99 Seadoo Speedster Horrible Steering

[Gondon]

Hey Guys,

We picked this 99 speedster up and it’s fast as hell but it can’t turn for its life on high speed aka 30+ mph. It doesn’t turn left at all...I’m literally holding it left and it’s going straight! It’s turn right a little better.

I notice at low speeds it can turn left and right if I hit full throttle. It turns right from idle perfectly and I can slide the boat. If I turn left it’s way slower.

But once on plane it makes turns wide like the moon’s circumference. Not sure what the issue is. It’s like the titanic.

Look how well these Manuever at high speeds. I can’t do that if my life depended on it. 180 just from turning the wheel!

Thanks

 

[mikidymac]

If you move the nozzles in the back does the steering wheel fully turn both ways? It’d possible you have a broken or seized steering cable.

 

[racerxxx]

Look at the steering helm when you open the hood by the steering wheel and remove the storage bin. It the steering box in a car and that transmits to the steering cable. Make sure it's not loose and flopping around and try and see if you can hold it back. Maybe the gears are broken inside? That thing should turn on a dime and give you 9 cents change.

Disconnect the steering cable from the nozzle and see if the nozzles move smoothly. If they're tight or snug it's no good. What happens is the nozzles corrode and squeeze the grey plastic bushing on the pivot bolts and restrict the turning effort. This is a must fix on any jet boat. Just remove the bushing with a socket and lightly sand the corrosion off the bore where the bushing is pressed into. You can use a wooden dowel and wrap sand paper around it.


#1 is the steering helm






#61 is the bushing

 

[Gondon]

Wow! Thanks for the detailed info! I will check and let you guys know.

 

[Gondon]

Turns out it was the jet nozzle bolt in the back!
It was gone! No wonder I had no steering. Bolt inserted again and thread locked. Handles like a beast again!