seized steering on mercury 20hp

[hairtrigga]

hi guys, i'm having trouble with seized steering.
The steering arm seems seized and i cant pull the cable all the way through.
It comes half way out and is sticking.
Any ideas how to go about fixing this.

 

[Bondo]

Re: seized steering on mercury 20hp

Ayuh,... Welcome Aboard,.... Probably corrosion inside the tilt tube,...

Seein's it moves Some, ya oughta be able to work some lube into it, to free it,...
Or,...
Beat it out, 'n replace what's Bad,...

 

[bilge rat jim]

Re: seized steering on mercury 20hp

Try heating the tilt tube with a heat gun and pumping some lightweight grease into the grease fitting on the tilt tube. If that doesn't work, Walters makes a product called cold shock, which actually super-cools the metal, which breaks the corrosive bond (sometimes). Failing all else, cut the cable with a grinder and drive out the remainder with a drift and hammer. This is probably the best way to go, as that cable looks ready for replacement, anyway. BTW, you do have enough room in the corner to pull the entire cable through the tilt tube, right? If not, unfasten the motor and move it over on the transom.

 

[hairtrigga]

Re: seized steering on mercury 20hp

thanks for the help guys.
I'm a bit of noob with outboards so please bear with me.
Yes the cable is shot and needs replacing, all the outer wires around the main cable exploded when we tried to turn the wheel.
Its the seized steering arm that we are stuck at though.
We cant get that to budge at all.
We are worried about melting the plastic parts around the tilt tube by heating it.
We got some inox and have tried to get as much in as we can but it doesnt seem that easy to actually get into where it needs it.
I fear we might have to grinder through the cable and whack it out with a rod.
I'm not sure if we have enough room to pull the cable right out, probably not as nothing is ever easy lol, but we just want to free this steering arm first and go from there.
Should we persist and give the inox a couple of days to penetrate, and keep tapping it and try and get it moving?
Thanks again for the advice guys

 

[hairtrigga]

Re: seized steering on mercury 20hp

I was just googling the subject and one guy taped a coke bottle with diesel in it over the seized steering arm and let it soke for a few days, while giving a few taps every now and then.
They say their steering that was seized badly for years came free after 4 days doing this.
Do you think this will be ok to try?


can anyone recommend somewhere to order a replacement cable?
I cant find a part number anywhere on the old cable and cant find much on the net.
Are they fairly universal?
i suppose i have to measure the length?
Any tips about getting a replacement?

 

[Bondo]

Re: seized steering on mercury 20hp

I was just googling the subject and one guy taped a coke bottle with diesel in it over the seized steering arm and let it soke for a few days, while giving a few taps every now and then.
They say their steering that was seized badly for years came free after 4 days doing this.
Do you think this will be ok to try?


can anyone recommend somewhere to order a replacement cable?
I cant find a part number anywhere on the old cable and cant find much on the net.
Are they fairly universal?
i suppose i have to measure the length?
Any tips about getting a replacement?

Ayuh,.... Get the Complete Kit, helm, 'n cable,...

The Length is critical, measure what you've got, 'n match the helm that's there,...

iboats sells 'em,...

I'd just go to cuttin', 'n beat it out,...

Btw, yer probably gonna need to lift the motor off the transom, to install the new cable,...

 

[bilge rat jim]

Re: seized steering on mercury 20hp

Bondo is correct.........replace the helm with the cable. the kit is only a few bucks more than the cable itself. A faulty helm can ruin a new cable in no time. A Teleflex Safe-T QC steering kit will be around $160, depending on cable length.
Teleflex Safe-T QC (Quick Connect) Steering System Package - iboats

The procedure for measuring for a new cable is at the bottom of the link.

 

[hairtrigga]

Re: seized steering on mercury 20hp

thanks guys.
i'll go the full kit