Mercury 150 Dual Cable Steering - AGAIN!!!! lol

[jgaryc3]

Hello again. Have been working on the boat little by little.

I have installed my dual cable steering system and wow. Very hard getting under that console installing the racks. Routing the cable was the easy part, haha.

Anyways -

My new issue is this:

Cables are ran and racks installed. When I turn the wheel, both cables move as supposed to. The wheel doesnt turn smooth though. Its almost as it "clicks" when you turn the wheel. Its not really hard to turn, like I said it just sort of "clicks" when you turn it.

Has anyone ever experienced this before? Does anyone know why it would click click click instead of turn smooth? It doesnt really make a clikcing noise, just kinda click, clicks.

Thanks for any help!

[achris]

Sounds like to cables are too tight against each other.... Can you adjust the load of each cable against the other?

Chris.........

[jgaryc3]

too tight against each other? im not sure I know what you mean.

what do you mean adjust the load of each cable? how do I do that??

[achris]

The idea behind dual cables is that they load against each other to remove the 'sloppiness' found in a single cable. There should be a way of setting the load of each cable against the other.... Probably at the engine end, where the outer locking nut screws onto the steering tube. Or even an adjustment of the position of one of the steering tubes.

Chris........

[jgaryc3]

The idea behind dual cables is that they load against each other to remove the 'sloppiness' found in a single cable. There should be a way of setting the load of each cable against the other.... Probably at the engine end, where the outer locking nut screws onto the steering tube. Or even an adjustment of the position of one of the steering tubes.

Chris........

Well Im not really sure. I will check tomorrow though. If I cant find it I am taking it to have the motor serviced anyways so I may get them to check it out.

I just installed the system and dont have the rods through the tubes at the motor end yet. Is it just like that because I havent connected it to the motor yet?

[achris]

Why don't people give us all the information in the first post, instead of us having to extract it like teeth!!!

First post...

...I have installed my dual cable steering system and wow....

Last post....

...I just installed the system and dont have the rods through the tubes at the motor end yet....

Tell us everything in the first post and we can stop all this time wasting!!!

[jgaryc3]

lol sorry. well do you think thats why its doing that? will it be smooth once the rods are in the tubes?

[j_martin]

Like Achris said, don't start a new topic every time you come back. It breaks the thought train for folks trying to help.

You shouldn't have any clicking. It sounds like you don't have the rack seated tightly on the helm. It should turn smooth as butter with one finger.

They go in pretty tight at the console, but you mustn't kink them. There are 2 minimum radius bend specifications. A tight one at the helm end, and a wider one everywhere else. Be sure you stay within that spec.\

It is possible that there is something wrong with the NFB mechanism in the helm.

If it turns pretty easily, you may be feeling the NFB system ratchetting with your safe-cracker fingers. When you get the cables installed and properly pre-loaded, it should go away, and the steering will be slightly stiffer.

hope it helps
John