Rack and Pinion Steering binding

[Texasmark]

Searched and only found 2 posts on the topic but not the exact answer. <br />--------------------<br />Lengthy, but needs to be to fill you in on the facts to get at the best answer. Sorry<br />--------------------<br />Have a newly purchased bass boat that has a Teleflex rack and pinion steering; 12' cable. I have had the thing apart and everything moves freely except the cable.<br /><br />Trying to understand the problem on a boat manufactured in 1999 but put to use in freshwater only in 2003; maybe 100 hrs on the thing and was kept covered or in a barn.<br /><br />The cable has a nice smooth sweep at the helm (center of wheel about 24" from side of boat where cable runs) runs under some bulkheads and things as it goes toward the engine with a couple of slight S curves and emerges smoothly (underneath the deck) thru a hole in the deck about 8-10 inches from the Merc clamp bracket. At the clamp bracket interface, the cable routing is not perfectly straight. <br /><br />The engine is jacked up 1" off the transom top and the cable emerges from under the deck at the top of the transom (bass boat with rear deck, has straight across transom top, no dips where the engine mounts). If the engine were mounted flat on the transom, the cable would be straight at the interface. Don't think dropping the engine is an option. <br /><br />So I have about a 1" variation (curve) over 8-10 inches as a POSSIBLE source of the problem. I have moved the cable around trying to see if there is a kink in it or something to no avail. I have shot lube into both ends as best I can till I'm blue in the face.<br /><br />If it helps, it works acceptably well from center position to full in (at the engine clamp bracket where the rod to the engine connects).<br /><br />It's when it goes from center to full out is where it binds.....and the binding is so bad it takes 2 hands of mine to turn it and I'm a big guy.<br /><br />Trying to load on a trailer in a crosswind is a joke.<br /><br />Got a couple more questions I'll put on a different topic input.<br /><br />Thanks for your help,<br /><br />Mark