Another "steering is locked up" question

[dccordell]

My steering has been locked up in my boat since I got it. I've put off trying to fix it until now, since I had so many other things to fix/replace. It is the teleflex rack/pinion type. It seems I have the classic case of the cable end being stuck in the tube on the transom plate. So I loosened the coupling bolt and the cable will slide in and out of there just fine as I turn the steering wheel. So with the coupling bolt still loose, I took a dead-blow hammer and smacked the port end of the cable, trying to knock it free. Well, after many hit, it started to move but very little. I finally got it to move from within about 2" from going into the tube.

Other threads lead me to believe I can keep knocking the cable though the tube and all the way out the starboard side where it goes in. Then clean the tube and cable and grease it up real good and it should be good to go. Correct? And if so, Any suggestions as to what I could use to knock the cable all the way through the tube, such as a small metal rod or long brass punch?

On the starboard side of the cable where I loosened the coupling bolt, I noticed there was white grease that used to be on the cable, but now is just flaking off (dried up). Any way to prevent this in the future? Keep at the grease more often?

Thanks for the help.. I tried to get a lot done today but just ran into more problems!

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Another "steering is locked up" question

Stop beating immediatly, try to remove the tube with the cable, raise the cable end upward, apply hi heat(plumbers torch, etc.), add some penetrating oil, work cable free.
http://www.boatfix.com/merc/Techbk/97/97hs5.pdf

 

[wire2]

Re: Another "steering is locked up" question

"Dried white grease flakes" sounds like Lubriplate grease. It separates the oils from the solids after a while, leaving the dry flakes. I like the clear synthetic grease from Permatex. It's heat and water resistant, won't separate in time. A bit more $ but worth it.
As for getting the cable out of the tube, maybe apply some heat with a heat gun? Will expand the tube a bit. If you have a bit of movement now, keep steering back and forth, apple some penetrating oil or WD40 to the exposed ends every few times.

 

[dccordell]

Re: Another "steering is locked up" question

I was afraid to beat on it much, that's why I used the small dead-blow hammer. I had seen that PDF that you linked to, Bt, earlier and I did go through it, even though none of the steering types seem to match mine. I included a pic below, although I'm sure you already know what it looks like. But just to be clear, it appears that the tube is stuck on the far left (in the pic). I'm not sure how to remove the tube with the cable, without taking all of the nuts off that are on the tube. Is that what I need to do, remove the nuts and slide the whole thing out of the transom plate mounts? With the motor back in the boat, I'm not even sure if I can get to those darn nuts. The nuts I'm referring to are part 'b' in the pic. I did put some PB Blaster on it earlier, so maybe that will soak in before my next attempt.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Another "steering is locked up" question

nut"B'" goes all the way to the left as the tube moves to the right untill "B" threads off the tube.

 

[Don S]

Re: Another "steering is locked up" question

Remove the attaching nut, heat the aluminum tube and pull the steering cable end through the aluminum tube.
Once heated, tapping a wood dowel with a hammer, works great to help push the cable end through the aluminum tube.
Then clean all the corrosion out of the tube and off the cable end, lube it up and it should be good to go.

 

[honeys money]

Re: Another "steering is locked up" question

Mine was the same, but black flakes, had to scrape and use solvent to get it off, mine looked like stainlees steel, was hard to scratch, then greased her up, all good now.

 

[dccordell]

Re: Another "steering is locked up" question

Ok, sounds pretty straight forward. Thanks for the clarification on the nuts... that's how I figured it came off but wasn't sure.

Any tips on what would be good to clean the inside of the tube? Something like a mean pipe cleaner? I read one guy used a 12ga shotgun cleaner kit, but I don't have that. Maybe a rag soaked in PB or a solvent and wrapped around a small rod?

Thanks all for the help... glad I don't have to replace the cable to fix this.

 

[Don S]

Re: Another "steering is locked up" question

Any tips on what would be good to clean the inside of the tube?

Shot gun cleaning brush.

 

[dccordell]

Re: Another "steering is locked up" question

Well I finally got a chance to get back on this project yesterday... I had sprayed the thing with PB Blaster when I was first working it a few days ago, so it soaked in a little bit. Yesterday I got my dead blow hammer and tapped the cable end back through the tube, then used a brass punch that would fit inside the tube to tap it on the rest of the way through the tube until it popped out the other side. Cleaned it all up and greased it real good... it slid right on back through and now it works real nice and smooth. Couldn't be happier!

What is the best way to prevent this from happening again? I would hate to be doing this while the cap was back on the boat, very innaccessible. I'm thinking regularly applying grease to the cable end?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Another "steering is locked up" question

Before winter layup, get a handful of grease, a second person to move the steering wheel,
move cable all the way out, apply handful of grease, turn cable in all the way.Repeat a 2nd time.

 

[dccordell]

Re: Another "steering is locked up" question

Sounds easy enough... like a part of regular preventative maintenence.