RE:steering failure

[Destroyer]

One final piece of advice on the subject of steering. If you do not already have one on your engine tilt tube you need to buy a Steersman Nut and install it. (They used to be called Widget nuts)

http://www.steersman.com/html/whatitdoes.html

For those of you unfamiliar with it, basically what it is, is a nut with a Zerk fitting that replaces your tilt tube port side nut. You take your port nut off and screw the Steersman nut on in it's place. This allows you to greese your steering cable from the Zirk fitting. Once properly installed your steering cable problems virtually disappear.

If you have a Mercury engine, your tilt tube has an O-ring already installed inside the port side end, just behind the stock nut. This O-Ring MUST be removed before you install the Steersman unit, because it will stop the fresh greese from getting to your steering cable.

Many people mistakenly think that the Zirk fitting in the middle of the tilt tube greeses the steering cable. It does not. It only greeses the tilt tube. The Steersman unit solves that problem.

If you use your boat in salt water buy the stainless steel unit. If you use it in fresh water buy the aluminum one. Either way, buy one. You'll thank me later.

[macojoe]

I also always pull the cable out of the motor for the winter, clean grease an\d bag the end, spring just put back no more freeze ups come spring!