b83 Force 125 steering problem pivot pin

"i can barely turn the engine

"i can barely turn the engine with the steering wheel. disconnected the steering tube and pivoted the motor manually. it barely move, so i must have a problem in the pivot pin. any suggestions how to repair this problem. also, only one grease fitting on it and its on the bottom. nothing on the top.

thx, wes"

"Wes,

The right thing to do

"Wes,

The right thing to do is take it apart and clean everything, but this can lead to more problems on a 23 year old engine. It is possible to drill a hole near the top of the pivot tube in the grease channel, and then free it up with heat and solvents. Tricky , but it can be done. You can even add a grease fitting if you find the grease channel.

Tony"

Wes
I have just been throug

Wes
I have just been through the same thing with my 35hp chrysler.You will probably break bolts which need to be drilled out and re tapped.the nylon bushes are too tight and need to be lapped out with emery.fit a new grease nipple to top of housing.a lot of work but the differance is amazing. Keith

"Thanks for the input guys. j

"Thanks for the input guys. just what i want to do, start taking something apart that has had 23 yrs of environmental abuse!

Tony, How do I find the grease channel? there is a zerk fitting at the bottom, would it be straight up from that one or will i make swiss cheese out of the casing trying to find it?

Francis, any place to locate drawings for the parts breakdown? wouldn't want to go into it blind.

I also heard someplace that the pivot pin on a force engine is pressed in with a seal at the top. Fixing this is a lot cheaper then replacing the engine, but am i opening up a serious can of worms? Is it possible that it is unrepairable or is it corroded up from years of saltwater use? the engine still runs fine. Would a dealer be able to easily fix this for me?

Thanks,

Wes"