TOPIC: Stiff Steering Cable

1970 14' Sabrecraft with 1970 Merc 500. Push/Pull cable steering (i think that's what it's called... it's NOT the cable and pulleys).

The boat is relatively hard to turn. I think it's just in need of lube though, as nothing seems to be out of sorts with it. There's a grease zerk on teh cable housing at the rear of the boat where the cable mounts to the stationary bracket, but that's it. I've greased it there (may have overdone it, actually) and that helped a little, but it's still pretty hard to turn. I also greased the pivot bushings on the transom clamp but it made no difference.

I'm thinking that it might be a good idea to run lube through the length of the cable but i'm not sure how to go about this correctly or what lube to use.

Thanks
Chris

Chris, disconnect the steering linkage and see how stiff the steering is then, also see how hard it is to turn the motor with the steering disconnected. The grease may have hardened up in the motors swivel assembly making it hard to turn. You may have a bad steering cable itself, but the only way to find out is to separate the two.

Dave -

Never thought that the grease could harden up in the pivot enough to cause issues. I did check it and it seems like the motor can move side to side easy enough (i can push with one finger and get it to swing), but the wheel is still harder to turn than i think it aught to be.

I've never owned an old boat with this steering setup before. I just imagine that i should be able to turn the motor lock to lock with one hand really easily. am I expecting too much? It doesn't necessarily require two hands, but it's pretty difficult with just one even when you're out of the water.

-Chris

Dave -

Never thought that the grease could harden up in the pivot enough to cause issues. I did check it and it seems like the motor can move side to side easy enough (i can push with one finger and get it to swing), but the wheel is still harder to turn than i think it aught to be.

I've never owned an old boat with this steering setup before. I just imagine that i should be able to turn the motor lock to lock with one hand really easily. am I expecting too much? It doesn't necessarily require two hands, but it's pretty difficult with just one even when you're out of the water.

-Chris

Chris, it should be relatively effortless to move the motor with the steering, if not, something is tight. Likely the steering cable but it could be the steering gearbox too. If the engine swings easily with the cable disconnected then you are ok at that end. Sharp bends in the cable can increase effort considerably. You should be able to spin the wheel with the motor disconnected with one finger.
Can you post a pic of the cable routing?

And,...If, as Daveswaves suggests, you find that with the steering cable pulled out of the engine's tilt tube it then can be manipulated with one or two fingers,...You can probably resolve the difficulty in steering by cleaning out the rust or corrosion built up inside the engine's tilt tube.
If this is the case, and the steering cable won't easily pull out of the engine's tilt tube - don't make the mistake of attempting to drive the steering cable out by smacking the end of it with a hammer, etc. You will 'mushroom' the end of the steering cable & never be able to remove it.
If this is the situation,...Please post & we will explain how to remove the steering cable without mushrooming its end.
Once removed,...I use a long drill to clear the inside of the tilt tube.
I can measure and post the diameter of the drill bit required if needed.
If, when removed from the tilt tube, the steering is still very stiff it is probably time to invest in a new steering cable.
doc

Guys -

Sorry for the delay. Family, holidays and fishing (steelhead season!!) have taken up the bulk of my schedule as of late.

First, a few pics (though not as detailed as i imagine you'd hoped):





The steering cable comes out the the gearbox heading straight to the side of the boat. it makes a 90° turn and heads towards the rear.

Once it gets back near the fuel tank, it makes a 360° round (circled in red below) before heading to the transom clamp.



I had assumed this 360° was the issue but, as far as I can tell, this is how the factory set things up. it's as though the steering cable (and control cables and control wiring, for that matter) were for a boat 2' longer than this one. but the vintage works out correctly for this being a factory setup, so I don't know.

At any rate, i don't know that the big loop at the back would be enough to cause the steering to be as hard as it is. you REALLY have to fight it to get it to turn. it's worse than having a vehicle with power steering sitting in a dry warm paved parking lot with the engine off and trying to turn the wheel lock to lock.

Thanks
Chris

That loop is not the most desirable to say the least, but I doubt it is your primary problem.
I encourage you strongly to disconnect the steering cable at the engine end from the drag link, and then see if the steering wheel is still very stiff, or if efforts to manually push the motor side-to-side are still very stiff.
The drag link is the round stock that connects the end of the steering cable to the motor's steering 'tongue' or 'arm' that sticks out forward under the front of the engine.
doc F

Where do you steelhead fish?
My son is an avid steelhead fisherman.
Please forgive me if the picture I attached is not of a steelhead.
I love to BBQ, but would probably funk fish ID.
SIGH

I had a similar when I first installed the system in my boat. I found out it was the cable. What I did was suspend one end up high and sprayed WD-40 (or any other penetrating oil) around the high end and let it soak. Then I would work it a little and spray again, making sure to get it in any gap I could find. After a few days of working with it, it loosened up and has been working fine since.
Bill

I'd mark the cable where it comes together at the loop (two marks) and subtract that much from the length printed on the end of the cable and get a new cable the correct length. My shop would easily take a return of the wrong length cable if the measurements didn't pan out. The one I replaced on my boat was 34' long and no amount of lubing would make it better - most cable mfrs don't recommend lube as a fix.

It sounds like you have isolated the problem to the cable assembly and not the tilt tube or engine.
The cables just get stiff after a while and sometimes it's the head itself when the shaft leaks and water gets inside of it. You really need to pull the cable out to try to fix it and at that point, you may just as well replace the cable with a new one. Sometimes getting the cable out requires unbolting the engine because the lead into it is so tight and the bend is sharp. It is best to use a hoist if you need to do that.
It costs about $20 more to buy a cable and new steering head as a kit than to just buy a cable. Depending on the length, it will probably cost $130 - $160 for the kit.

Thanks to all for the responses and help. I've been dealing with a few health issues lately in addition to the week and half or so of bitter cold/snow weather we've had recently and have back-burnered this project for the time-being. Once things thaw out (next week we're supposed to be above freezing for a few days!) I'll revisit and update. I believe a few more pictures are in order as well as for me to try a few of the suggested solutions.

In regards to those recommending replacement: I completely agree that it seems like anything I might try would just be a bandaid to the real issue. My problem is that this boat is one that I'm hoping might last me a season or two and then it's likely headed for a scrap bin. A bit of a story to it but the basics are that the boats in bad shape and it didn't cost me anything. Just gotta show the mrs that the quantity of use it sees justifies a spendier one and then this one's off to never never land. Unless it breaks on me, I'm not replacing the cable at this point and time.

All Dunn - I've heard of similar stuff being done with throttle and brake cables on bikes and old motorcycles. Once I get the cable out of the boat i'll give it a whirl.

Dr. Frank - I did disconnect the cable from the motor. I can easily push the motor around with my pinky finger. The problem is definitely not in the pivot bushings on the motor. It's gotta be either cable or in the steering gearbox on the backside of the wheel. I'll remove the cable to give All Dunn's suggestion a try. Once the cable's out of the boat I can check the gearbox too.

And as far as fishing spots goes... I live in the Tri-Cities, so we've got a pretty good selection of rivers around here. I generally try and fish the snake river, but we've got the walla walla and columbia as well as all of their tributaries. I'm not very good at it yet but MAN those fish are fun to fight and pretty tasty too (if you get your hands on one, i've got a pretty decent recipe for smoking them!). I go as often as I can and seem to do better each time. Let me know if your son has any pointers for a noob! Oh, and that's a good looking steelhead in that pic!

It's -6° outside right now, so I don't think i'll be heading out in the morning. Sunday is supposed to be a balmy 12° at sunrise though, so I'll be out there trying to catch 'em!

-Chris