AR240 Steering Cable Replacement -- Need HELP ASAP! Cannot remove access panel!!

[Maxxam]

Hi All,

I am right in the middle of the job but having issues. To begin the fun, the prior owner of my 2020 AR240 siliconed in the entire clean out access panel (to the jet pump shafts). Two hours later I have all the sealant dug out and the panel broken free all the way around. My issue is the tubes connecting the panel to the clean out ports are also sealed on both ends. It is a different color sealant than what the prior owner used (more yellowish and opaque) so I can only assume they were sealed by the factory(?). With the tube clamps completely loosened the tubes will not slide off of either the top or bottom. I recall watching a few videos and others have just unbolted the access panel, loosened the tube clamps and then lifted out the panel. HELP!!

 

[Maxxam]

I got if off - the factory siliconed the tubes on quite a bit and I was already worn down from the clean out plate being glue to the boat from the prior owner. I took a 30 minute break and then worked a thin screwdriver and some lubricant all around the upper portions of the two hoses until I was able to free the plate.

 

[drewkaree]

2 links included, for multiple choices of each item...

The rubber tubes should have some sort of sealant applied to them from the factory, and then attached to the cleanout tray ports, and a band clamp is applied. Not sure if your model indicates something other than silicone for this, you'll need to check a service manual or breakdown to verify. My service manual specifies silicone. This needs to be reapplied when reassembling. It's too late for you now, but for future folks following in your footsteps, a radiator hose clamp pick is the perfect tool to help with this.

Amazon.com

Silicone around the cleanout tray is a common and often needed fix for those getting excess water in the bilge. When you're done reassembling everything, if you're getting excess water out of the drain plug when pulling the boat out of the water, you may want to revisit this, and re-do the silicone. Without pics, there's no way of knowing what the job looked like by the prior owner, but for future reference, one of those snap-blade utility knives is great for breaking that seal.

Amazon.com

A single-edge razor blade scraper is great for removing the majority of the leftovers, and you go with a plastic bladed versions of this if you're concerned about scratching stuff up.

Amazon.com

The videos where it was an easy pull could have been due to someone removing it in the past and not adding the sealant back to the tubes as indicated by the service manual. As you can see, it's not the easiest to break that seal, and if someone didn't know about it to begin with, they may have been so frustrated that they decided to skip that step when reassembling it, or they chose to omit it due to other reasons known only to them (future plans to dive in there again, or....?)

I have no idea if you've already buttoned things back up, but if not, while you're in there, I'd suggest looking around and tightening all hose clamps that you can see. It'll give you an idea of whether they needed it or not, or you may stumble across one that's loose, or even worse, broken. Yes, yes, you've got a newer boat. Congrats - Yamaha or the previous owner may have defeated the newness factor, or you may have one of the lemons of the hose clamp world. While it's open and easily accessible, that's the time to look at things that you may never see again, until you're having an emergency that may have been prevented by a few minutes of maintenance. Murphy's law is well known for a reason.

Anyway, hope these things help, either for followers who find this and need the info, or for yourself for future endeavors. Hope the rest of your replacement is going, or went, well for you, and things are better. Good on you for tackling this, you're learning more about your boat that will serve you well in the future. You may want to search around for how to lube your cables now that you've got a fresh set, to give yourself the best shot of not having to do this again anytime soon, with just a few easy-to-find items and a pump/compressor. Hopefully that'll stave off future replacement for years to come!