I just bought a used 16, and I can't get my rudders to lock down. I think the problem is that the cams are locked down without the rudders in place. The cam is turned all the way back and doesn't seem to want to move in either direction. I have tried pulling it up a little to get it to pop out, but this doesn't seem to work, and I don't want to apply too much pressure and break something. Does anyone know how to get the cams into the correct position without unscrewing the adjustment at the bottom and taking the spring out?
I had this problem with mine when I first got it. The most effective fix is to completely replace the Rudder cams by drilling out the rivets holding them, pulling the ball and spring out and cleaning them thoroughly and then replacing everything. if the cams are in good shape then you can keep them but if they are cracked at all or severely worn then I recommend getting some new ones. ... However if you don't want to go to all this trouble the quick fix is a simple flat head screw driver. Insert it between the ball and the cam and press the ball down so you can rotate the cam into the Rudders down position. this has always worked for me when my cams over rotated or were just plain stuck. but usually if it happens once it will happen again so it is best to do some preventive maintenance and just bite the bullet and do it.. if you have the right tools then taking apart both cam systems and cleaning them should only take about an hour.
Thanks for the info. I'll give the flathead trick a try tonight. I am curious though, why the cam doesn't pop up with pressure. If the cams are rotated all the way back towards the rudders, is this the rudder lock down position? If it is, I would think they should pop up if you applied pressure as I was doing. Otherwise, I can't see how the cams would pop up when the rudders hit the beach. It looks like there is a plastic screw underneath the rudder assembly. Is this to control the pressure on the ball? I will probably attempt the rebuild / cleaning as you suggested, but it would be good to have a nice diagam of the whole thing before I start. Are there any good links to this type of thing? I found some old assembly manuals online, but they didn't explain the workings of the locking system very well. I have an 81, and the rudder assembly looks original.
The reason it seems hard to flip back up is the difference in leverage. If you look at the length of the rudder and apply the distance vs force factor you would see that it really dosen't take much to rotate the cams. The best thing to have is a cat key that has the hook for the rudder cams. This makes it easier to rotate the cams when they have inadvertently rotated (especially when you are out on the water)
Clayton
you really don't need a diagram for fixing those things once you take it apart it is pretty clear how it all fits together.. it literally consists of 3 parts ... the cam... the tension ball and the tension spring. spring and ball go in the hole... cam goes on top you will see when it is cleaned, and trust me it will pop back when your rudders hit the beach, it may even pop back when you hit some seaweed or floating debris.. the cat key is a handy tool if you can get your hands on one but once I got mine all cleaned they worked without any problem. ... the little plastic screw underneath the tension spring is to adjust that tension but I have never had to use it the amount it is able to move is so minimal that it never did any good. anyway... good luck.
Last year I picked up a tip that has worked out very well. Just cut the tip, about 3/8 inch off the leading edge of the upper part of the plastic cam. Locking the rudder back down is much faster, and the cam never catches in the up position.