Jump to content

Welcome to TheMalibuCrew!

As a guest, you are welcome to poke around and view the majority of the content that we have to offer, but in order to post, search, contact members, and get full use out of the website you will need to Register for an Account. It's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the TheMalibuCrew Family today!

Steering Wheel Vibration


Recommended Posts

Brakes are fixed, next potential problem: Many times I have to load the bu at the ramp by myself. I know people have strong feelings against powering the boat onto the trailer, yes, most of the time I do, but that's besides the point. When I accelerate I get a vibration in the steering wheel, enough that you can feel it and hear it, sounds like this, ta ta ta ta ta, got it? Is that normal? I checked the rudder by hand and it didn't have any play in any direction. My buddy loads the same way and he says his '07 VLX doesn't do that. I thought maybe it was because I was steered too far to one direction. So I counted the total revolutions, 3.5 all the way from one side to the other, so 1.75 revolutions would be centered, but I still get the vibration, is that normal? Does it have anything to do with the shallow depth that I'm accelerating in?

TIA

Edited by nemire12
Link to comment
Mine absolutely does not do that.

How shallow is it where you load?

Actually now that I think about it, not very, I would say it's 4-5 feet back where the prop is.

Are you giving it too much throttle?

If you put the trailer in even an inch deeper it sometimes makes a huge difference in the effort required to drive her on.

Link to comment
Mine absolutely does not do that.

How shallow is it where you load?

Actually now that I think about it, not very, I would say it's 4-5 feet back where the prop is.

Are you giving it too much throttle?

If you put the trailer in even an inch deeper it sometimes makes a huge difference in the effort required to drive her on.

I know it depends on the steepness of the ramp but the front of fender is about 1" under water all ready. When I was a rookie loader (5 months ago) I probably did give it too much throttle because I didn't have the trailer backed in far enough, but it may have exposed this potential issue. I would say now that my max rpm is 1500 when loading but still get the vibration!!??

Link to comment
When I accelerate I get a vibration in the steering wheel, enough that you can feel it and hear it, sounds like this, ta ta ta ta ta, got it? Is that normal?

When out on the water I also have this vibration when accelerating hard. It seems to be more prominent when I'm loaded with ballast. That would go along with making the boat work harder. It sounds to me like there is something a little loose in the steering column.

Link to comment
When I accelerate I get a vibration in the steering wheel, enough that you can feel it and hear it, sounds like this, ta ta ta ta ta, got it? Is that normal?

When out on the water I also have this vibration when accelerating hard. It seems to be more prominent when I'm loaded with ballast. That would go along with making the boat work harder. It sounds to me like there is something a little loose in the steering column.

Yes, that's exactly what it sounds like, I don't hear anything any where else. But I wonder what exactly is sending a vibration all the way up there and what exactly is rattling.

Link to comment

It would sure help if I ran a search before posting this :Doh: Back in June someone posted almost the exact same issue. Sounds like my first step would be to grease the rudder, anybody get any detailed instructions and equipment needed to do this?

Edited by nemire12
Link to comment

mine does this as well when powering the boat onto the trailer. A previous thread said this was normal and caused by the water flowing past the rudder faster than the boat is moving forward and this is making the steering wheel shudder Dontknow.gif .

Link to comment
When I accelerate I get a vibration in the steering wheel, enough that you can feel it and hear it, sounds like this, ta ta ta ta ta, got it? Is that normal?

When out on the water I also have this vibration when accelerating hard. It seems to be more prominent when I'm loaded with ballast. That would go along with making the boat work harder. It sounds to me like there is something a little loose in the steering column.

Yes, that's exactly what it sounds like, I don't hear anything any where else. But I wonder what exactly is sending a vibration all the way up there and what exactly is rattling.

Same with me, when just above idle and making a sharp turn (like circling a downed skier). Any vibration in the rudder will definitely travel thru to the wheel, just plain physics. Glad to hear it isn't all that uncommon.

Link to comment
It would sure help if I ran a search before posting this :Doh: Back in June someone posted almost the exact same issue. Sounds like my first step would be to grease the rudder, anybody get any detailed instructions and equipment needed to do this?
Mine vibrates also. I know there is a thread about Malibu upgrading the steering arm to something heavier/more solid.

So is this the fix that we're looking for? Has anyone done this? How hard and where do we get the parts?

Link to comment
When I accelerate I get a vibration in the steering wheel, enough that you can feel it and hear it, sounds like this, ta ta ta ta ta, got it? Is that normal?

When out on the water I also have this vibration when accelerating hard. It seems to be more prominent when I'm loaded with ballast. That would go along with making the boat work harder. It sounds to me like there is something a little loose in the steering column.

Mine and a friends Bu do this too when loaded w/ ballast and people especially when pulling a rider up. The rudder position during acceleration can make it more or less noticable.

Link to comment
It would sure help if I ran a search before posting this :Doh: Back in June someone posted almost the exact same issue. Sounds like my first step would be to grease the rudder, anybody get any detailed instructions and equipment needed to do this?

Use marine grease and put as much as you can get in there, the zerk is on the shaft housing, when you have no up and down play, you have enough grease.

Link to comment
It would sure help if I ran a search before posting this :Doh: Back in June someone posted almost the exact same issue. Sounds like my first step would be to grease the rudder, anybody get any detailed instructions and equipment needed to do this?

Use marine grease and put as much as you can get in there, the zerk is on the shaft housing, when you have no up and down play, you have enough grease.

While I'm at it, I heard there may be grease fittings on the steering cable and one on the actual steering column, any insight on the presence and/or location of these?

Link to comment

Be careful when greasing the rudder... Too much grease & you can blow the O-Rings & will have to pull it all apart, clean & replace. (Happened to somebody else here).

According to the threads at the time - it will only take 1 - 2 pumps - move the rudder back & forth to spread grease.

Link to comment
Be careful when greasing the rudder... Too much grease & you can blow the O-Rings & will have to pull it all apart, clean & replace. (Happened to somebody else here).

According to the threads at the time - it will only take 1 - 2 pumps - move the rudder back & forth to spread grease.

Yup, that's usually about right..??

Link to comment
Be careful when greasing the rudder... Too much grease & you can blow the O-Rings & will have to pull it all apart, clean & replace. (Happened to somebody else here).

According to the threads at the time - it will only take 1 - 2 pumps - move the rudder back & forth to spread grease.

Yup, that's usually about right..??

Did you grease it? Make the difference?

Link to comment

Thought I would chime in here...

I was the one that posted this question in June.. I have this problem with my 05 VLX.. I get the sound and vibration when Surfing with extra ballast as well as when pulling onto the trailer... I have replaced the "rack" on the back of the steering column.. The piece that attaches to the steering cable.. I have also replaced the Helm which is the peice that attaches to the stering wheel and also has the tilt mechanism.. Both are easy to replace but neither fixed the problem.. I also keep my rudder well greased and have compared it to other rudders and it does not seem like the bushings are worn out at all...

I think it is the Steering Cable itself... When it is rattling I have felt underneath and the gear inside the end of the cable that rack attaches to is going back and forth enough to make this sound when under load of course... My cable still feels like a brand new cable and I can turn the wheel with one finger but I may replace it next spring to try and rectify this... I feel like it is a waste of a good cable to replace it early but this sound is not normal in my opinion... It is quite loud and my 07 VLX never did this and we ran just as much weight and also loaded on the trailer the same way... So far I have spent about $400 on this issue with no improvement...

I wonder if any has actually fixed ths problem...

Link to comment

I got a quote from a dealer for the upgraded tiller arm. It's counter weighed and therefore would eliminate/minimize some of the shuttering. The quote I was given was a little over $200. I might do the upgrade if I can convince my co-owner that it's worth it. Although someone else said you might be able to just attach a hunk of metal to do the same thing. I might look into that first. I would think it's going to need to weigh a fair amount given the amount of rudder in the water.

If anyone does this mod, let us know as will I.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...