER\17721\7.GIF
and now understand the orientation of the gimbal ring (1), steering arm (16) and upper pivot shaft (14). Can one get to the tightening bolt (19) on the steering arm without pulling everything apart? Maybe with a thin arm from the inside of the boat? I know the two bolts (27 & 28) on the gimbal ring are tightened up, but I don't know about the one on the steering arm.
If I were to try to replace the gimbal ring, upper pivot shaft and the steering arm myself, what is involved?
Thanks
Don Banfield

LKSD
06-16-2007, 12:17 AM
Full hydraulic steering would certainly fix your problem.

Close :), It wont fix the whole problem, he will still have to fix the worn stuff for a proper repair... It will however after he has his guy fix the worn components for the Gimble ring to keep it from wearing out again.. Plus he will be safer with the hydraulic steering... :) :yes: Jamie / Lakeside