teleflex steering loose ?

[canman]

hi everyone , my steering seems to be loose turning the boat to the right , i have the trim tab adjusted has far as it will go to stop this , but that does not seem to help going fast or slow , is there some type of adjustment under the dash that i can tighten up abit ? . thanks .

 

[louiefl]

Re: teleflex steering loose ?

Not very familiar with their rack system, but on the rotary helms (most outboards) there is no adjustment. Inside the helm is a worm gear that meshes with the spiral wound cable. Either the helm gear teeth or the cable winding are worn. Assuming outboard, there is a link connecting the engine, you might check to see if that is tight. If it is loose only turning right, that portion of the cable could be worn. Yoiu can easily remove the cable from the help to inspect, tell us the motor type and if you have a rack (long skinny housing under the steering wheel) or a rotary steering helm (round-ish casting).

 

[canman]

Re: teleflex steering loose ?

hi , it is a round casting with the cable going in the bottom and a smaller tube at the top , not sure what is for . the motor is a 1996 merc 115 hp . thanks

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: teleflex steering loose ?

Rack steering is direct feedback steering. The trim tab is adjusted to fight that feedback at speed (WOT). Have you tried moving the tab the opposite way? Many people get that confused.

Is this a new boat to you? Is this a brand new problem?

If it's a new problem you might have worn steering.

The only adjustment on a Rack steering system if to insure all four bolts are tight and even. Are you missing a bolt or are they loose?

Look at this tab adjustment chart here http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=207276

 

[canman]

Re: teleflex steering loose ?

hi , the boat had this problem when i got it , i checked under the dash ev erything is tight , i have the front of the tab turned in the direction it is pulling . that does not help . i have emailed teleflex and see what they have to say . thanks .

 

[louiefl]

Re: teleflex steering loose ?

The back of the tab should be in the direction it is pulling - it is counter intuitive. Start at straight astern and then start rotating it so the rear moves towards the direction of the pull one step at a time. The amount of pull will vary with engine speed so do your adjustments at your normal cruising speed.

The round casting / outboard combo is a rotary helm. No adjustments other than making sure the helm is secure to the bracket, bracket is tight to console, and steering arm is tight (back off nut half turn) to the end of the steering cable ram. You could be ready for a new cable and / or helm. I'd recommend the teleflex NFB 4.2.