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Steering issues

Clearly sounds like a dealer diagnosis and troubleshooting oversight to me. I get why the dealership would have first looked at the steering system, but perhaps they have tunnel vision now on that vs another factor being behind it? You already know you don’t need to have all those upgrades for it to drive as expected, as it drove as it should the first two years. Something else is being overlooked here. Challenge is figuring that out.

As for Bennington upgrading beyond ordered equipment (helm, steering system), and warranting it, that’s simply is not unreasonable. No one would do that, and with good reason. On the positive end of it, that absolutely should not be necessary. It drove well originally. Dealer thought they had it figured out. Warranty repair didn’t resolve it, time to trouble shoot other possibilities, just as one would on another vehicle.

You are right that it should steer as it did when new. It also sounds like Bennington stepped up, and warranty replaced that steering system for you. The fact that the problem remains certainly points towards another causal or contributing factor. There are some great ideas above. #1 on my list would be checking that trim tab first since it appears your motor has one. After that, trouble shooting some other possibilities above would be in order. Sadly, I suspect once figured out, it may be an easier fix than what the dealership first diagnosed it as.

As someone else mentioned, jump over to the HullTruth. They will have more responding members with deeper technical knowledge. Good luck with it. These things can be frustrating. No doubt about it.
 
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I truly thank you - this is such a challenge
Vikingstaff said:
Clearly sounds like a dealer diagnosis and troubleshooting oversight to me. I get why the dealership would have first looked at the steering system, but perhaps they have tunnel vision now on that vs another factor being behind it? You already know you don’t need to have all those upgrades for it to drive as expected, as it drove as it should the first two years. Something else is being overlooked here. Challenge is figuring that out.

As for Bennington upgrading beyond ordered equipment (helm, steering system), and warranting it, that’s simply is not unreasonable. No one would do that, and with good reason. On the positive end of it, that absolutely should not be necessary. It drove well originally. Dealer thought they had it figured out. Warranty repair didn’t resolve it, time to trouble shoot other possibilities, just as one would on another vehicle.

You are right that it should steer as it did when new. It also sounds like Bennington stepped up, and warranty replaced that steering system for you. The fact that the problem remains certainly points towards another causal or contributing factor. There are some great ideas above. #1 on my list would be checking that trim tab first since it appears your motor has one. After that, trouble shooting some other possibilities above would be in order. Sadly, I suspect once figured out, it may be an easier fix than what the dealership first diagnosed it as.

As someone else mentioned, jump over to the HullTruth. They will have more responding members with deeper technical knowledge. Good luck with it. These things can be frustrating. No doubt about it.
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Jack - the problem is the dealership has just said the upgrade is the only option to fix the issue. This is so frustrating as I know how much I loved the boat and how it handled before. It was everything I expected. I am no mechanic but am trying to find you tube videos to walk me thru the suggestions above. I am also waiting on Bennington to explain how it was steering fine for two years and now this. The Bennington rep has been fabulous, so hopefully he will give me a path to fix this.
 
Do you have a Yamaha dealer in you area? If so contact them ,see what they have to say.
 
Jack M said:
Do you have a Yamaha dealer in you area? If so contact them ,see what they have to say.
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I like this idea. Something is up, and they may have ideas to more quickly pinpoint it too. Especially after having had your steering cables and controls changed on the boat side.
 
A lot of talk and no resolution. This is how I see the original posts description. The problem is that at speed the boat steering wheel pulls to the right with significant force. As a result it takes a heavy pull on the wheel to the left to maintain a straight path. Additionally under those conditions initiating a left turn against the constant force requires a force increase that feels like the steering sticks. That description of sticking would cause a remote repair factory technician to suspect a steering cable or a slight possibility of a steering rack. A new cable did not resolve the problem. A remote factory technician would not suspect a trim tab maladjustment because it is too obvious and they do not go out of adjustment by themselves.

If I were to inspect your boat I would walk up to your motor and with some effort turn the motor about the steer pivot. Because you have simple cable steering the steering wheel should spin freely. The high effort required is simply the mass of it all. The motor should be straight up and down. It should spin freely in both directions.

I would then turn my attention to the trim tab behind the propeller. All motors of a certain size range have a trim tab. If it is gone or out of wack you have found the problem. This does not seem probable because any fool would start there first. But now days that is possible. In addition the symptom of sticking would exist only to a small degree with proper cable length and routing. Here is a link to trim tab adjustment.


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DVW said:
A lot of talk and no resolution. This is how I see the original posts description. The problem is that at speed the boat steering wheel pulls to the right with significant force. As a result it takes a heavy pull on the wheel to the left to maintain a straight path. Additionally under those conditions initiating a left turn against the constant force requires a force increase that feels like the steering sticks. That description of sticking would cause a remote repair factory technician to suspect a steering cable or a slight possibility of a steering rack. A new cable did not resolve the problem. A remote factory technician would not suspect a trim tab maladjustment because it is too obvious and they do not go out of adjustment by themselves.

If I were to inspect your boat I would walk up to your motor and with some effort turn the motor about the steer pivot. Because you have simple cable steering the steering wheel should spin freely. The high effort required is simply the mass of it all. The motor should be straight up and down. It should spin freely in both directions.

I would then turn my attention to the trim tab behind the propeller. All motors of a certain size range have a trim tab. If it is gone or out of wack you have found the problem. This does not seem probable because any fool would start there first. But now days that is possible. In addition the symptom of sticking would exist only to a small degree with proper cable length and routing. Here is a link to trim tab adjustment.


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Thank you for this video- I will check it out. It should be fun as my boat is on the lift over the water. This tab correction might just be the problem. And without the boat being in the water not sure how the dealership could have tested/corrected this. Phyllis Kent
 
This would be a good place to describe what causes a propeller to create a turning force on the motor. It is called P(prop)factor. It affects boats and airplanes. The cause of the force is an asymmetric force on the propeller blades when motor tilt cause the prop to be out of line with water flow. One side of the prop will take a bigger bite on the water than the other side and that in turn causes a turning force. The force can be felt on the steering wheel of boats with cable steering. A vertical adjustable fin (trim tab) hanging down behind the propeller can compensate for this force. A trim tab is not needed if the motor is trimmed to align propeller with water flow. Most trim tabs are adjusted to compensate for a little trim up motor position. The up motor position lifts the bow for the highest speed. If one ran that trim tab adjustment with motor all the way down at full throttle the steering forces would be high and the boat would drag through the water. Of course no one would do that but it illustrates the principles. Hope this is informative.
 
Kent P, based on the detail info above from DVW, do you notice any difference when you trim your motor up or down? If you are able to trim the motor and hit the sweet spot where in theory no trim tab is needed, and you see improvement, it might help point back to the trim tab adjustment.
 
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Sounds like prop walk to me. It is running in the direction the prop rotates. That is why it is super easy to steer in one direction vs the other. The lubricated cables would exasperate this.
 
Jack M said:
Do you have a Yamaha dealer in you area? If so contact them ,see what they have to say.
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This is what I will work on now - I have reached out to a great mobile mechanic who had worked I had used in the past for my previous Bennington w/Yamaha. I will just pay him to go out for a quick ride and then hopefully just fix it - maybe something as simple as the trim tab people have been mentioning. Very frustrating that I am left to figure this out especially while its under warranty. My boat was a dream for two years .... goes in for service comes out steering wacked and somehow I am supposed to just accept that this is now how the boat drives. Thank you for your help and hopefully, once I can get him out, I will report back with good news.
 
The motor is a separate warranty than your boat. Thats why I suggested a Yamaha dealer. Unless you purchased extended or they had a promotion going on , 3 years on the motor. Also dealers do the rigging not Bennington.
 
I think I am getting closer ( thanks to y'all ) of solving the steering issue. I now do not think it is a Bennington issue at all. Again, steering was fine for two years until it went in for its second service. This is what the what the steering tab currently looks like. What do you think? To my untrained eye it just seems like this trim setting would create steering issues. Every picture I have found for the Yamaha 90 has this tab much closer to the twelve o'clock mark then the 11:00 ( appx ) mine is sitting at currently. If y'all agree it is out of wack, and the Dealer still won't do anything, (They just keep insisting the steering is working as expected and there are no warranty issues and the only way to fix it is for me to spend a few thousand on upgrades) , then I guess this 62 year old woman is just going to have to get on her paddleboard and go out on the water and try and fix it. GRRR .Thanks to the Youtube Video a member posted !IMG_5172.png IMG_5157.pngIMG_5160.jpegIMG_5172.pngo pull it off. IMG_5160.jpeg IMG_5157.png
 
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Your trim tab was incorrectly adjusted when your dealer reassembled the gearcase. I see it in the picture. If the engine is pulling to the right, you adjust the trim tab to the right. Yours is adjusted to the left. That's why you scribe a mark where the trim tab was before you take the gearcase off for service. The trim tab must be removed to gain access to a hidden bolt under the trim tab to allow you to drop the case. Pretty basic stuff for a dealer to miss. This would explain why all of a sudden this issue raised its ugly head. Pull off the plastic cap above the trim tab which will give you access to the 12 or 13mm bolt (can't remember) loosen the bolt and adjust the tab to the right. You may have to adjust it a couple of times to get it right. Rule of thumb is to adjust the tab in typical running angle you prefer and adjust accordingly.
 
Trouble shooting and resolution could have been more straight forward. In my first reply to your post I asked “Does the symptom change when you change the trim angle of the motor? If so the steering trim tab might have been maladjusted during your last service”. What followed was “A lot of talk and no resolution”. Well I am glad to see you finally found what is out of wack.
 
Don't understand why the Bennington dealer techs couldn't figure this out!
 
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