Steering pin worn, 240 Sundancer

Jerry1

New Member
Jul 14, 2022
8
Boat Info
2002 Sea Ray 240 Sundancer, MerCruiser Bravo 3
Engines
MerCruiser Bravo 3
Thx in advance! My steering pin is worn bad and the outdrive gives 2 feet (left/right), on a 2002 Sea Ray 240 Sundancer, MerCruiser Bravo 3. Surely I must/will repair, but wondering how dangerous to drive one last time before doing so. Drove/steered just fine in May and just now learned of the worn pin & movement. Assuming the dual prop will mitigate the risk of a hard, sudden turn if pin completely fails. Appreciated.
 
What's up with the 2' comment? The pin isn't going anywhere but maybe you have other issues, tiller arm?
 
Thx. My mechanic said he can grab the outdrive and move it left-right 2 feet, whereas it should not move at all. He said due to square steering pin worn almost completely to a circle, so pin not catching in the matching hole on the gimbal ring. Must've been wearing down for years. It steered fine when I last used in May. Want to take some guests out this weekend, so hoping it's got one more weekend in it. He thinks I could lose all steering and it will turn hard right or left and is a safety issue if at high speed. A few other opinions I received are to take it easy this weekend, don't turn much or hard, & get fixed afterwards.
 
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Thank you @scoflaw; appreciate the opinion. The other two opinions I got elsewhere seem to contradict the mechanic's, hence me posting all this for additional insights. I'm going to test it tomorrow in the water and will report the results. Thanks again.
 
Another 'listen to your mechanic' here. You should be able to reach down see how bad that arm is. Betting the nut above it is stripped off the pin to have that much play.
 
Thank you @Thorton69; grateful for all opinions and feedback.
 
It's likely the gimbal ring not the pin (although you will likely replace steering pin as well). I can't see losing all steering. You can try tightening the two nuts on the top of the gimbal ring. It's a u shaped bolt which basically squeezes the gimbal ring onto the steering pin. But I'm guessing it's so corroded it's not going to help.
 
Thank you, @pyro, @Thornton69, and @scoflaw ! Great feedback. I took the risk and the boat ran and steered just fine this weekend. Sure, there's some play and looseness, but seems that steering pin is still solidly mated to the gimbal ring and lever assembly. While parked, the outdrive certainly moves about a foot (left-right) without the steering pin moving, so that's got to be fixed. The Sea Ray dealership said they have a way of replacing without pulling the engine, so that's good. They apparently drill/cut a hole in the top of the outdrive to get to the pin. Thanks again, and happy boating!
 

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