just can't catch a break!

duane.mosley

so today was the maiden voyage of my re-powered 06 250ec and it ended on a sour note. it appears that of all the things i didn't replace, the power steering pump started whining and the steering got real jerky. at one point i think the power steering pump locked up and caused the belt to smoke a little. hopefully it didn't damage my new belt but the puff of burnt rubber smoke that came from the bilge tells me that it did.  thankfully i was only about 2 miles from the boat ramp and we limped it backed to the trailer on it's own. with a serpentine belt, i certainly wasn't going to push it more than necessary. the pump only whined when you turned the wheel at lower rpms so i kept it about 1200 and crept back to the trailer. hopefully a local shop that is really good at alternators and water pumps can rebuild this power steering pump. they're good and stand by their work, so 75 bucks vs 300 bucks  for a new one sounds good to me.

i almost had the power steering pump and the alternator rebuilt but figured they worked, don't fix it. well, it wasn't broke, but it appears to be now! while the pump was off for the rebuild, i did drain the old fluid and replace with fresh. i did notice a slight whine to the pump while in the driveway. didn't think it would only last 20 minutes at 3500 rpms.

 might as well replace the alternator while i have the belt off again. no sense it letting that leave me stranded after everything else i've replaced.  looks like i will be at 100% new next time it hits the water.

Black_Diamond

Exceedingly rare for a power steering pump to fail, let alone seize up. 

duane.mosley

Black_Diamond said:

Exceedingly rare for a power steering pump to fail, let alone seize up. 

i agree but it's full of fresh fluid and you can clearly hear it whining when you turn the wheel it gets worse.

Cableguy Greg

I had one seize up on my 98 232. It sucked big time. It threw the belt as I was putting the boat on the trailer. Is it rare, yes, but it does happen.

duane.mosley

well, turns out the pump was low, and the belt had a lot of play. crossing fingers it was just the belt tensioner. there is only 2 hours of run time on this new belt and there was quite a bit of belt dust on the brackets and pulleys. thankfully a local place has one on the shelf and is open long enough today for me to make there on time. low fluid and loose belt will cause the issues i had yesterday.

Cableguy Greg said:

I had one seize up on my 98 232. It sucked big time. It threw the belt as I was putting the boat on the trailer. Is it rare, yes, but it does happen.

when you replaced your pump, did you use an automotive pump or marine specific? they look very close to an automotive pump in the pictures on the internet.

Cableguy Greg

I was able to get one off another boat engine. The Marine and automotive ones look the same. 

Ian

I found a place in Michigan selling rebuilds, lifetime warranty and way cheaper than a new merc unit

duane.mosley

new tensioner is on, i do notice the volts are up a little more than they were previously and there is no whine to the power steering pump at all. won't know more of course until i get it under load. might be able to get it to the water in the morning before it's starts raining. supposed to take our first lake trip next week so hope i'm done with the surprises. will post results, thanks for all replies.

duane.mosley

seems to be fixed. took the boat out for about an hour tonight and it performed well. the belt tensioner seems to have been the issue with the power steering slippage and the belt squeal. going to the lake this weekend for 3 days. wish me luck

BellevilleMXZ

Good to hear!!

reneechris14

Good luck enjoy the lake

Dream_Inn

Great!  Enjoy your time on the lake!

duane.mosley

very successful trip to the lake. everything ran great. put almost 10 hours of run time on her and it was purrin like a kitten. time to find a seasonal slip that we like now. thanks all that asked and followed the progress of my engine build. i would have to say it's good to go so far.