So last month I bought my first console boat. It’s a 2002 518vx. I’ve only had it out a few times, but today when I had it out I found it very hard to steer once I got up around 35mph. The best way to describe it is like driving a car without power steering. Any suggestions on what it could be? I’ve tried trimming up/down and it doesn’t help it at all.
You can try adjusting the tab above the prop.
If trimming the motor up doesnt help, maybe it’s mounted too low on the boat?
Has the steering lubricated recently?
Thanks for the suggestions. Motor doesn’t have a trim tab. I’ll play around with the jackplate and make sure it’s lubed before I take it out again.
Is there a hole under the cavitation plate where a trim tab is supposed to go? There are very few motors that don’t have one. What motor is it?
My first 2 guesses would be trim tab or mounted to low. Other possibilities could be a badly bent skeg, or a bent shaft that the cylinder slides over.
Does it only turn hard one way? Does the steering wheel ever turn at least a 1/4 turn without the motor moving?
Eric,
The motor is a 02 Merc 200 EFI. I’ll check if it has a hole for it in the morning. From what it looks like therewwouldn’t be room for it because of the prop size. (Not sure if it’s the right size since it looks like the guy who had it modified a lot). There is no slack inthe ssteering.
It might just be in my head but I don’t remember it doing it going down river but when I went up stream is when I noticed it. I haven’t had it in shallow water where it would bent the skeg or shaft and like I said, I only noticed it today when I went upstream 
It turns hard both ways but was a little worse turning to the right.
the steering is hydraulic the problem probably is the fluid is low in the steering take it in for service. There are 2 things that can cause the problem first air in the line will cause the problem 2 a leak or low fluid. There is a proceedure that is real complicated and you have to very carefull to not get an air bubble in the line and its messy. if you look on your console you will see a 1/2 inch nut usually crome then way back on the motor is where u bleed so you can see it can be a pain check it out on youtube there may be something there.
i found some good info on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2wU0hbg1n8
hope this helps
Are you sure it has hydraulic steering? Stupid question…but i’ve never heard of a hydraulic system having that much feedback.
If you have a leak,low oil, or air in the system, you should notice a mushy feeling in the system at one point or another. Kinda like having air in a brake line on a car.
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Are you sure it has hydraulic steering? Stupid question…but i’ve never heard of a hydraulic system having that much feedback.
If you have a leak,low oil, or air in the system, you should notice a mushy feeling in the system at one point or another. Kinda like having air in a brake line on a car.
Yeah it is Sea Star brand. Lucky me the previous owner kept all the manuals from when it was new so at least I’m learning a little about the system.
I don’t know what you came from for steering, but I just bought a Skeeter last fall with the seastar hydraulic setup and I will say it is much stiffer to steer than my old cable steered merc that I had on my last boat. in the water and out of the water it takes at least twice the force to turn the outboard.
I ended up bleeding it to remove air bubbles and it is not as bad as you might think to do. Pretty straight forward operation. It can be messy, but if you plan for it and do it right it is not at all messy. Better to do it with two people. The one thing about bleeding these things is though it is expensive. At almost $24 for a quart of there hydraulic fluid then the kit to fit the fill port you would think that fluid has gold flake in it or something.
I had air in my system from the factory, partially because when they installed the bleeders they left off the O rings.
Depending on how stiff it is it is most likely operating normally. I went from a Teleflex no feedback cable drive with a 90hp Merc to a Seastar hydraulic with a Yamaha 150. Much different feel in the wheel. Even out of the water three good turns of the wheel and it is almost like a small workout.
If you have air in the system it will be unresponsive in areas and mushy. If you turn the wheel and the outboard responds most likely it is normal. I wouldn’t put too much stock into it being broken, but it would not hurt to bleed it either considering the age of the system. Check your seals for leaks etc..
Doesnt sound like a trim tab or skeg issue. My best guess is that its normal. About the only other thing it could be if there is no slop in the steering wheel is that the shaft the systems slides over is bent slighlty.
It could also be the previous owner used a heavier hydraulic fluid like ATF in the system. There are a number of fluids you can use versus getting ripped by Seastar the same fluid can be purchased at an airport for about 6 bucks a quart. Just to name a few Shell Telus T oil, Aero Shell, Exon UNNI J-13 , Texaco HO15. are all the same as Seastar oil
Thanks for all of the suggestions everyone. I’m coming from a 25hp Johnson on a 16′ Lund S-16. Maybe I’m just paranoid about it all since it’s new to me? 
Not sure where you live but the Seastar steering in my Ranger was acting up a couple years ago and I went to Rapid Marine in Shakopee and they have a machine they brought out to the parking lot and it cycled fresh fluid in to the system and there was a TON of air in the system. Not sure how it happened, it was fine when I took it to be winterized and then the first time out in the spring the steering was messed up. They cycled the system until all the air was out and the steering has been perfect since.
My issue was sloppy steering not stiff, at speed the steering is a little stiffer than at low speeds but I wouldn’t say it’s like a car without power steering. I’d have it looked at.
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