Looking for some advice from the experts here. My out drive squeaks when I steer side to side. It started last year but was not too bad. It has gotten quite a bit louder lately. The noise seems to come from the upper pivot point and sounds like dry rubber to steel contact. Just a slight movement in either direction will cause the noise. History on the drive, 2005 VP DP, about 200 hours, fresh water use only. Nothing has ever been done to it other than the annual gear oil changes. I was going to wait until the end of the season when the boat came home to deal with it, but if there's an easy fix, it would make the rest of the year less, uh, squeaky. Thanks for the help.

Had the same problem handled under warranty for me. One of those rubber bushings on the outdrive was breaking down for some reason. I think they said some debris may have prematurely worn it out. Can't recall but it was a dealer fix item because it called for removing the drive I believe. Honestly, I didn't pay that close attention because it was a warranty item. But I have the paper work and could probably tell you exactly what they did and what part number it was.

You are probably close enough to the end of the season to wait until your winterizing service. Just keep your eye on it.

I had the same problem on my 2004 FW 245 Sundowner all last season; a very annoying squeaking announcing my departure and arrival at the marina. For some reason my 5.7 equipped FW has the same SX-MHP transom assembly as your big block has, so the problem may be due to the same cause. Over the Winter, when I had disconnected the steering arm (inside the boat) it was very difficult to move the drive from side to side, probably because the joints were by then dry.. The problem on mine was the plastic washers either side of the lower joint were tight and scored. It's a very cheap fix part wise, but it does require a fair bit of simple dismantling and in my case the use of a fairly hefty soft faced hammer, because I decided to check the upper pivot as well while I was in a dismantling mood. When I put mine back together, there was no way I could fit the same number of (new) washers as were there originally if I followed the factory manual spec for setting clearances. I think there was an extra washer in there originally, which made it too tight and damaged the original washers. No noise at all this year.

If it is the lower pivot like mine was, don't think it will cause any catastrophic damage if you continue using it. If the boat is out of the water, you could try spraying some silicone onto the joint; you'll see the edges of the washers protruding between the lower support arm and the lower part of the pivot assembly .

Graham

Thanks for all the help. Looks like removal of the drive is in order. That will have to wait until the end of the season that is coming way to soon. Graham, I'll give the silicone a try for a temporary repair. I will keep you all posted on how the permanent repair works out. Thanks again.

Graham, Saturday morning I lubricated both the upper and lower pivot points with silicone like you suggested. It didn't seem to help much. I went ahead and launched as usual figuring I would just live with the squeak until off season. Well, by the time I maneuvered away from the ramp, the noise was gone and the steering was so silky smooth, I thought I was in a new boat! Soooo, in my book, You the Man! Thanks so much to you and all the others for the helpful suggestions. Now I just need to decide whether to pull the drive or leave well enough alone.