1996 merc 150 steering problems

J

jaycon2

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my mercury 150 s steering is very tight. the guy i bought it from suggested it needed new cables. Is it cables that I need or rack n pinion? how can I troubleshoot it. if i do need cables how do i find out what size i need? Any comments will help, i am a new power boater.
 
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Chris1956

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Re: 1996 merc 150 steering problems

Unbolt the steering cable from the motor. If the motor turns freely and the cable is stiff, replace the cable. If the motor is stiff, that is another issue.

You may or may not be able to get a replacement steering cable. Check the Teleflex site for instructions on how to measure for the cable.
 
j_martin

j_martin

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Re: 1996 merc 150 steering problems

What kind of a boat is this engine on? What steering do you have? Are the cables routed with no sharp bends.

I have seen some real troubles with jack plates. I usually fix it by putting another hole in the motor well so the back cable can be routed without a sharp bend in it.

Another thing is that a 150 that is going faster than 50 mph really needs the rigidity of a dual rack system to be safe. Many shops put on drum steering because it's cheaper, but it's not safe on a fast boat.

hope it helps
John
 
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jaycon2

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Re: 1996 merc 150 steering problems

it is a 18 foot nitro savage 884 bass boat. it doesn't seem to have tight bends going into the boat. there are two cables attached..

i have sprayed wd to clean out the gunk; it seemed to work a little betterthan before. i will try and loosen the nuts and see what that tells me. thanks for the help.
 
j_martin

j_martin

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Re: 1996 merc 150 steering problems

jaycon2 said:
it is a 18 foot nitro savage 884 bass boat. it doesn't seem to have tight bends going into the boat. there are two cables attached..

i have sprayed wd to clean out the gunk; it seemed to work a little betterthan before. i will try and loosen the nuts and see what that tells me. thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

Asuming the cables enter from the starboard side of the engine:

On the port side, there is a cross link between the cables, and a master steering link from that cross link to the steering arm on the motor. If you remove that cross line, you should be able to flop the motor side to side easily, and you also should be able to turn the steering freely. That will islolate your problem.

Minimum safe steering on that boat would be dual rack steering. If you have a 12 foot teleflex dual rack system, and one cable is bad, I think I have one good one from another bad system. I can tell if it's right by the number on the cable near the motor.

hope it helps
John
 
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jaycon2

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Re: 1996 merc 150 steering problems

i will try this and find out the size of cable. do you think a tracker dealer would know?
 
j_martin

j_martin

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Re: 1996 merc 150 steering problems

No

The number is on the cable near the motor. It is indented into the insulation and should be easy to see. The length is imbedded in the number.

Are we talking dual rack, or dual spool. Should have been dual rack if Tracker set it up.

hope it helps
John
 
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jaycon2

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Re: 1996 merc 150 steering problems

i took as much apart as i could except for the tilt tube(where the rear cable goes through). I took the front tube off and there was slight rust on the inside. i cleaned it pretty well and the cable seems fine. The problem seems to be with the rear cable; I said previously that there wasn't a sharp bend but now I'm sure the bend is hindering the movement.
John, do you think i should cut the hole bigger to relieve the bend? Will it affect the structure of the boat. right now the hole is 3 inches in diameter. Also, do you think the cable is bent from 12 years of pressure on it or will it spring back and be workable? thanks, jason
 
j_martin

j_martin

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Re: 1996 merc 150 steering problems

jaycon2 said:
i took as much apart as i could except for the tilt tube(where the rear cable goes through). I took the front tube off and there was slight rust on the inside. i cleaned it pretty well and the cable seems fine. The problem seems to be with the rear cable; I said previously that there wasn't a sharp bend but now I'm sure the bend is hindering the movement.
John, do you think i should cut the hole bigger to relieve the bend? Will it affect the structure of the boat. right now the hole is 3 inches in diameter. Also, do you think the cable is bent from 12 years of pressure on it or will it spring back and be workable? thanks, jason
Click to expand...

What I did on mine is put a seperate 1 1/4 inch hole aft the main rigging hole.

If you disconnect the cable and straighten it out, and it's smooth, it'll be OK. Odd's are, however, that the core cable has broken a strand, and that's what's hanging it up.

If the number on the cable near the motor is E300619 144 in, I have a spare for you in good shape. It's one of 2 cables in a Morse dual rack system. If it's dual rack NFB, the cables go to a single block at the rack and have to be replaced as a pair.

You'll probably have to unbolt the motor and hang it on a cherry picker engine hoist, or a jib hoist to get the rear cable out. You usually don't have to unrig everything, you only need about a foot of swing to get the cable out.

hope it helps
John

hope it helps
John
 
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jaycon2

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Re: 1996 merc 150 steering problems

i cut the hole bigger but it didn't help much. there are no numbers on the cables that i can see. the cables going into the rack are housed in an "H" shaped housing. each cable in its own housing connected by a middle bracket. do you think i might be able to change the rear cable without taking the motor off? i dont have an engine hoist and the time to do that either. thanks for all your help.its very appreciated, jason
 
j_martin

j_martin

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Re: 1996 merc 150 steering problems

jaycon2 said:
i cut the hole bigger but it didn't help much. there are no numbers on the cables that i can see. the cables going into the rack are housed in an "H" shaped housing. each cable in its own housing connected by a middle bracket. do you think i might be able to change the rear cable without taking the motor off? i dont have an engine hoist and the time to do that either. thanks for all your help.its very appreciated, jason
Click to expand...

I don't know what kind of steering you have. Maybe you can find some numbers on the helm. Teleflex cables are 2 seperate cables as I think you are describing. The cables are seperate, and each has it's own 4 bolt attachment to the helm, side by side.

If what you have is a lubrication failure, I have seen home made lubrication devices to force lube down the length of the cable from the engine end. It still requires removal of the cable from the tilt tube.

The problem with replacing the cable on the engine is that the entire straight rod part of the cable has to go through the tube. It's usually impossible to do that and get it through the hole in the motor well at the same time unless the engine is angled, ie hanging on a chain. The front cable can be removed with the tube, and then the tube removed.

If it get to be a big project, and you can't find parts for your system, I'd recommend teleflex dual rack NFB.

hope it helps
John
 
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jaycon2

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Re: 1996 merc 150 steering problems

john, i talked to tracker and said i need a 12 foot teleflex cable. i have a dual teleflex rack and pinion steering. thanks for all your help.
 
j_martin

j_martin

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Re: 1996 merc 150 steering problems

If it's the newer NFB system, both cables are together. If it's an older teleflex system with completely seperate cables and racks, the one I have here is the one you need. (12 ') It's not easy to find and Teleflex doesn't make it any more.

Take off the rack end and you'll know what ya got.

PM me.

John
 
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VIPV162

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Re: 1996 merc 150 steering problems

I know that this is a long, long, long, long shot in the dark. But, would you still have the cable availible?

Thanks, Barry

i can hear the cricket noises now!!!!
 
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