Steering adjustment on a 1992 Merc

[Chrsamss]

I Just bought a 1992 boat with a 1992 Merc, When steering to the starboard side it becomes very hard to turn all the way (piston all the way out) . I made a few adjustments with the locknut and on land it seemed to work. However when I am underway the steering (to that side) becomes very hard again.

Does anyone have any ideas to free up the steering on that one side? When pulling the piston in it is fine, It is only when the piston is 3/4 of the way into the sleeve that it becomes difficult

Any help would be appreciated!

I have greased all of the fittings

 

[j_martin]

Re: Steering adjustment on a 1992 Merc

Steering cable lubrication failure. The slight starboard torque of the engine frees the cable when going to starboard, and pushed it against the dry casing going to port.

1. They get water and other debris in them
2. Grease is detrimental to them. (From the mouth of Teleflex)

Teleflex fix is to replace the cable. (for me, dual rack, 300 bucks or so)

My fix ---->

http://forums.screamandfly.com/forums/showthread.php?t=188864

I can now steer mine with the palm of my hand, and thats dual cables adjusted to zero lash.

Scroll down through the thread. I ended up making a tool from common plumbing parts, at a cost of about $20.00 I spent that much on SeaFoam.

hope it helps
John

 

[Chrsamss]

Re: Steering adjustment on a 1992 Merc

Thank you for the info.
Just so I have this correct.

You disconnected the cable at the motor and the helm, and then from the motor side you flushed it with Dexron Tranny fluid until it dripped out of the helm, then, with your rig and compressed air, you put 10w30 synthetic oil into the cable. Did you let the 10w30 drain out before connecting the cables back up?

Thank you for the help

Chris

 

[j_martin]

Re: Steering adjustment on a 1992 Merc

Thank you for the info.
Just so I have this correct.

You disconnected the cable at the motor and the helm, and then from the motor side you flushed it with Dexron Tranny fluid until it dripped out of the helm, then, with your rig and compressed air, you put 10w30 synthetic oil into the cable. Did you let the 10w30 drain out before connecting the cables back up?

Thank you for the help

Chris

That thread is a composite of folks talking, and some doing. You really have to sort it out. Basically we experimented and brainstormed together and came up with solutions.

Success is achieved by forcing a really thin penetrant through the dirty cable. I and others used SeaFoam successfully. I suspect WD40 might work, but it might be too heavy. When the cable starts to clean up, an ounce a minute or so will go through at 120 PSI. I flushed it 3 times. If you can move the cable while the pressure is on, it helps break up the contamination.

Then you load up the tube with the lubricant. I used 5w30 full detergent (wally-world) motor oil. It takes 10 - 20 minutes for any oil to show up in the drain pan at 120 PSI. Then it's lubed. Don't force the oil out with air pressure. Leave it in the cable as lubricant.

You need a light lube with a fairly high film strength. If I wind up doing this again, I think I will try Alisyn 0W gear lube. The motor oil seems to work fine. We'll see what the life of it is.

Some made their aparatus from a piece of tilt tube welded to a piece of 3/4 in pipe. I found a 3/4 inch flare fitting had the right thread, and by drilling it out, and counterboring it slightly with a step drill, I got a metal to metal thin edge oil-tight seal at the cable. To that I added a FPT to 3/4 copper adapter, a couple feet of 3/4 inch copper pipe, a 3/4 copper to 1/2 in FPT adapter, a 1/2 - 1/4 in threaded bushing, and an air fitting.

Some used a T and a plug to introduce the fluid. I chose to combine the plug and the air fitting.

I had thought about making an adapter that would go right onto the tilt tube on the motor, but decided not to because most of your steering contamination is in the tilt tube. You really need to disconnect the cable, even if it means swinging the engine, and seperately clean out the tilt tube.

Likewise, clean as much crap off the rod end of the steering cable as you can before you force penetrant through the cable. Just less stuff that has to go through that tight space.

hope it helps
John

 

[Chrsamss]

Re: Steering adjustment on a 1992 Merc

Thanks for the help.

Last night I tried to disconnect the steering at the motor and the helm.

At the motor the nut on the opposite end loosened, now I can not figure out how to disconnect the cable with out the cylinder spinning....Any tricks? with out haveing to take the motor off?

At the helm I was able to easily take off the extension tube but as for the line coming into the spindle It would not come out. There is only a pin to take out, there are no screws?

any help would be appreciated

Thanks
Chris

 

[j_martin]

Re: Steering adjustment on a 1992 Merc

Thanks for the help.

Last night I tried to disconnect the steering at the motor and the helm.

At the motor the nut on the opposite end loosened, now I can not figure out how to disconnect the cable with out the cylinder spinning....Any tricks? with out haveing to take the motor off?

At the helm I was able to easily take off the extension tube but as for the line coming into the spindle It would not come out. There is only a pin to take out, there are no screws?

any help would be appreciated

Thanks
Chris

Tighten the steering tube nuts back up, then find the lightest wrench you have that will fit the cable nut. Beat on the wrench with a smallish (8 oz) ball peen hammer. What you are trying to do is impact the nut loose using the inertia of the tube for resistance. If it's possible to get a pipe wrench or water pump pliers on the tube, that may help, but be carefull. It only takes a few thousanths of "squish" to ruin the tube.

The cable has to come straight out of the motor for the length of the rod at whatever position it's in. (full port is shortest) If you can't get that much slack after the last bend in the cable, you'll have to hang the engine. Usually that's the case.

There's a sticky FAQ on this site about installing drum cables. That should answer your other questions.

Maybe one of the old salts has a suggestion.

hope it helps
John

 

[Chrsamss]

Re: Steering adjustment on a 1992 Merc

Thank you, I will give it a try tonight.....as long as the rain holds off

Chris

 

[Chrsamss]

Re: Steering adjustment on a 1992 Merc

Good directions.....I got the bolt off!!

Now my problem is that I could not get the wire/rod out of the sleeve. It feels like I am missing a bolt. Even tapped the rod end with a hammer and it did not move.

Do you have another trick up or sleeve?

Thanks

 

[j_martin]

Re: Steering adjustment on a 1992 Merc

Good directions.....I got the bolt off!!

Now my problem is that I could not get the wire/rod out of the sleeve. It feels like I am missing a bolt. Even tapped the rod end with a hammer and it did not move.

Do you have another trick up or sleeve?

Thanks

If your steering wasn't completely frozen, it should be free enough to be driven out.

Be careful with the hammer. There's only a few thousanths clearance in the tilt tube when it's clean and in good order. If you mushroom the end of the cable, it won't go through.

FYI, the grease fitting on the tilt tube doesn't put any grease in the steering, nor should it. Dried up grease and crud in the tilt tube usually most of the problem with stiff or stuck steering. The entrance is the dried up, cracked, old and decrepit o-ring in the end of the tilt tube that's supposed to seal the steering.

The only thing holding the position of the steering rod in the sleeve is the cable nut on the cable end, fastening it to the sleeve, and the position of the cable itself as controlled by the helm.

All that said, penetrants, and gentle (impact) persuasion will eventually get it out.

hope it helps
John

 

[j_martin]

Re: Steering adjustment on a 1992 Merc

Any Progress?

 

[Chrsamss]

Re: Steering adjustment on a 1992 Merc

Still no luck ......I sprayed a bunch of BB Blasters and I am going to let it sit for a day or so, hopefully it will break up some gunk.

Thanks for the help

 

[Chrsamss]

Re: Steering adjustment on a 1992 Merc

Hi,

Question for you:

The rod that moves in and out of the sleeve that moves the engine (on the opposite side of the cable connection), does that slide through the sleeve and out with the cable?

I was able to free the cable up and was sliding it out of the sleeve, however the rod did not move. There was another rod that the cable slid through. I was able to get it about 3/4 of the way out but then it would stop like it is hitting something or being held up.

I can spin the rod and it seems free but then stops.....is there buildup of crap holding the rod in place?


Thank you for the help

 

[j_martin]

Re: Steering adjustment on a 1992 Merc

Hi,

Question for you:

The rod that moves in and out of the sleeve that moves the engine (on the opposite side of the cable connection), does that slide through the sleeve and out with the cable?

I was able to free the cable up and was sliding it out of the sleeve, however the rod did not move. There was another rod that the cable slid through. I was able to get it about 3/4 of the way out but then it would stop like it is hitting something or being held up.

I can spin the rod and it seems free but then stops.....is there buildup of crap holding the rod in place?


Thank you for the help

Odds are the rod is bent, or has vise grip marks on it, or the end is swaged.

The clearance is only a few thousanth's of an inch under normal conditions, so it doesn't take much to freeze it up.

What you do depends on what the actual problem is.

hope it helps
John