Stuck steering, need advice

[2ndtry]

Hi.

19' deckboat, 140 hp OB, Teleflex single cable NFB.

The wheel sticks at a single point in the rotation, it now takes two hands to get it past the sticking point. I am fairly confident the problem is at the helm, I have greased the motor pivot and the cable and it didn't help. The helm unit has warnings on it not to open it (no user seviceable parts), so I haven't opened it up to take a take a look.

Any thoughts on what tests to run before I just replace the whole system? Can you replace the helm unit without having to replace the cable? And finally, I think I am at the max OB for a single cable, if it does have to be replaced should I (can I) use a duel cable or even go for hydraulic?

Lots of questions, thanks in advance!

 

[ufm82]

Re: Stuck steering, need advice

I believe you have a bad spot on the cable itself. Is it a rack system or round helm? If you take the two bolts that hold the cable in the helm you can take it out and inspect the end- I'll bet there is a section messed up and that is what is catching in the gear in the helm.
No reason to go to a dual cable unless that deck boat can run over 50 mph. The two cable systems are more for engine control than holding up to horsepower. You can adjust the two cables to eliminate "flutter" on a high-hp application. That's slop that is there in a single cable system. However, unless you are buzzing across the lake at high speed the dual cable system is overkill for you.
Don't waste the money on hydraulic. You'd want to go with a Sea Star system for that engine- despite teleflex's ads the Baystar will disappoint you at that hp. Trust me. And I don't think you'll want to spend $800 on Seastar when a $200 NFB system will do just fine. SS147 should do the job just fine if you want to round helm style. Go to www.surplusunlimited.com for the cheapest price I've found on the system.

UFM82

 

[rlb9844]

Re: Stuck steering, need advice

Try taking the cable lose from the helm and see if it still sticks. NFB system could be a clutch sticking in the helm.

 

[2ndtry]

Re: Stuck steering, need advice

Well, I followed the advice here and determined it was not the cable or motor, so I ordered a new helm unit. When I went to replace the helm, after I got off the steering wheel and bezel I found a loose hex bolt on the tilt mechanism (yeah, I forgot it was a tilt in the original question). Long story short, I tightened the bolt and everything is fine now.

Stupid on my part, but I did try at different tilt positions and no difference, so I just assumed bad clutch. Hopefully all is well that ends well.