Steering whine when cold
 

I just wanted to see what ya'll thought about this video I made. My power steering fluid is not low but it is very old. The boat is a 2000 model Cobalt 7.4 Volvo Penta with Duo prop. I sounds like the pump is going out but I honestly dont know. All opinions and recommendations are welcome. Boat has 187 hours on it and engine.

Ill post a video as soon as my dumb ass figures out how to post one..

You need to post the video on Youtube or similar and then post the link here.

On past boats with noisy pumps I’ve had good luck with sucking all the fluid out of the reservoir and replacing it with a good synthetic fluid such as Lucas. You might have to do it a second time after the new fluid mixes with the old to help get some of the remaining old fluid out. For no more than it costs it’s worth a try.

Great point. Yes, use a good synthetic. Yes, it takes two times to get it working good. I also did this in the trim pumps for the drives and tabs and they work smoother and the tabs react and move faster too.

I’ll definitely go with a good synthetic and I’m also going to look at greasing the arms at the back of the transom. The steering quiets down quite a bit when it warms up. I’m pretty busy at work. I’ll see about down loading the video on YouTube so I can post here. It’s whining pretty loud lock to lock. The noise is definitely at the back of the engine.

Ok quick little update. Just greased everything I could get my hands on and wd40’d what I couldn’t. It’s still like whining with the engine off so I guess it’s not a whine but a squeak. I’m guessing it’s in the out drive so may be removing that soon to grease everything. Not sure yet so I’m going to do the small stuff first before tearing things apart. Hopefully I can just get some grease wherever it needs to be. I was by myself so it’s hard to pin point it.

Ok I definitely located the sound. Its coming from the outdrive supports. Top and bottom. Only thing is there is no grease fittings. Sprayed some penetrating oil and the noise just about completely went away. I know thats a quick fix and won't last long. Gonna have to do a little homework to see if there is a way to grease those supports.

You are gonna have to post a pic because I've got no idea what you are referring to.

Ill get you one today. I pulled the boat out of the water because we have another hurricane heading straight for us. Its definitely the hinges that support the outdrive. Ill get you a picture today.