m casey stock
Chief Petty Officer
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2012
- Messages
- 514
I put a steering cable on my Bayliner with a 2001 Merc 150 outboard this past weekend, wasn't too bad. I was able to change it out without removing the motor, which was nice, but there was a trick to doing it. I'm not sure how long the cable has been in place, but I know the motor is not original to the boat because the boat is an 89 mod. and the motor is a 2001. I think the helm is original because I've seen several Bays with the same on, although I guess they could have changed out the drive. They may have gotten lucky and the cable worked from the old motor to the new, but I'm figuring not. Most likely it came with a Force as did most in that time era and it now of course has a Merc. hanging off the rear. Either way, It's been on there for a while. It was stiff when I bought the boat and I've just kinda nursed it for the last couple years until finally last year in a heavy chop I turned the wheel and the boat didn't! I got a pop pop pop as the gears on the helm jumped over the teeth on the cable rack. Thankfully I was able to power down and ease back to the dock. I doctored on it some to last the rest of the season, but knew that come this Spring it would have a new one.
I figure this doesn't apply to all Merc outboards due to different mounting set ups, but anyone that might be doing a cable swap and all of a sudden it looks like "oh crap! the cable shaft won't slide out of the tilt tube all the way!" and then your next thought is "crap again! I might have to remove the engine!" This is what first went through my mind, because I've read on here about that very thing. I have an engine hoist at work, but not at my vacation property and I really did not want to drag the boat back 4hr just to install the cable. I read one thread where a guy took a saws-all and notched the pass through hole down lower to give the cable some relief, because it was easier for him to re-glass the cut than to remove the engine. That crossed my mind, but really wasn't the option I wanted to go with, so I start looking at the situation and below is what I came up with. I'm sure some of you guys that do this for a living or have been fooling with this sort of thing for years will say "Yea, been there done that" but for us that are just casual boat mechanics, it might be of some help to some poor sole out there.
I was able to tap the motor tilt/steering cable tube toward the opposite side of the cable with a rubber mallet after removing the large locking nut. it moved with ease. This gave me the extra inch or two needed to clear the end of the steering cable end shaft. It's a little tricky getting that tube back the other way because there is a ridge that will catch on the inside of the tilt bracket when tapping it back towards the cable. What I did was to have my wife tap on the tube with a rubber mallet while I jostled the motor up and down with the tilt/trim switches mounted to the motor. This may sound odd, but it worked. Each time I changed directions the motor would move forward or backwards causing the tube to move as well. For a brief second the tube would be centered as it wiggled back and forth. The right combination and timing (a bit of luck too) she tapped the tube just as the tube was aligned and WALLA! Once it was past the ridge, it was just a matter of continuing to tap it back into place and then putting the large lock nut back one. Just a note to remember, be sure to slide the nut onto the cable before you poke the cable back into the tube and remember to poke the cable back into the tube before tapping the tube back into place. Luckily I remember to do all this, but it sure would have added a bit of stress to the job to have done the jostling and tapping in perfect time just to have to back it out and start over. You still need a bit of strength and determination to remove the old cable from the tube and twist and push and finagle the new cable back into the tube. I guess they drilled the hole for the cable to go through high in the splash well to help keep water from entering it during a back wash, but it sure made a bad angle for that cable. It's fine once the rigid end of the cable is in the tube, but you kind run out of flex as you work the cable out of the tube and you don't have much to begin with when you start putting the new cable back in. Anyway, like I said, easy peazy, and doable as long as you have the patience. Took me about three hours start to finish and that included picking up and putting away tools, stopping to smell the roses a bit (I was on our vacation property you know) stopping to eat the breakfast my wife brought out to me, and clean up. Okay, maybe not really that long of actual work time. Don't know what the boat shops would have charged for the whole job, but when I called the lady said "I bet at least three hours" and around here $100.00 an hour. I got a deal on my Teleflex cable, brand new off evilBay for just under $130.00 shipping and all, saw it other places for well over $200.00. So I'm figuring unless you just got it that way, spending $550.00 or more plus tax, kinda puts a strain on the going out to eat budget. I'll just do it myself thank you very much! LOL :victorious:
Sorry for the lack of pictures, but I will gladly dig some examples up if somebody needs them to clarify my words. I'll be back down to the property in a couple weeks and will get pictures of the actual project boat to attach to this post regardless so if somebody down the road stumbles on to this they will already have them as a reference.
I figure this doesn't apply to all Merc outboards due to different mounting set ups, but anyone that might be doing a cable swap and all of a sudden it looks like "oh crap! the cable shaft won't slide out of the tilt tube all the way!" and then your next thought is "crap again! I might have to remove the engine!" This is what first went through my mind, because I've read on here about that very thing. I have an engine hoist at work, but not at my vacation property and I really did not want to drag the boat back 4hr just to install the cable. I read one thread where a guy took a saws-all and notched the pass through hole down lower to give the cable some relief, because it was easier for him to re-glass the cut than to remove the engine. That crossed my mind, but really wasn't the option I wanted to go with, so I start looking at the situation and below is what I came up with. I'm sure some of you guys that do this for a living or have been fooling with this sort of thing for years will say "Yea, been there done that" but for us that are just casual boat mechanics, it might be of some help to some poor sole out there.
I was able to tap the motor tilt/steering cable tube toward the opposite side of the cable with a rubber mallet after removing the large locking nut. it moved with ease. This gave me the extra inch or two needed to clear the end of the steering cable end shaft. It's a little tricky getting that tube back the other way because there is a ridge that will catch on the inside of the tilt bracket when tapping it back towards the cable. What I did was to have my wife tap on the tube with a rubber mallet while I jostled the motor up and down with the tilt/trim switches mounted to the motor. This may sound odd, but it worked. Each time I changed directions the motor would move forward or backwards causing the tube to move as well. For a brief second the tube would be centered as it wiggled back and forth. The right combination and timing (a bit of luck too) she tapped the tube just as the tube was aligned and WALLA! Once it was past the ridge, it was just a matter of continuing to tap it back into place and then putting the large lock nut back one. Just a note to remember, be sure to slide the nut onto the cable before you poke the cable back into the tube and remember to poke the cable back into the tube before tapping the tube back into place. Luckily I remember to do all this, but it sure would have added a bit of stress to the job to have done the jostling and tapping in perfect time just to have to back it out and start over. You still need a bit of strength and determination to remove the old cable from the tube and twist and push and finagle the new cable back into the tube. I guess they drilled the hole for the cable to go through high in the splash well to help keep water from entering it during a back wash, but it sure made a bad angle for that cable. It's fine once the rigid end of the cable is in the tube, but you kind run out of flex as you work the cable out of the tube and you don't have much to begin with when you start putting the new cable back in. Anyway, like I said, easy peazy, and doable as long as you have the patience. Took me about three hours start to finish and that included picking up and putting away tools, stopping to smell the roses a bit (I was on our vacation property you know) stopping to eat the breakfast my wife brought out to me, and clean up. Okay, maybe not really that long of actual work time. Don't know what the boat shops would have charged for the whole job, but when I called the lady said "I bet at least three hours" and around here $100.00 an hour. I got a deal on my Teleflex cable, brand new off evilBay for just under $130.00 shipping and all, saw it other places for well over $200.00. So I'm figuring unless you just got it that way, spending $550.00 or more plus tax, kinda puts a strain on the going out to eat budget. I'll just do it myself thank you very much! LOL :victorious:
Sorry for the lack of pictures, but I will gladly dig some examples up if somebody needs them to clarify my words. I'll be back down to the property in a couple weeks and will get pictures of the actual project boat to attach to this post regardless so if somebody down the road stumbles on to this they will already have them as a reference.
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