Frozen steering cable?

[Boomyal]

This is for a 1978 Merc 898. The steering cable is frozen at the ram. It is apparently not a Merc cable as it does not have the xerc fitting for lubrication. It is my understanding that some boat manufacturers did not use the Merc cable but some other brand.

We have disconnected the steering linkage that manipulates the outdrive itself. It turns freely. We also undid the cap nuts where the cable housing attaches to the ram. With those nuts disconnected you can push and pull on the housing and the steering wheel turns. So we have determined that the cable running the length of the boat is free. Here is the dilemma. The ram is nutted to the bracket on the front side of the outdrive assembly. This cast bracket has two ears. The one on the right side has the nuts on both sides of the bracket ear. The ram then goes across the transom and goes thru the second support ear but is not nutted. It is where the ram core of the cable exits here that is is frozen.

We have limited room to work under the transom cap and over the back top of the engine. There is no way that you can remove the nuts and pull the ram assembly free of the brackets. It is apparent that the ram is frozen where it exits from the housing on the left side support ear. If you undo the inboard nut on the inboard side of the right ear, the nut stops when the threads on the ram housing stop. The nut will not go over the non threaded end of the ram so that you could then pull the ram free from the right side ear.

What are we missing?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Frozen steering cable?

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=554934 section 6A
I know you really dont want to hear it but motor just may have to be pulled.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Frozen steering cable?

BT, as far as I can see, none of those links deal with this issue.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Frozen steering cable?

this plain steering, power steering (old ram), power steering (new ram)

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Frozen steering cable?

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Frozen steering cable?

No power steering in this one BT. It is an older merc 1 drive. We need to pull the steering tube out of the transom bracket but it is nutted on both sides of the right ear so you cannot get the inboard nut off the tube to be able to pull it out through the bracket.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Frozen steering cable?

this one?

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Frozen steering cable?

That is the setup BT. It clearly illustrates the issue. The (a) cable end rod is frozen in the (b)cable end guide tube. We have the (f) link rod disconnected from the swiveling tip of the (a) cable rod end.

If you look at the black support ear on the left side you see the (C) guide tube nut up against it. If you look on the right side of that same ear there is another nut. This nut will only back off so far but you can never slide it all the way off the (b) as you try to pull the assembly out of the ears from the left side.

If we can get that end of the steering cable out into open air we can probably get it freed up. If that is not to be we would still have to get it out to replace it.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Frozen steering cable?

1 try to get some heat and PB Blaster in there and try to free it up
2 pull engine and use hi-heat and Blaster to free it up
3 pull engine, using a disc cutter ,notch the tube where you think the corrosion is , apply heat and PB Blaster
4 pull engine ,using a disc cutter, notch the tube lengthwise , use a large screwdriver split the tube, apply PB Blaster, free cable , remove cable, replace tube.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Frozen steering cable?

Ok, Ok BT but who was the idiot that designed this thing. Surely steering cables froze up well before 1978. It's kinda like a car company that cannot build decent brakes. How many years have they been at it?

My question is, how did they even install this in the first place? You can't get the cable end into the brackets when it is brand new and you can't get it out unless you cut it. FWIIW, that is BS!

Besides, I do not understand why you would have to pull the engine as the cable is not attached to it?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Frozen steering cable?

all has to do with access, have had to pull engines to do starters so why should steering be any different.
Typically the tube is installed first and nuts snugged. cable installed next and connected to drive.
measure full port and full stbd and adjust tube accordingly for equal travel, and tighten nuts.

 

[achris]

Re: Frozen steering cable?

The guide tube is fitted to the transom bracket (from the port side), BEFORE the steering cable is installed...

If you can get in and cut the nut not labeled, then the whole lot will slide out to the starboard side...

Yes, a ridiculous design... I guess that's why they changed it a few years later .... Remember, once the design goes to production, these designers never see their design again... They don't get to see what can happen after years of service.... That's why I have always said that nobody should be allowed to design anything until they have spent a few years 'in the field', seeing what works, and what doesn't....

Chris.......

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Frozen steering cable?

The guide tube is fitted to the transom bracket (from the port side), BEFORE the steering cable is installed...

If you can get in and cut the nut not labeled, then the whole lot will slide out to the starboard side...

Yes, a ridiculous design... I guess that's why they changed it a few years later .... Remember, once the design goes to production, these designers never see their design again... They don't get to see what can happen after years of service.... That's why I have always said that nobody should be allowed to design anything until they have spent a few years 'in the field', seeing what works, and what doesn't....

Chris.......

Great advice from DownUnder, Chris. Back that unlabled nut off to the end of the threads (to the right) on the outer tube then zip it off with a pnuematic cutting wheel. That would allow you to pull the whole assembly out the left side (facing the transom from inside the boat) then work on freeing up the ram out in the open air. If success was had, you could reinsert the assembly and find alternative methods to secure the housing in lieu of having that lock nut.

If the ram could not be freed up, then it would be time to replace the whole cable, which is otherwise free. The question then would be how to identify a suitable cable that would match up with the helm. Don has been no help, he suggests that the whole helm and cable would have to be replaced. I find that hard to believe. Worthy of note is that this boat manufacturer (way back when) chose not to use a Mercruiser branded cable as evidenced by the fact that this assembly did not have the zerk fitting on it.

 

[achris]

Re: Frozen steering cable?

.... If success was had, you could reinsert the assembly and find alternative methods to secure the housing in lieu of having that lock nut.....

If success was had, you could remove the cable from the tube completely and re-install the tube the same way it was done on day one, just having to buy one new nut... :facepalm:

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Frozen steering cable?

If success was had, you could remove the cable from the tube completely and re-install the tube the same way it was done on day one, just having to buy one new nut... :facepalm:

Duh!:facepalm:

 

[Don S]

Re: Frozen steering cable?

Don has been no help, he suggests that the whole helm and cable would have to be replaced. I find that hard to believe.

I only replied to your post about not being able to search a Merc steering cable here at iboats. Nothing else. Here is the thread http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=559119

You was looking for a cable and couldn't find it and I explained why you couldn't find it and what is done to replace Merc cables. nothing else.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Frozen steering cable?

Ok, I know that you are all holding your breath, loosing sleep at night or hanging on the edge of your seat to find out the resolution to the seized steering cable on the old 898 Merc. Having gotten an understanding of how the whole shebang goes together (thanks to all the iboats crowd) as a last resort, we resorted to the one solution that no one touched upon. We wielded the BIGGER HAMMER. Having greased the exposed ram just two summers ago, we figured it could not have been too rusted.

Facing the prospect of cutting out an expensive cable then going thru the hoops to find a replacement, we took out the bigger hammer and gave the ram end several good wallops. It finally broke loose. We then disconnected the cable at the helm and pulled the ram out of it's tube. We then undid the nuts on the outer tube and removed it. Interesting that the ram itself is made out of good steel, it looked real good. The outer tube was made out of crap metal and was all corroded, inside and out. Keep in mind this was not a Merc cable but some alternative the the boat manufacturer saw fit to use in it's stead.

We will run a rotating wire brush thru the tube, then install a xerc fitting on it, then reassemble the whole mess. This was all on a boat that was under cover and not subject to super harsh winter weather.

Thanks for all the input!!

 

[achris]

Re: Frozen steering cable?

.... We wielded the BIGGER HAMMER. ... we took out the bigger hammer and gave the ram end several good wallops. ...

:facepalm:... That's ALWAYS option #1.... It's only when that fails do I resort to 'alternative solutions'....

Sorry, I thought you would have already done that....

Chris........

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Frozen steering cable?

:facepalm:... That's ALWAYS option #1.... It's only when that fails do I resort to 'alternative solutions'....

Sorry, I thought you would have already done that....

Chris........

Chris, we did try the lite version of that at the outset. My first suggestion to my friend was to use a larger hammer as I saw that what he used is what I oft refer to as a 'baby *****' hammer. He pointed out that he was afraid of belling the swagged end of the ram where the swivel tip was crimped in. It made sense to me. It was only as a last resort, before cutting off the big nut or cutting the cable that we decided that the bigger hammer could do no additional harm.

Once we got the ram pulled out of the outer tube, from the starboard side, it became apparent that that ram was made out of tough stuff and would not easily be distorted.

I ended up bringing the 'tube' home as I had the extension to run the wire brush through it. It is heavily pitted inside but that will likely help hold the grease that will be imparted by the added xerc fitting.