Hard Steering Mercruiser I/O

[Tim in TN]

I?m usually pretty good at researching and finding solutions online but I?ve got a couple of questions I haven?t found the answers to.

Mercruiser Alpha I, gen 2 with power steering in a 2006 Q6 Tahoe (bowrider) and for a couple of years the steering has gotten steadily harder to turn. My steering cable doesn?t have a grease fitting and it?s never been out so it?s never been lubed (I bought it new).

So I suspect I need to pull the cable from the sterndrive and clean and lube the tube that it fits in. Here are my questions:

1) It?s very difficult to get to anything back there. Even lying on the motor it?s near impossible to fit wrenches on the coupler nut or the tube itself. Any ideas?
2) When the cable does come out am I going to lose power steering fluid? I assume the cable somehow actuates the power steering control valve.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Bondo]

1) It?s very difficult to get to anything back there. Even lying on the motor it?s near impossible to fit wrenches on the coupler nut or the tube itself. Any ideas?
2) When the cable does come out am I going to lose power steering fluid? I assume the cable somehow actuates the power steering control valve.

Ayuh,.... #1,.... Ya usually have to remove abuncha "Boat" to get to the things ya actually wanta work on,....
It's the way it is,.... Ya do whatever ya gotta do,....

#2,.... The cable goes through the aluminum tube, the P/S actuator's hyd.s are in a different area of the actuator,....

 

[Tim in TN]

Thanks for the reply. Last night I took the pin out that connects the cable to the drive and then the steering wheel would turn very easily. So it wasn't the cable after all. More disassembly tonight for more troubleshooting.

 

[stang32]

what did you find out?
i have a merc that the steering locks when turned completely port

 

[stang32]

iam stil working on it, i replaced the p/s pump with no luck, i have a used stering actuator on order, this thing SUCKS to get to but i have no choice

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,..... If ya haven't pulled the aft end of the cable, outa the aluminum tube, Go back to that point, 'n clean, then grease INSIDE the tube,....