1985 Grady White Offshore 240 steering wheel spins freely without moving the motors.

[Chris's Grady]

Hi, I have a 1985 Grady White Offshore 240 with two 1985 Mercury 115's with only 500 hours on each. Several years back, I pulled it out of water in New Jersey and brought it home and shrink-wrapped it for the winter. I didn't use it for several years and it remained shrink-wrapped in my back yard. Everything worked on it before I shrink-wrapped it. The other day, I unzippered the access door to take a look inside and I noticed that the steering wheel spins freely all of the sudden. You could actually turn the wheel with one finger as if something came loose or broke. But this is odd because this was not the way the steering wheel was when I closed it up for the winter. Does anyone have any idea what the issue could be? I can't seem to figure out how to look under the helm because it looks all boxed in. I am not sure if I have mechanical steering, or pinion steering or hydraulic steering. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Chris

 

[Chris's Grady]

Here's a picture of of my 1985 Grady White Offshore 240

 

[seasick]

That picture helps a lot
Something is broken of course but one clue would be knowing if the wheel turns forever when you spin it or if it stops after a few turns. I suspect the first case since the wheel is so easy to turn. If you are lucky, the wheel just came loose ( hard to imagine though) . If it is loose, it probably will move up and down when you pull on it.
My guess is that it is more serious than that.

 

[wspitler]

You most likely have hydraulic steering and have lost all of your hydraulic fluid. You can Google how to service it and bleed the system after adding fluid.

 

[Uncle Joe]

I had a 1985 and now own a 1982 Offshore....steering is hydraulic. My 1985 had a pump under the V Berth inside the cabin...opposite the helm...that you had to pump up with air from a bicycle pump ocasionally....take a look. Or as others have said....a gasket or something may have let go and you lost all your fluid.

 

[Chris's Grady]

Thanks, everyone for your feedback. I know pic I posted didn't help but my other pics were too large (MB) to send.

I took a few new pics today and included them. From the pics of my motors, can we confirm that I have hydraulic steering? If my steering is hydraulic, where is the cap that you unscrew to refill it with fluid? Under the help seems pretty solid without any screws to undo to view. Could it be something simple as adding hydraulic fluid to solve the problem? I watched videos on how to add fluid and that wont be an issue. I just need to know if that is a hydraulic set up and how do I get to the filling cap to add new fluid.

To answer Seasick, yes, the steering wheel can just turn forever in each direction without affecting the or turning the motors.

How could this happen since everything was working fine with the steering when I put it away for the winter and know the steering wheel just free spins in either direction?

Thanks for taking the time to help me.

 

[Uncle Joe]

Chris.....do me a favor and look under the seat in the cabin right behind the bulkhead from the helm.....is there a pump/actuator in there?

 

[Chris's Grady]

Ok, Uncle Joe. I will take a look tonight and let you know. Thanks!

 

[wspitler]

You have an outdated hydraulic steering system with which I am not very familiar. The reservoir for the fluid is typically in the helm and added via a small plug near or under the helm itself. You’re single cylinder hydraulic ram move the motors back-and-forth and is not getting any pressure from the helm pump. I doubt that you have an electric pump I suspect it is a manual pump that is driven by the steering wheel. Look for a small cap or way to add fluid around your helm. Given the age of that system you may have difficulty finding parts and may eventually have to go to a newer model.

 

[SkunkBoat]

I would look for a puddle of hydraulic fluid and broken hoses before adding fluid... Also, disconnect the motors from the steering and make sure they can turn.

My gut raction is thats crazy old steering thats just the first thing you've found, the boat has been sitting for years and is officially a project boat and good luck.

 

[DennisG01]

I would look for a puddle of hydraulic fluid and broken hoses before adding fluid... Also, disconnect the motors from the steering and make sure they can turn.

My gut raction is thats crazy old steering thats just the first thing you've found, the boat has been sitting for years and is officially a project boat and good luck.

This. Especially the part about finding a puddle somewhere.

It likely didn't just magically happen (although sometimes it does) - it was probably already starting to happen before you put it away.

What can you remove on the cabin side of the helm to access it better? I think you can get a decent view by looking up underneath the helm, right?

But... either your helm is broken or you have no fluid. Likely the latter. No, you can't just add fluid and be done with it. There's a leak. Even if you fixed the leak, you can't just add fluid - you have to properly bleed the system.

It sounds like you're on the newer side of boat maintenance? You might be better served by having a pro look at it and fix it.

FYI... the "fix" may very well be a new steering system, so be ready for that.

 

[Chris's Grady]

Okay, I took a few more pictures in an effort to locate the fill cap for the hydraulic fluid. Yes, I did confirm that it is a hydraulic set-up.

To answer Uncle Joe, no, I did not see any filler cap or pump near or under the helm in the cabin. Maybe it is located in that triangular rugged piece item that protrudes from under the helm in the cabin? Should I unscrew that and take it off and look to see if it is there?

I also removed the round access hatches but all I could see are wires. In the one picture of the inside of the round access hatch, it looks like I see 2 copper tubes, maybe that are the hydraulic tubes....

And yes, the steering wheel can spin in either direction without stopping. And no, I don't see any puddles anywhere yet.

I also took a picture of the sticker that was on the steering wheel.

Check out the new pictures: Thanks everybody!

 

[DennisG01]

Yes, take off the carpeted box.

 

[Chris's Grady]

Thanks DennisG01, I will remove the carpeted box and see if there is a filler cap inside. I will let you know what I find. Thanks for the direction.
Thanks, Chris