1996 Force 75 HP Hard Steering

[stevedan]

with the steering rod removed, the motor is very hard to move. "takes 2 hands to move" (Steering wheel and rod move freely). Have tried all the YOUTUBE tricks that have been provided to no avail. motor still hard to turn. Does the power head have to be removed to change out the bearing in the steering shaft or can this portion of the motor be serviced without have to tear down the engine. Please advise if you have any insight, or knowledge of this repair. thanks in advance, (Steve).

[Jerryjerry05]

If the king pin is seizing or very hard to turn the motor:
The bearings or bushings in the top and bottom of the kingpin: most cases there's only one grease fitting for that area.
IF??? they are rusted or corroded the grease has probably turned solid from lack of grease.

I use a propane torch and heat up the top bearing area first then try to add grease.
Sometimes the zerk is clogged and won't accept new grease.
Heat it and then heat it some more, try to add grease as you turn the motor.
Then do the same on the bottom.
Heat then more heat is about the only way to loosen it.

[stevedan]

thank you so much, have tried a heat gun, but not a torch, was not sure about seal damage etc.. so again was not sure., Will try the propane torch while moving motor, I do see grease coming out of top bearing, but nothing from the bottom. (maybe the heat will make the difference), again thanks for reply,, nothing beats experience!

[Jerryjerry05]

Remove the zerk for expansion.
Try heating it too, sometimes they get clogged and won't take grease.

[stevedan]

And the propane torch was the answer, The heat gun was not enough heat, but the propane torch did the trick, I now have steering where I can turn the steering wheel with the palm of my hand (almost power steering,, LOL,,). and is from what is was. I finally saw grease from the bottom bearing flow out, and steering started getting easier,, I would work the wheel, add more grease, work the wheel, add more grease and feel now it is back to normal !! Thanks for sharing your knowledge,

[stevedan]

I also wanted to add, I purchased this motor as a replacement for my bad motor. So I got it in "no so good" condition and working to give it a second life. Still a little ways to go, ,but think it looks / runs / steers much better than when first received.

[Jerryjerry05]

The 3cyl. with one carb is a bit troublesome.
The top cyl. sometimes suffers from lack of fuel and that results in a scored piston and cylinder walls.
One thing is add a bit more oil to the gas.
You might foul the plugs more but it might save a rebuild???

[stevedan]

thank again for insight Jerry, brother told me to sell it, but was not sure if it was a keeper or not, your opinion? Motor runs good, but you provide an insight I was not aware of or thought about. Would adding the extra oil to each fill up, possibly make the motor worth keeping , or should I move on to a better unit, your opinion I take in high regard. ?
again thanks !
Steve

[Jerryjerry05]

IF??? it's lasted this long?? run it.
Just make sure the compression in good.

[stevedan]

jerry, can you provide any insight, the 1996 75 HP force motor did not come with a trim sender unit (has tilt and trim ) and my brother insist on having a trim gauge. are there any universal fit systems available or does Mercury offer a retro-fit for this year Force 75 HP engine. Any information or insight. thanks in advance,!

[Jerryjerry05]

These links covers everything made for Force motors, look through and see if there's anything that might work??
Myself I looked before and couldn't find anything.
Maybe try Franz Marine he might know something, if he does post it.

https://www.boats.net/catalog/force/...-trim-and-tilt

https://www.boats.net/catalog/force/...ts-accessories

[stevedan]

These links covers everything made for Force motors, look through and see if there's anything that might work??
Myself I looked before and couldn't find anything.
Maybe try Franz Marine he might know something, if he does post it.

https://www.boats.net/catalog/force/...-trim-and-tilt

https://www.boats.net/catalog/force/...ts-accessories

thanks once again Jerry, I will certainly try those location and post anything I may learn in the process.