Another Steering Problem

[jartgo]

I've read through a lot of steering issues posts but couldn't quite isolate my situation to one of those...not sure if it was just poor descriptions of the problem or my lack of understanding of how things work.

Anywho, I have 1986 Johnson 40 hp with power trim and tilt. It uses a teleflex cable steering system.

Last year sometime, the steering started to get difficult and I found that I could undo the linkage and give the steering arm a twist with a pipe wrench and it would loosen up to where it was manageable, although not quite like it used to be. I was initially thinking corrosion was the problem, as I am using the boat in salt water for the first time.

This season, when I was getting it ready for the summer, I took it out once and fought through the tough steering, then decided to add some trim/tilt fluid as I do annually. During the course of cycling the motor up and down while adding trim/tilt fluid, I could hear what sounded like something binding in the "tube." When I got the trim/tilt squared away, the steering was stuck again after being manageable just prior to messing with the trim/tilt, which led me to believe that maybe the steering arm was bent inside the tube.


I've taken things apart as far as I was comfortable doing without more guidance and posted my pictorials here. When the steering cable nut is disconnected from the tube, the cable assembly seems to move independently of the stainless steel linkage rod coming out the port side of the tube. This seems strange to me, but maybe that's how it's supposed to work? At any rate, this stainless steel rod coming out the port side of the tube is extremely tight.

I hope that someone here can recognize the issue and let me know what course of troubleshooting to continue.

 

[recess]

Re: Another Steering Problem

sThe steering shaft on the port side is rusted to the tilt tube. Been there,done that. It's possible your steering cable is okay, but considering how hard it is rusted in makes it a candidate for replacement.
With the nut loosened, and the remainder of the cable pulled out, you will need a hammer and a long rod of some sort to tap the free end out towards the strbrd side. Once it is out, you can inspect and look for corrosion, breaks, etc. Once you get it out, it will make sense to you how it works. After the cable pulls out on starboard side, I used a wooden dowl with emory cloth stapled to it and thouroghly cleaned the rust off the inside of the tilt tube. Once the rust is cleaned off, I used a waterproof grease, like trailer wheel bearing grease to completely coat the inside of the tilt tube. The 2 grease fittings you see only allow the tilt tube to move inside the engine bracket. Assumeing the steering cable is okay, clean and lubricate the shaft and the cable. Reinstall the cable, tighten down the large nut, and work the steering wheel. You should see a nice smooth shiny shaft sliding in and out of the tilt tube on the port side. Hook up the steering arm and check it out. There is a steering shaft nut you can buy from Davis Instruments that has an oil seal built into it. YOu can mount this on the port side of the tilt tube to keep water and dirt out, grease in. I use it on all my boats that I have had and never had a steering seize problem again. Makes it very easy to clean and relub every few years.
Let me know how it goes.