Changing steering cable

[reelfishin]

I have to change the steering cable on one of my outboard boats, it froze up over the winter, and is at least 30 years old.
My question is, what do I need to know to order a new one?
Are all cables the same, just different in length?
I have a few that are the correct length, but they are OEM replacements for a Searay with a Stern drive, if the length is correct, will they work on an outboard motor application?

The steering wheel box is different on both boats, the one has a long straight box, and the other has a horshoe shaped box, but both are single cable units.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Changing steering cable

sound like you have a rack system and a rotary system. the cable don't interchange. should be a number stamped on the black seath. here's the differences, top is rotary steering , bottom is rack steering.

 

[John_S]

Re: Changing steering cable

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8

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: Changing steering cable

Which is better? Rack or Rotary?

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Changing steering cable

The one in the boat is like the top pic, rotary system. I have the rack style steering box too, but what concerns me is that that boat had some sort of power assist steering, I don't know if the cable would be the same on the engine end?

I am working on removing the old cable, it appears to have been glassed in part way, there's a small tube section that it passes though inside the gunwale at each end, they used a carboard tube then covered it all with fiberglass. It's not going to be a fun job to get it out. I considered cutting it off and leaving it, but at the front, the cable has to pass through that area, no choice, otherwise it would have too sharp of a bend.

 

[mikesea]

Re: Changing steering cable

Im not familiar wih a power assist on a cable system,not to say it wasn't done.Many of the larger boats have gone to hydraulic steering.But its big bucks.I would suggest you consider putting a whole new system. Teleflex sells a new system for not a whole bunch more than a cable would cost.The helms do start to wear over time and if your cable was going,it may have worn the help too. I have used what is called the NO FEEDBACK system.It has an additional gear which,1)helps greatly turning a wheel with a long cable ,2)the torque of the engine has no effect,so you dont have to fight the wheel from wanting to turn at higher speeds.If you need to reroute the cable ,then do so,its been done before,if you can get a rotary cutter wheel to cut up the cable in pieces it will help the job go easier,start at one end,and cut it ,then try and break the cable free from the glass pulling prying what ever,its a smooth plastic jacket ,so the glass has little strength on it,if you can pull enough to cut ,then move to next section,the newer cables dont have a nut at the helm,this make routing it easier than in the past,start at the stern you will need to keep the cable end protected ,it has a temporary cover on it,be sure to tape it for extra precaution.Have a helper,it will need help to fish it through.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Changing steering cable

i personally prefer the rotary over the rack sysytem, easier to maintain, install, change the cable. they also take about 1/2 the space under the console. i managed to get rotary in my 18" console where the rack would never go.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Changing steering cable

Reel, A cable for an I/O will generally work on an outboard.

Is your cable corroded into the tilt tube on the outboard? That is usually what happens. If so the cable may still be good. If you loosen the big nut on the starboard side of the tilt tube and turn the wheel, does the cable move? If so the cable is good, and you need to loosen it from the corrosion.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Changing steering cable

The cable is broke off at the nut, I don't have the original motor, someone already had removed it and it looks like they forgot to remove the steering cable or couldn't get it out of the motor. It's rusted solid at the end. I did see a few complete kits that even come with a new wheel, I'll probably go that route once I get the old one out and figure out the length I need. It's been raining here and cold the last few days, so I haven't been out there messing with it.