hard steering

wnc/nga tx 17 · Mar 5, 2012

hi guys. Ive got a 1986 traker tx 17 the steering wheel seems hard to turn. I have greased everything. I took the teleflex steering apart what a pain in the butt! Everything is greased and seems fine. hy is this thing hard to steer!

MH Hawker · Mar 5, 2012

Re: hard steering

right off hand it sounds like the steering cable is going bad

foodfisher · Mar 6, 2012

Re: hard steering

Disconnect the cable from the motor. Swivel motor. Stiff? Turn Steering. Stiff? Gives a place to focus.

DuckHunterJon · Mar 6, 2012

Re: hard steering

Is it stiff only when running, or all the time. If when running, play around with trim settings (likely need to trim out). Mine is a bear on a hole shot, but once trimmed, it steers with one finger.

ezmobee · Mar 6, 2012

Re: hard steering

Steering cables are a wear item. Sounds like yours done weared

PSG-1 · Mar 6, 2012

Re: hard steering

An accumulation of rust inside of the tilt tube will also cause tight steering. The steering on my 50 Merc was really tight, I thought the cable was bad, and replaced it, only to find that it was still extremely tight. I found rust inside of the tilt tube of the motor.

Used a wooden dowel with sandpaper wrapped around it, sanded out the crud, and also used a 12 ga shotgun brush and cleaning patches to remove as much dirt and rust as possible. It's a little smoother now.

A better option is to replace the tilt tube with a stainless one (why don't they just do that at the factory to begin with??) Then you never have corrosion issues.

wnc/nga tx 17 · Mar 6, 2012

Re: hard steering

PSG-1 said:
An accumulation of rust inside of the tilt tube will also cause tight steering. The steering on my 50 Merc was really tight, I thought the cable was bad, and replaced it, only to find that it was still extremely tight. I found rust inside of the tilt tube of the motor.

Used a wooden dowel with sandpaper wrapped around it, sanded out the crud, and also used a 12 ga shotgun brush and cleaning patches to remove as much dirt and rust as possible. It's a little smoother now.

A better option is to replace the tilt tube with a stainless one (why don't they just do that at the factory to begin with??) Then you never have corrosion issues.

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wnc/nga tx 17 · Mar 6, 2012

Re: hard steering

Good idea! I took everything apart couldnt figure this one out. The motor moves easy without the cable attached. Then i took the teleffex steering hub apart wow what a pain , i just thought it needed grease, oh hell no i had grase everywhere! Bad deal was i couldnt get both arms under the dash to put the thing together. It just got me thinking. Im going to pull the cable outa the tube tomorow afternoon and check it. Thanks for the advice!

PSG-1 · Mar 7, 2012

Re: hard steering

If the motor turns smoothly with the cable disconnected, then it is definitely in the tilt tube, this is exactly how it was with my steering.

wnc/nga tx 17 · Mar 7, 2012

Re: hard steering

YOU ARE THE MAN! thanks so much, I just finished not much rust just hard grase build up. WD-40 and the shotgun brush worked like a charm. Turns with 2 fingers now! Wish i could buy you a berr. Thanks again!

PSG-1 · Mar 8, 2012

Re: hard steering

No problem. Glad you got it fixed. If you don't already have one, put a Steering Saver on the tilt tube, so you can keep it greased.

hard steering

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