1978 Mercury 200hp steering cables

[Rocky81859]

Hi let me know if I am in the wrong forum but I have a 1978 mercury 200hp engine on a 1978 champion. We got it running and put it on the water but to try and turn left you really gotta put some muscle into it I was wondering if I could just lube it up real good and see if that is the case or if the cables are starting to fray and should replace them? Any recommendations or ways of finding out what's going on? If it is lube and cleaning off some rust what do you recommend?

 

[Chris1956]

Re: 1978 Mercury 200hp steering cables

Boats run right handed props. As such they pull right, due to the torque of the motor. See if you can adjust the zinc anode above and behind the prop to help counter the torque steer.

 

[j_martin]

Re: 1978 Mercury 200hp steering cables

I have a feeling you're running the engine high enough so a torque tab won't even be in the water.

Usually when we set up something this high performance, we have the prop shop add a little torque tamer to the skeg. There's also a bolt on version. It has to be tuned for a specific setup, so usually there's some steering torque at different speeds and loads.

If it steers hard sitting still, something is wrong with the cables. Grease will jam steering cables. They are lubricated with a light oil. Unfortunately most dual cable setups have a grease zerk on the front tube, and well meaning owners load it up with enough grease to damage the cable. They can be cleaned and re-oiled, but it takes some doing. Do a search on the topic.

hope it helps
John