Need some assistance with centering the steering

[KXCam22]

2008 AR230. My steering is setup as per the manual but I have much less turning radius to port than to starboard. I can't turn tight enough to starboard to whip a tube etc. Turning to port the cable runs out of travel but turning to starboard the steering wheel is what stops it. Can I simply center it and the re-center the steering wheel? I would appreciate any experience or ideas. It has always been like this but is starting to annoy me. Cam.

 

[96Pirate]

I have the same issue...07 Ar230. I have learned to live with it but will follow this post.

 

[KXCam22]

I was looking at it under the dash and it seems like the steering arm that moves the cable is not long enough. So, depending on how the cable is adjusted you either lose turning to one side or the other. I might make one an inch longer which would move the cable about an extra 1/2" on each end of travel. Then I could re-gain the lost port turning radius. Cam.

 

[Bruce]

I have a similar situation. Either I do not have enough thread in at the back or the wheel is not centered. I am planning the remove the steering wheel and adjust it.

 

[KXCam22]

My steering wheel is centered perfectly, based on the adjustment measurement in the manual but it give more starboard turning than port. I took the steering arm off a few minutes ago. It uses the same plastic bushing that the nozzle end pivot does. A source of some play but not the issue. The arm is 2.5" (c to c) long and moves exactly in a 90 degree arc giving 2.5x1.1414= 2.85" linear travel. That's full lock to full lock. I am going to try to extend mine by 3/4". This will move the cable 3.25x1.1414=3.71" linear distance, about an additional 3/4" travel, from left to right. If I re- adjust and center the travel I should get more be able to get enough extra steering travel to make the port equal. I will definitely have to center the steering wheel after that, so I will look forward to @Bruce when he centers his. I was going to build a new arm but it has a funky keyed base flange that would be hard to reproduce so I think I may weld a tab on the end, plus replace the bushing with a brass one. Cam.

 

[Ronnie]

I thought our all twin engine yamahas have a tendency to turn better / faster / tighter to one side v. The other because the impellers turn in the same direction instead of counter to each other.

 

[KXCam22]

Ronnie. That is definitely true, but in my case it is quite obvious that the nozzles turn one way a lot more than the other. The cable has 1/2" more travel possible at each end of the steering range. I want to harness that extra range and use it to increase the starboard steering amount. Cam.

 

[KXCam22]

Turns out the steering arm is cast aluminium so I can't weld on it. I am fabricating an 1/8" thick steel plate that will bolt on to the underside of the existing arm and extend one end by 3/4". I will try to fabricate it tonight and see if it fits or if I am spinning my wheels with a dumb idea. If the plate works, I have a scale drawing and anyone can build it. Cam.

 

[Bruce]

You might be able to get a longer steering arm from SeaStar. I believe this is the closest product in their current lineup http://www.seastarsolutions.com/products/mechanical-steering/jet-boat-2/

 

[KXCam22]

That looks to be same as ours. Cam

 

[KXCam22]

Ah the silly fantasies of mice and men. My new arm is not going to work as planned. I was exploring the steering travel without the arm attached and the starboard steering stop is actually when the jet vector nozzle hits the housing. Hadn't planned on that. This takes away half the planned extra travel. Plan B is to adjust the steering wheel so that it bottoms out exactly when the jet nozzle hits. That should create a little bit of extra travel on the port side, about the best you can do without fabricating a new steering arm. Cam.

 

[KXCam22]

Plan B lead me to plan C, which was to have a beer and sulk. The only improvement i could make was to build a new oversize brass bushing for the helm steering cable mount. It was worn and contributing at least 20deg of steering wheel slack. That is gone. Starboard steering is limited by steering box and port by too short of a steering arm. Trouble is that the new length is only 1/4in longer so the oem cant be modified. A new arm has to be built. Cam

 

[KXCam22]

It turns out that the starboard steering amount is more than is practical to use when boating. I took a bit away, 6 turns on the adjuster, still leaving too much, and the port steering is better. I will try a bit more next outing. Steering wheel is no longer centered but i will deal with that later. Cam.

 

[KXCam22]

Here is a pic of the replacement bushing for the helm steering pivot. The OEM one was very worn and scarred with lots of play. I had a machinist build a new brass one that was slightly oversized to the next drill size, then used that drill to enlarge the worn hole in the steering pivot mount. This was very succesfull and got rid of tons of steering wheel slack. I still need to do this at the jet nozzle ends. Cam.

 

[KXCam22]

The six turns made a huge improvement. Port steering is much better and there is still starboard steering remaining that is not practical to use underway. I added 3 more turns to the port steering but will have to test it. When done i plan to post some L R full lock steering cable measurements that others can try. Cam.

 

[Bruce]

You are inspiring me to rebuild my steering linkage this winter!

 

[captainhook]

I was looking at it under the dash and it seems like the steering arm that moves the cable is not long enough. So, depending on how the cable is adjusted you either lose turning to one side or the other. I might make one an inch longer which would move the cable about an extra 1/2" on each end of travel. Then I could re-gain the lost port turning radius. Cam.

This is exactly the conclusion I just came to after changing my steering cables. I was thinking to myself, what the hell? Did I order the wrong cables?? I need like another 2-3” or something, I don’t have that much thread on the adjustments! Spent like an hour trying to center the steering wheel and eventually just decided I would think about it overnight and regroup in the morning. I had decided mostly to remove the steering wheel to see if I could fix it that way but then I realized that I won’t have as much travel in the cables in one direction if I do that.

 

[captainhook]

What did you end up doing?

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Why not just relocate the cable attachment to the steering arm on the nozzle if you add a second hole just below the original one and move the cable end you are adding travel to that nozzle!

 

[Martincfi]

Why not just relocate the cable attachment to the steering arm on the nozzle if you add a second hole just below the original one and move the cable end you are adding travel to that nozzle!

This is a really old thread but I’m trouble shooting this exact problem and your suggestion seems like the best solution. Can you expand on this for me. How would you add a second hole and reconnect to the nozzles. My nozzles move to starboard significantly more than port. I need to improve left turn radius. Appreciate your help.
thx