Another Frozen Steering Post ......

[mt3]

i have read and tried all things from all the other posts .... here is where i am ...

1. Motor moves freely with the "steering arm thing" disconnected
2. Loosened nut on starboard side of motor ... wheel will now turn and shaft moves in and out of the tube several inches.
3. drenched everything i could with PB blaster and some other free-up lube from the marine store.

.... but arm on port side still will not budge in to out ... will rotate when i twist from other side ... it is mostly out of the tube ....

tried banging on it with rubber mallet, but only 6 inches between end and side of transom ....


PLEASE!!! ..... any further suggestions would be very very appreciated ....


Do i need to loosen nut on port side of tilt tube?


THANK YOU in advanced


1990 135HP Mercury

 

[j_martin]

Re: Another Frozen Steering Post ......

The nuts just hold the tilt tube in position.

If the steering rod or tilt tube is bent, it'll jam.

If they aren't, then the cable is dirty. It can be cleaned. Some of us at screamandfly.com got inventive in our poverty and came up with a some solutions.

http://forums.screamandfly.com/forums/showthread.php?t=188864

hope it helps
John

 

[mt3]

Re: Another Frozen Steering Post ......

nothing seems to be bent ....

would taking off the port side nut allow me to lube deeper?

 

[j_martin]

Re: Another Frozen Steering Post ......

The side nut is just on the outside of the tube, unless there's a lubrication nut there.

Grease should not be forced in around this cable. It'll lock it up. Maybe that's what happened.

If you take the cable nut off the right side of the engine, you should be able to get the cable out of the tilt tube. You may have to swing the engine to do it because the end of the cable is straight and cannot be bent.

Disconnect the other end of the cable, and make a cable luber to force SeaFoam through the cable. Then force in 5W30 synthetic oil.

If the cable turns in the engine, but won't come out, it is bent.

hope it helps
John

 

[mt3]

Re: Another Frozen Steering Post ......

If you take the cable nut off the right side of the engine, you should be able to get the cable out of the tilt tube. You may have to swing the engine to do it because the end of the cable is straight and cannot be bent.

Disconnect the other end of the cable, and make a cable luber to force SeaFoam through the cable. Then force in 5W30 synthetic oil.

If the cable turns in the engine, but won't come out, it is bent.

i took the nut off the right side and the wheel will turn (some part of the cable moves in and out of the tilt tube, but the left side pf the cable doesn't budge .... so i can't get the cable out of the tilt tube

sorry, i am quite a novice .... how do i make a cable luber? ...

 

[j_martin]

Re: Another Frozen Steering Post ......

OK, now we understand the problem. The helm and the cable are OK. Maybe stiff, but operating. The motor end of the cable is a straight stiff rod that slides through the tilt tube as it's driven by the cable. It is stuck tight in the tilt tube.

Use lots of penetrant from both ends. If you can get any motion on the rod at all, either sliding or twisting, move it as much as you can to work in the penetrant. Do not beat on it as this just expands (upset is the term) the metal and will jam it. The clearance in the tilt tube is only a few thousanths of an inch. Penetrant and time are your best allies.

Once you get it out, you need to aggressively clean out the tilt tube, or replace it. The cable parts should be stainless steel and clean up easily. 2-4-C grease and reassembly and all is good.

While you're being patient, go read the link I gave you in post #2. There's about 50 entries, all on cable lubricators and their application.

hope it helps
John

 

[mt3]

Re: Another Frozen Steering Post ......

ok. i got the steering arm to budge ..... now it is all the way in the tilt tube and won't move ....... now what?

 

[j_martin]

Re: Another Frozen Steering Post ......

ok. i got the steering arm to budge ..... now it is all the way in the tilt tube and won't move ....... now what?

Did you beat it into the tilt tube with a hammer?

 

[mt3]

Re: Another Frozen Steering Post ......

WOO-HOO!!!!! i got it!!!!!

pipe wrench broke it free first then some banging with a dead blow hammer .... LOTS and LOTS of PB Blaster .... and patience ..... THANKS j_martin!!!!!