Couple of quirks first time out this year

[helix_rider]

Just changed the oil this morning and took her out for the first time this summer. A couple of things I encountered and hope someone has some insight...

1) The steering was 'TIGHT'. It loosened a little during the drive, but still was much tighter than I remember 6 months ago. Any ideas on why that is/what I can do to fix it. I'm talking tight enough that my wife was using two hands to turn it :(

2) My depth gauge looks like one of those old calculators that has lost some of the parts of the letters. It makes it a guessing game to read. Anybody found a good replacement for low $$$.?

3) My wake plate works just fine, but the gauge does not. It bounces all over the place, seemingly at random, but only shows the 'truth' about 10% of the time (probably just luck). I know nothing about the electrical.


Any help would be appreciated.

[kaneboats]

Don't replace any gauges till you trace out your ground wires and make sure you are getting good ground. Because the problem is with more than one gauge I suspect a faulty ground.

[helix_rider]

Pardon my ignorance, but could you dumb that down a little for me :) The wires are running behind the side panel of my boat...I am supposed to follow them how? And once I do that...I used a meter to test if they are grounded? What am I looking for? Sorry, but I figure if I don't ask, I'll never know.

[Ian Brantford]

The steering cable is probably getting some internal corrision. For mild cases, it can probably be fixed up by carefully drilling a tiny hold in the cable sheath, putting a drop of oil on the cable, and turning the wheel through its full range of motion. Repeat many times. Then cover the hole with tape.

Some owners here have reported that this works just fine and saves some hassle with replacing the part. I am going to try it myself this weekend... but will probably order a new cable anyway for later.

[helix_rider]

I decided to get a new part...found the SSC15418 part at Great Lakes Skipper for $130 + shipping...$40 less than I found it anywhere else. They said on the phone it was 'brand new'...so here's hoping my cheapness doesn't come back to bite me in the @#%$@# :) I love skidim, but $40 is $40. Now we'll see how the replacement goes.