Mercury tilt tube installation question

[SuperGrover]

Hi and Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends!

I have an '87 60hp Mercury outboard with power trim/tilt and it had a very seized steering cable attached. I got the cable out of the tilt tube (finally!! what a bear! ) but I had to take the tube out of the motor bracket to do it. I haven't tried to reinstall it yet (maybe I should before posting a question here) but I'm anticiating it being an ordeal with the motor being on the boat still and with the power tilt/trim system.

Does anyone have any hints or do I just give it a go? I'd prefer to leave the motor on the boat if I can.

Thanks in advance!

 

[oldman570]

Re: Mercury tilt tube installation question

The use of a large drift punch or a large wooden dowel, broomhandle, should make the job alot easier and not damage the inside of the tilt tube. Using the wooden dowel, electric drill, and emerycloth to clean and polish the inside of the tilt tube will get any corrision cleaned up there. Just use a trim saw or hacksaw to cut a slot lengthwise in the wood an slide the emerycloth in it and donot set in one spot as you polish the inside of the tube. This is how I do it. Make sure to replace the seals on the ends of the tube if bad and grease the cable tube unit when done. JMO
Oldman570

 

[aussieflash]

Re: Mercury tilt tube installation question

Great idea Oldman....
Grease and oil is an outboards best friend.

 

[Maxz695]

Re: Mercury tilt tube installation question

One thing to look out for when reinstalling. The tilt has a greese fitting on it and there are hloes for the greese to go through to lube the steering shaft. The trim tilt tube you are going to insert may also have two holes that must be aligned for the greese to flow through to get to the steering shaft. Not all have this nessecary function but if it does it,s better to align the holes as it will make greesing it that much easier and not have to go through that again. Also the greese fitting in the pivot for the steering arm also may be there and should be greesed regularly. Tightness in steering will become appearent as a result of failure to do so. The entire powerhead would then have to be removed and the upper and lower mounts removed to get the midsection off to remove the steering arm and dis lodge the old hardened greese as so that after the rebuildng of it, it will steer once again like a dream. Thats alot of work for the LACK OF proper MAINTANANCE

 

[SuperGrover]

Re: Mercury tilt tube installation question

One thing to look out for when reinstalling. The tilt has a greese fitting on it and there are hloes for the greese to go through to lube the steering shaft. The trim tilt tube you are going to insert may also have two holes that must be aligned for the greese to flow through to get to the steering shaft. Not all have this nessecary function but if it does it,s better to align the holes as it will make greesing it that much easier and not have to go through that again. Also the greese fitting in the pivot for the steering arm also may be there and should be greesed regularly. Tightness in steering will become appearent as a result of failure to do so. The entire powerhead would then have to be removed and the upper and lower mounts removed to get the midsection off to remove the steering arm and dis lodge the old hardened greese as so that after the rebuildng of it, it will steer once again like a dream. Thats alot of work for the LACK OF proper MAINTANANCE

Thanks very much Oldman!

Maxz - thanks for that. The tilt tube doesn't have any holes to allow the grease from the fitting into the steering cable shaft. Would you grease it with the same type of grease? I"ve read other maintenance advice about using nothing but white lithium grease and also light bodied oil - when grease gets old it gets gummy.

Your mention of lack of proper maintenance and I completely agree with you - and let me clarify that this boat is a recent purchase (a fixer upper) and this was how it came. There was a grease gun on board that they likely used to keep it going, all the while not knowing that it wasn't doing anything for the steering cable! Most people know that they should winterize their motors (depending on where they live), but this gets forgotten.

Thanks again!

 

[aussieflash]

Re: Mercury tilt tube installation question

Good idea to start with a marine multi grease,then say once a year re lube with oil only to keep things moving...including the grease as it can stiffen up.Remove nut and extend cable,then lube on the way back in.
Thank God I have Hydraulic steering now.