Installing new steering cable...advice please

[hokiepoq]

I'm installing a replacement steering cable onto my 1988 115hp Mercury Outboard. The cable is a teleflex 4.2nfb. I'm trying to put the long bar end of the cable into the right hole in the outboard bracket and having a devil of a time getting it through. I've tried beating it with a hammer holding the end with channel locks and have made some progress albeit slowly. I've gotten it about 80% of the way, but I seem to be at an impass and it doesn't want to move anymore no matter hard I try. Is there some trick to this? I knew it would be a tight fit, but this is crazy. Any tricks or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[andy6374]

Re: Installing new steering cable...advice please

There is usually tons of old, bad, clumpy grease in there. It can make it very hard. You should have tried cleaning out the tilt tube first before inserting the steering cable. Can you pull it back out? If you have it 80% of the way in then, if you turn the wheel it should poke the thick end of the steering cable out the other side. Spray it will carb cleaner and get all that old crap off. Keep pushing the cable in and out, cleaning off the old crap. Then finally start lubing the cable up with lots of 2-4C grease.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Installing new steering cable...advice please

get that cable out of there and clean the tilt tube, or you are wasting your time and money. you may have to take a dowel and tap it out of the open end. sometimes you have to remove the engine from the transom to get them in.