Squeaky Wheels

[FunCo]

I see some post of other people with squeaky wheels but no real answer given for the problem. I thought maybe I could find a Beneteau owner with similar problem. I have a 2012 46' with double wheels. The boat is 4 years old and the wheels have been squeaking for 3 1/2 yrs. I talk to Beneteau and was told "Most do squeak and it is what it is" Hell of an answer.
Well if it did not squeak for the first 6 months it tells me that there is an answer. Any Beneteau owners have this problem. I did a jump from Cape Canaveral to Cape Fear recently and it was a good thing I had Sirius, I blasted 80's music the entire trip to cancel out the squeaking noise.

 

[Kermit]

70's music would have been better. However, I always thought squeaky wheels got the grease. Would this not apply?

 

[Roadking Larry]

Something, somewhere needs lubricated. I'd start with a can of spray silicone lube and start hitting and possible friction points.

 

[rockingham]

You may have to hire a five year old to get into some of the recesses involved but something moving over something else is rubbing. sounds obvious but rather than go deaf, taking the time to trace every moving part is what it will take. Even delrin can squeak if pinched hard enough, it may even be the stretch of ss cable steering cables over sheaves that are the problem. Emu oil or lanolin are good lubes to keep in mind. Shame on Beneteau for their reply. I have a friend that actually used a stethoscope to locate the general area of the squeak. Good luck, and quiet sailing.

 

[Peoplevalue]

You are not alone, I have a Dufour 425 GL with exactly the same problem. Drives you nuts when on auto helm. Mine seems to get worse when the wind gets up. Under light conditions/loads she is as quiet as a church mouse during communion. I am planning to take all the inspection houses off and give a good liberal squirt with silicone lube when next down. I will report back.

 

[seabair]

I had a similar problem on a single wheel setup. I am not sure if the dual wheel has the same structure. For the single wheel, I pulled the compass to access the main gears immediately below the compass, and applied heavy lithium grease (gear lubrication) to the horizontal gears. Have not had an issue since. I do not recommend any type of spray on lubrication for this particular application - it tends to attract dirt and dust particulars and will ultimately make the problem worse.

 

[Bkrisko1]

Are you talking about the twin helm wheels? If so, you have to get to the steering shaft bushings inside the binnacles, and lube them with waterproof grease. Be carful not to get any grease on the helm locks. It could also be the plastic bushing where the shaft exits the helm and attaches to the back of the wheels.

 

[william24424]

Thought I'd mention..

*** Make sure that the steering lock is completely disengaged. On my boat it's a screw on the side of the pedestal, if it's not unscrewed all the way it would squeak...

 

[gregpallen]

Lubrication Won't Do It

I also struggled with this issue on a single wheel 2012 Hunter e36 with a Lewmar pedestal. Dealer tried all kinds of fancy lubes to no avail. Finally lewmar agreed to replace the entire pedestal which I was not particularly happy about since all my electronics would have to be disconnected and reconnected (to the same wire) another low probability event in my opinion.

Anyway, a local sailor suggested I check the cable tension and suggested I should have between a 1/4 and 1/2 inch play in the middle of the cable run. Mine was banjo string tight so I loosened the cable tension to give me about 3/8 inch play. The annoying squeak disappeared, the steering feel is now much improved, the autopilot does not have to work so hard and did not not have to replace the pedestal.

 

[Bob7307]

autohelm squeak

I see some post of other people with squeaky wheels but no real answer given for the problem. I thought maybe I could find a Beneteau owner with similar problem. I have a 2012 46' with double wheels. The boat is 4 years old and the wheels have been squeaking for 3 1/2 yrs. I talk to Beneteau and was told "Most do squeak and it is what it is" Hell of an answer.
Well if it did not squeak for the first 6 months it tells me that there is an answer. Any Beneteau owners have this problem. I did a jump from Cape Canaveral to Cape Fear recently and it was a good thing I had Sirius, I blasted 80's music the entire trip to cancel out the squeaking noise.

I have a b311 with a squeaky wheel. My boatyard says it is the rubber belt inside the autohelm. Lube will ruin it. Fix it by slight loosening of the belt and flush often with fresh water through access opening on revers side of wheel. This is not a complete fix but helps some.

 

[mjenkins2]

Re: Squeaky wheel

I had a similar issue on my 2007 B373 w/ a single wheel. Agreed it will drive you crazy, and shame on a manufacturer rep or a yard that says noise is normal. My issue turned out to be the idler sheaves which route the steel cables back to the quadrant. On my boat, access to them is from the aft berth. There is a wood panel in the ceiling of the berth, directly below the helm pedestal. A few screws removed and the sheaves are right there. A couple shots of a dry lubricant and the silence was deafening. Note the issue was not the cable on the sheave, but the central bushing surface of the sheave itself. 2 seasons later all is still quiet. Good luck.

 

[rickbogh]

Over tensioning the cables was the cause on my 411. It's a compromise between a no-play steering touch vs. some squeak. I like a stiff wheel, but hate the squeaks, so it's white lithium grease and a set of wrenches that you'll need. Ditto on not using spray lube.

 

[BrianH]

Hmmm...

I have a saying I use at work about employees. The squeaky wheel may indeed get the grease but if you grease it and it still squeaks, you replace it.

 

[Gunni]

Doing a complete steering system inspection, adjustment and lube is an important yearly maintenance task. Unless you really don't care if your boat has reliable steering. That is how you find the worn, squeaky parts. We had a steering cable part on a charter boat years ago and the resulting fire drill reinforced how critical regular maintenance is to having a good day sailing.

 

[Tipster1947]

Very general answer is that when things defy lubrication, alignment is such that there is absolutely no room in joint or interface for lubricant. Even a simple door hinge will squeak forever if tabs through which pin passes are mis-aligned so that lubricant is forced out. You may get relief for a short time, but then, it will return. Suggest inspection with this principle in mind.
GregPallen's suggestion reflects this principle.

 

[ALNims]

Re: Lubrication Won't Do It

Sounds like a well thought solution and simple one too. It is amazing that the manufacturer was unaware of this.

 

[DougM]

Squeak problem on my 323 was sourced to the Goiot wheel shaft itself. I tried spray lube from the outside to no avail.
Resolved by removing the compass from the pedestal and greasing the shaft.

It had nothing to do with the linkage or the autopilot, which on my boat is not a wheel pilot.

 

[Spindrift (Canada)]

In my case (2002 Beneteau 361) that annoying squeak turned out to be the pintles (axles?) of the pulleys that lead the steering cable from the helm to the rudder post. A liberal application of white lithium grease fixed it. As others have noted, you get at the pulleys by dropping the panel on the ceiling of the stern berth. I had tried lubricating everything else to no avail.