I recently bought a 17' cc with an 88 spl Johnson. Teleflex rotary steering seemed a little binding at the center the one time I test drove it. I was going to try to free it up today and the helm completely let go while I was rotating the wheel and trying to decide what I should do to free it up a bit. (Better than next week on vacation.) I mean there was a snap and then the wheel rotated freely left or right as much as you wanted to spin it. I pulled the helm and couldn't get the cable to come out at all.
I removed the entire cable and helm assembly from the boat. I then took the helm apart despite the warnings. Two of the internal planetary gear posts broke off and all 3 of the planetary gears disintegrated. It's a pretty simple device, but cast zinc isn't exactly the most durable material IMHO. The motor was free, but the cable end was apparently binding at the motor. I cleaned that out thoroughly (a 20 guage shotgun cleaning brush fits perfectly) and it should be ready for the new installation. Any tips on how to hone it internally would be appreciated.
Lubrication seems to be an ongoing issue with these things. Is there a way to install a zerk fitting or 2 on the motors pivot sleeve to keep the rod properly lubed?( The sleeve has zerks for the pivot mounts, but not through to the rod.)
I'm considering not replacing the cable since the whole helm and cable was done only 3 years ago. It all looks good at the motor and helm ends. The cable housing looks very good. If I keep the current cable, I can go with either the 4.2 or 3.0 turn helm. I'm not sure what I had, but it was 9 teeth on the center hub shaft and 33 on the outer rim. Since the planetaries are toast. I didn't count them. (If someone knows the ratio combos, I could probably piece one of the planetaries together to figure the final formula for gear ratio.)
The 3.0 helm is a few bucks cheaper and gives faster steering. On the other hand, it doesn't have the motor turning power of the 4.2. Given that I have a free turning 88HP motor, is the 3.0 good enough, or is the added leverage of the 4.2 a better choice? (Probably stronger.)
There's also 2 mounting points on the engine for the rod that goes from the end of the steering rod to the motor. Mine was in the hold closer to the motor. It seems if it was in the onw farther away, there would also be more leverage applied to the motor. Although that would "slow up" the steering some.
Time is an issue for me, I need it here on Thursday, so internet and mail order may be completely out. The difference in price locally at West between the 3.0 helm only and the 3.0 kit is $95.
Since my cable is OK, I could probably sell it on eBay. Then I could just buy the whole helm and cable kit. That got me thinking about possibly going from the rotary to a rack and pinion. Hopefully, that is stronger than the rotary. Anyone know for sure?. It should be a lot simpler design. Is a rack better than rotary?
Clearance can be an issue with a rack. I haven't found anything on Teleflex website to determine how much room I need. I have a 3' wide by 2' deep center console with the wheel centered in the console. The cable goes to starboard and down from that point. How long is the rack overall and how long on each side of the helm center?
Any help or ideas is greatly appreciated.
LC
I removed the entire cable and helm assembly from the boat. I then took the helm apart despite the warnings. Two of the internal planetary gear posts broke off and all 3 of the planetary gears disintegrated. It's a pretty simple device, but cast zinc isn't exactly the most durable material IMHO. The motor was free, but the cable end was apparently binding at the motor. I cleaned that out thoroughly (a 20 guage shotgun cleaning brush fits perfectly) and it should be ready for the new installation. Any tips on how to hone it internally would be appreciated.
Lubrication seems to be an ongoing issue with these things. Is there a way to install a zerk fitting or 2 on the motors pivot sleeve to keep the rod properly lubed?( The sleeve has zerks for the pivot mounts, but not through to the rod.)
I'm considering not replacing the cable since the whole helm and cable was done only 3 years ago. It all looks good at the motor and helm ends. The cable housing looks very good. If I keep the current cable, I can go with either the 4.2 or 3.0 turn helm. I'm not sure what I had, but it was 9 teeth on the center hub shaft and 33 on the outer rim. Since the planetaries are toast. I didn't count them. (If someone knows the ratio combos, I could probably piece one of the planetaries together to figure the final formula for gear ratio.)
The 3.0 helm is a few bucks cheaper and gives faster steering. On the other hand, it doesn't have the motor turning power of the 4.2. Given that I have a free turning 88HP motor, is the 3.0 good enough, or is the added leverage of the 4.2 a better choice? (Probably stronger.)
There's also 2 mounting points on the engine for the rod that goes from the end of the steering rod to the motor. Mine was in the hold closer to the motor. It seems if it was in the onw farther away, there would also be more leverage applied to the motor. Although that would "slow up" the steering some.
Time is an issue for me, I need it here on Thursday, so internet and mail order may be completely out. The difference in price locally at West between the 3.0 helm only and the 3.0 kit is $95.
Since my cable is OK, I could probably sell it on eBay. Then I could just buy the whole helm and cable kit. That got me thinking about possibly going from the rotary to a rack and pinion. Hopefully, that is stronger than the rotary. Anyone know for sure?. It should be a lot simpler design. Is a rack better than rotary?
Clearance can be an issue with a rack. I haven't found anything on Teleflex website to determine how much room I need. I have a 3' wide by 2' deep center console with the wheel centered in the console. The cable goes to starboard and down from that point. How long is the rack overall and how long on each side of the helm center?
Any help or ideas is greatly appreciated.
LC