my steering is backwards on pontoon?????

[qcboat]

Just bought what is quickly becoming "Davids folly" - one problem after the other - I wondered why the man that sold it to me was sweating so much....Grin!!!

Any HOO-- I take it out on the river this weekend and son of a gun I am having trouble getting it off the dock. I assumed that it I was because it is a 24' pontoon' and that it is handling different than my 17' ski boat. --- But after I get it out in the river .....I figure out that its not me but the steering is backwards. I have a teleflex safe-t steering system. - So do I have the wrong gear box? I check online and I don't' see that there are RH or LH kind of steering but I do notice that there is an older box that allows you to thread the steering cable in from either side allowing the steering to be changed ( I think) What do I do?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: my steering is bacwards on pontoon?????

Re: my steering is bacwards on pontoon?????

Was the cable recently replaced? And are you sure it is actually steering wrong. Turning the wheel to the right makes the front of the motor point left which is correct. If the front of the motor points right as you turn the wheel right, then the cable is in the wrong port on the steering box.

 

[arks]

Re: my steering is bacwards on pontoon?????

Re: my steering is bacwards on pontoon?????

Many years ago I had this happen after servicing my steering. It sure made for an "interesting" day at the lake!
I had re-installed the steering box on the wrong side of the shaft. Once I figured it out, it only took 5 mimutes to switch it around. That boat was a 1976 model and it sounds like the same setup you have. Teleflex should've indexed the parts so they could only go together 1 way, or at least labelled the appropriate parts "RIGHT" or "LEFT".

 

[qcboat]

Re: my steering is backwards on pontoon?????

Thanks to both of you for the replies - Silvertip AND arks! here is the problem - I don't see any way that the gear box could be switched. You can only install the cable going one way ( if under console looking up and back of steering wheel it threads in on the left with excess coming out of right side of gear box-grin! does that make sense? ) There is only one threaded end for the cable to hook up to. The other end has no attachment. This makes me wonder if The entire cable has to be threaded under neath and across the boat and down the other side to the boat motor to cross the steering ( Hmmm, not even sure that would work)
Silvertip-- I just ran out side and checked like you said and is backwards - I turn the wheel right the front of the motor turns right hence turning boat left - Make for one heck of a mind mess when you are trying to dock:redface: You said--If the front of the motor points right as you turn the wheel right, then the cable is in the wrong port on the steering box. - What is the "port" that you are talking about on the steering box?
Thanks for you all for taking time to give me some direction!!!!
D and D

 

[Silvertip]

Re: my steering is backwards on pontoon?????

If your helm (steering box) looks like this, the cable can go into either port. If you put it in the bottom port, turning the wheel right PULLS the cable. If you put it in the top port, turning right PUSHES the cable. It would help us if we knew which exact Teleflex product you had. Your problem is the cable attachment at the helm. It can't be anywhere else and NO -- the cable does not attach to the engine on the other side.

 

[5150abf]

Re: my steering is backwards on pontoon?????

i have a Teleflex too and the goes in and comes out on the right side of the box, it comes in at the bottom and comes out at the top, if you were to put the cable in at the top would steer backwards.

I remember having that happen but can't remember how I fixxed it but it was an unwelcome suprise.

You can't possibly screw up the motor end as it will only go one way btu I would think the steering box end is backwards.

 

[qcboat]

Re: my steering is backwards on pontoon?????

Thanks again for the pointers, guys - Silvertip, the gear box you show is what I found on line and it is called "old style" . I deduced as well that this box would work since it screws in from both sides. What I have is the newer version(?) with only threads on the left side. Are you recommending that I purchase another box like you have shown? I took the steering wheel off and unbolted the gear box from dash yesterday and cannot see any other way for the unit to work. So if I need to purchase another one, I'll do that --remember I think I?m going to name this 'toon - DAVIDS FOLLY But what interests me at this point is what makes my set up different from other set ups. 1. most boats have their steering console on the right side of the boat (starboard - right?) 2. All cables would run down the right side to the motor
3. I think all motors have the same ---Do you call it a rack and pinion? -- apparatus for mounting up to the motor for control. So what make mine different??

 

[Silvertip]

Re: my steering is backwards on pontoon?????

Now you are confusing me with right and left. Am I correct in that the cable runs down the starboard side of the boat? If that's the case, then does it enter the box on the right (starboard) side of the box when you are looking at the wheel from the drivers seat?

We have no idea what you have unless you show as a picture or copy a link to a web page so we can see what box you have. Does this look familiar to you?

http://www.teleflexmarine.com/library/A4pics/usa-rack-2.jpg

No -- I'm not saying you need a new box. I posted that picture to see if that's what you had. There is no reason what you have shouldn't work. But you need to think about what happens in the box. Looking at my picture, if a cable goes into the box in the top port, turning the wheel to the right turns the gear to the right but the cable will be pulled. Putting the cable in the bottom port reverses that action.

Which side of your box does the cable go into -- right or left? I can't imagine it goes into the left side but people do strange things when they don't know what they are doing.

Finally, here is a link to the Teleflex Instruction manuals. You will have to look at what you have. I simply can't believe the link rod at the engine is hooked up wrong as that is about as much a no-brainer as possible but again, people do strange things.

http://www.teleflexmarine.com/cgi-bin/library.cgi?site=steering&type=us&library=1018

 

[qcboat]

Re: my steering is backwards on pontoon?????

Ahh, silvertip, We figured out what was going on. There is an adapter that I purchased that goes on the other side of the steering box giving me the ability to "screw" in the steering cable from the other side. It just popped right in and i re threaded the cable and Viola! I had the correct steering that I so desperately needed. - I don't know why teleflex changed the way the built these boxes - because the old style would work just fine - my guess is it was a way to add another 25.00 to the purchase price for the adapter. Thanks for your help and time you put in to your replies!!!!

 

[mthieme]

Re: my steering is backwards on pontoon?????

I had this happen once with an old cable and pulley type steering...damn near ran into a pier! Lesson learned - always make sure the cable is on top of the wheel!