posted 08-02-2005 03:54 PM ET (US)            

I can't offer you any advice on making a warranty coverage argument, sorry. Mercury really should cover the steering arm failures during the warranty period, because then they would be more inclined to improve the design by adding a grease or oil lubricant fitting instead of relying on a single o-ring seal that is destined to fail and leave you with a seized steering rod.

posted 08-08-2005 03:46 PM ET (US)            

I apologize for not getting back to you sooner.
I understand that you discussed your Montauk 170 with Debbie of our
customer service department this afternoon.

We reviewed the data Boston Whaler has regarding warranty issues concerning
the Teleflex SSC6214 steering cable and the tilt tube on the MERC 90 ELPT
4-STROKE Model 1F90412AC outboard engine that you have on your boat.

Our records indicate that we have installed more than 3,800 of these
Teleflex steering cables and have recorded only four warranty claims, of
which none were related to rusting issues. Additionally, our warranty
system has no claims for the Mercury 90ELPT 4/Stroke.

Your boat is well beyond the normal warranty period ( I still have a Mercury 3 year warranty good to 2006./ HC) for accessories and we
do not show a history of rust issues with this set-up. I'm sorry to say
it is our opinion that the issue of rust on the steering cable end and the
tilt tube of your Mercury outbord engine do not meet the warranty criteria
set forth in the Boston Whaler Limited Warranty statement.

Please contact me, or one of the other customer service representatives in
my absence, if you have additional questions or concerns regarding your
Montauk.

posted 08-08-2005 04:50 PM ET (US)            

"It is recommended to install a grease fitting into the metal steering tube and grease internally to keep the Telflex steering free?"

The liberal external greasing at steering rod shaft didn't keep the steering free. Sorry I did that! It seized up repeatedly (3 Times) at the most inopportune times. I posted your reply on the Continuous Wave. Ohhh your last said this is a 17MTK.

It is a 170 2003 Montauk HC

jrohrbach@whaler.com wrote:

posted 08-09-2005 07:59 AM ET (US)         

Mechanic #1 stays at the helm and turns the wheel to fully extend the cable. Mechanic #2 operates the grease gun and pumps one pump in each zerk. Mech #1 turns the steering wheel completely in the opposite direction to retract the cable then reverses the wheel all the way in the opposite direction. This process of one pump in each zerk and turning the wheel in both directions all the way is repeated 6-8 times until it is obvious the cable/tilt tube will not accept any additional grease and its oozing out the cracks. They emphasized one pump of the grease gun per cycle to ensure you do not blow out the cable.

posted 05-03-2007 09:15 PM ET (US)            

WWHAAAAT? I thought that the big advantage of the so-called Brunswick bundled package was there was just one stop for everything boat/engine/electronics-accessories/trailer-related. It is the Dealer who sold you the boat that should handle this.

Just kidding. I still say it is better to be able to get all of the components that YOU want, not what a corporate lackey says you want.

Through belly-aching.

-- WhalerAce

posted 05-16-2007 03:43 AM ET (US)            

A self licking Ice Cream cone...

I was recently back in Pensacola to run my boat from 19 months of layup. Only real issue besides the frozen steering ( my dad took the boat in while I was in Europe) was I ran my boat and noticed no PSI for water pressure on the gage despite good pressure. After trouble shooting, it was determined to be a bad line blockage... after 140.00 dollars and a new hose line it works again.

good luck with the frozen steering. I would be curious to know how many of us had this same issue and maybe we could send our repair invoiced to Whaler as the "trend analysis" they appear to be lacking regarding this issue.

posted 04-09-2008 08:14 AM ET (US)            

Additionslly, I looked up the Steersman Nut mentioned above and it looks like a pretty simple, straight forward device. It can be found here:

http://www.steersman.com/html/whatitdoes.html

For Merc, the Anodized Aluminum nut (fresh water) runs $20 / Stainless Steel (SS) for salt water runs $30. Seems like a fair price to save several hundreds of dollars and major pains if this issue (sorry jimh - 170 MONTAUK Steering Corrosion issue) has not been resolved for the '07 and later models.

I would be interested to know if Merc has addressed the 170 MONTAUK Steering Corrosion issue.

posted 07-28-2008 02:29 PM ET (US)            

My 2002 whaler seems to have the same issue (seized steering), and as a result, upon trying to turn the wheel, the cable housing popped under the wheel (where the rubber meets the fitting).

So my plan was to replace the cable, and lube up the engine area.

Are you saying I have to remove the engine to replace this cable?

posted 07-30-2008 08:08 AM ET (US)         

The one design weakness that can be attributed to the 170 Montauk is the relationship of the rigging tunnel entrance to the outboard steering arm. The tunnel entrance is too close to the starboard side of the outboard. This orientation requires the Mercury outboard to be removed for steering cable replacement. Some will say the steering cable for their classic pre-2002 Montauk can be changed without removing the outboard. I'm sure that is the case but it is not so for the post-classic 170 Montauk.

Boogie, the Teleflex steering helm on your boat is a quality part but it won't last forever as it is subject to wear. I just replaced the helm unit 3 months ago on my 2005 170 Montauk and it wasn't that hard. The replacement helm cost less than $150 and it took me about 2 hours to replace once I figured out how everything went together. If you want to save a little money on that repair bill, order the helm unit online and replace it yourself. Then take the boat to the dealer and have them install a new steering cable. Let the dealer hassle with that as that 400lb engine must be removed and they have the overhead hoist to do it safely. They will replace your steering tilt tube back at the engine where it is now corroded. Purchase the Steersman Nut and have the dealer install it when they re-install the outboard. Your problems will then be over - for good if you periodically grease the zerk fitting on the Steersman nut.

About once per year, you will need to replace the o-ring on that nut as it will eventually wear out. When it goes bad, it will cease to function as designed and allow grease to leak out from it instead of forcing grease into the tilt tube. About 90 minutes and a couple of large open end wrenches (I forgot the exact sizes) is all that will be required to replace the o-ring.

IMPORTANT: Make sure you tell your dealer to REMOVE the o-ring from the new replacement tilt tube they will install. This is necesary to ensure grease will get into the tilt tube and steering cable when it is applied to the zerk fitting on the Steersman nut.

posted 09-20-2008 09:49 PM ET (US)            

Finally I pounded out the steering cable end and the steering tube. Pretty corroded on the inside. Surprisingly, the steering cable itself is in pretty good shape. From what I see in these posts I'm lucky I haven't had more trouble with it sooner.

I may have a mini disaster in that I drove out the steering tube and the motor is holding up only by a long 1 inch dia socket. I'm thinking of grinding down a taper on lenght of 1" pipe to use as a leading tube so I can drive the steering tube back in there. I suppose I was lucky that the whole motor didn't fall out on me. I hope I can do it this way.

Fortunately with this motor on a Kenner its pretty easy to get to these parts.

Has anyone found out what a stainless steering tube costs?

I am a hopeless/hapless DIYer. I'll let you know how it goes.

tight lines