Cable Nut wont start

[Bakilby]

86 Thunder Bolt Bass Boat with 86 90 horse Mercury.
So I rebuilt the transom on this boat and I am now putting the motor back on.
I am trying to get the nut that holds the steering cable shield up against the steering tube but I cant get it started.
It seems that there might be some sort of rubber gasket that is preventing it to reach the threads, but Im not sure, I cant see anything obstructing it.
When I hit it with a rubber mallet is seems to bounce back, I cant get the threads to go over the lip on the cable to start threading on.
Any suggestions? Im at my wits end.
Thanks
PS New here.

 

[Chris1956]

"Righty-Tighty" right? When looking at the starboard side of the motor, the nut turns CW.

I never saw a rubber washer inside the cable nut, however, I have certainly not seen everything.

Maybe the tilt tube threads are buggered? Maybe someone replaced the tilt tube with something else? You do have enough tilt tube threads sticking out? The transom clamp nut could back off too much to allow the cable to thread on.

 

[Bakilby]

A much better explanation.

 

[Chris1956]

The cable nut should slide over that flange, enough to engage the threads.

Is that a new steering cable? You might pull the nut back onto the plastic part of the cable and shine a light into it. There has to be some debris inside the nut that is interfering. Something could have fallen into the nut, I would guess.

 

[Bakilby]

Yea, thats what Im thinking, no this is not a new cable, It was attached before I removed the motor to rebuild the transom.

Ill go to harbor Freight and get a pick and hook kit.

 

[KJM]

So how did you make out with the steering cable? I'll soon need to attach mine for the first time and am trying to foresee problems.

 

[Bakilby]

You should not have any issues, come to find out that in the manufacturing process a piece of the protective covering got pinched and wedged into the thread area of the nut. I used a pick to get it out. It was not an easy chore.

 

[Bakilby]

Sorry, I thought I had followed up with this.
Before trying to attatch the cable just make sure your threads are clean and clear.

 

[KJM]

OK, thanks