Steering shot -aftermkt replacement

[inaforty]

I removed/installed our helm thru the glove box.

[Blue_Runner]

On the V21 you just climb down in the cuddy to take that puppy out. Piece o cake.

[summercooler1]

Have no glove box on this 88, so there is no acess to the steering helm. I have looked at other v-20's and I guess I will have to install a 8 inch round inspection plate or a door. The cherry picker in the garage and is waiting patiently to swing that Yamaha to remove the cable from the tilt tube which is already loose and ready to come out.Looks easy enouph. Should be in the water soon.Thanks for your help.

[sven]

I just fixed my overheat problem (missing washer, lowered water pump pressure). Now back to take the steering. Marina wants $488 to just pull the boat and unbolt motor and remove old steering rod and slap the new one in. Thats $288 laborer (2 x 144 per hr) and $10 per foot to pull it out for me. I came up with the idea of borrowing my friends engine hoist and doing it at the dock myself when hopefully nobodys looking. $500 lot a moollah for not that much work. We'll see what happens. The old rod seems to be a bit of a ***** to get out. I hammer it and it moves, but not much. Once i get a better angle of attack when I move the engine, Im sure I can bang the hell out of it and get it to slide through. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[macojoe]

Spray with PB Blaster a few times while you wait to get ready, also a propane torch will help!! When you get it in the tube use a old 1/2 extension to drive it the rest of the way out.

[summercooler1]

how are you making out with the steering, i am just out of the atlantic highlands.

[The Bottom Line]

so i am in the process of replacing my steering too due to it being very stiff. I spoke with a few people and one of them said that if i just grease the cable down near the engine i would be good to go. Is this just a temp fix and am i better off just replacing the whole cable and if so what size cable is needed for a 1989 v20? Summercooler1 i am out of atlantic highlands too. You have a slip there?

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by The Bottom Line

so i am in the process of replacing my steering too due to it being very stiff. I spoke with a few people and one of them said that if i just grease the cable down near the engine i would be good to go. Is this just a temp fix and am i better off just replacing the whole cable and if so what size cable is needed for a 1989 v20? Summercooler1 i am out of atlantic highlands too. You have a slip there?

No, it's called maintenance.. all moving parts need to be maintained. Greese, oil and attention are the lifebloods of machinery. If you free up your steering by simply greesing the bottom end then that was the problem. As to your question about is it a temp fix or not, that answer lies with the attention thingie... inspect the cable outer jacket carefully for any cuts, abraisions, etc. Any place that would allow water to pass thru and into the cable itself. If there are none then chances are the steering cable is fine and your greese fix will be a permanant one. If there is a cut in the cable jacket then you'll eventually need to replace the cable assembly.. so in that case your fix is a temp one. SEAL ALL CUTS with silicone wrapped with tape after it's cured to extend the life of the cable. Red skys at night...

[The Bottom Line]

thank you for the great advice. Next time i head down to the boat i am going to grease the **** out of it and examine the cable. Thanks again for the quick response!

[captkern]

I just replaced my steering cable with the 4.2 no feedback. It was shot and I thought I could free it up, but no way. Had the no feedback on my last boat and it is excellent. Now as I found out(and others here) on my '87 there is no way to get the cable out without removing the motor. The cable solid part on the end is longer than the distance to the sides of the motorwell. I got around this by cutting a cable size u shape from the opening to the back of the transom. This way you can slide the new cable in. I will cover this with a plate from 1/4 starboard, then install a new rubber cable sleeve/boot. The cable I bought was 16' same as the factory used. But I think 17' might be a better choice. You dont even have a 1/2" to play with. For anyone doing this job, bolt cutters made the removal of the old one easy. But sliding out the old cable from the motor tube sleeve still required a hax saw to cut in half. This was before I made the cut for the cable. If you make the cut first, this too would be very easy. Teleflex recomends that you take the cable out of the sleeve every couple of years and clean out the greese. Put fresh grease and re-insert. This way it prevents build up which actually locks the cable. This is why I made the notch..what are you gonna do..remove your engine just to grease a cable? The other question was installing through the glove box. Yes it does install that way..one small issue is the 4.2 NFB is thicker, and you need to draw the cable inside then slide two bolts in to hold the collar. This can not be accomplished if the helm is installed first. There is no room for the bolts to slide in. Solution is to attach cable first..temporarily use the wheel to draw it in. Bolt the collar up...then push the helm up into place. A second set of hands would help..of course it was just me and 100 degrees...so it was tough. The 4.2 NFB system cost me $179.00 Shorts Marine in Del. It took about three hours to do..mainly brainstorming to get the cable out of the tube. Also too hot of a day. By the way the 4.2 is pretty much a direct replacement..the holes lined right up. Anyone with a tight steering should not be afraid to tackle this job. If you have not tried NFB steering..you will be amazed. It comes very close to Hydraulic. You can turn the wheel with one finger. Anyone has any questions...I'll see If I can help.